The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed for the public holiday on Monday January 26.

The library will be open regular hours on Saturday January 24 and Tuesday January 27.

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed for the public holiday on Monday January 26.

The library will be open regular hours on Saturday January 24 and Tuesday January 27.

News and Events

Friday 13 February 2026
Music: Wattleseed Ensemble

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Join the Wattleseed Ensemble of Meg Cohen (violin), Katie Yap (viola) and David Moran (cello) for a celebration of nature’s beauty. Wattleseed Ensemble weaves together music of the baroque period...read more
Thursday 19 February 2026
Talk: The Fascinating History of Scholartis Press

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Author John Arnold will be in conversation with Simon Farley about his book Eric Partridge and the Scholartis Press on Thursday 19th February – and members are invited to attend....read more
Play Video

Library

A range of cultural activities are held in the beautiful surrounds of the subscription library.
The library holds a 30,000 strong collection and hosts regular music performances, talks, book and screen clubs, and artist and writer-in-residence programs. Members enjoy the historic atmosphere and quiet haven in a bustling city.

Browse the collection

New Acquisitions

General Fiction
Chosen family / Madeleine Gray
General Fiction
Herscht 07769 / Laszlo Krasznahorkai
General Fiction
The Warrumbar / William J. Byrne
General Fiction
The wolf who cried boy / Mark Mupotsa-Russell
General Fiction
Seed / Bri Lee
Crime Fiction
I will find the key / Alex Ahndoril
Crime Fiction
Dead girl gone / Gareth Ward & Louise Ward
Crime Fiction
Gunner / Alan Parks
Crime Fiction
Last one out / by Jane Harper
Crime Fiction
In the shadow of King's / Nora Kelly
Non Fiction
Book of lives / Margaret Atwood
Non Fiction
The mushroom murders / Greg Haddrick
Non Fiction
Defiance / Bob Brown
Non Fiction
Mary Penfold / Grantlee Kieza
Non Fiction
Great writers & the cats who owned them / Susannah Fullerton
Other Genres
Venetian vespers / John Banville
Other Genres
The Brownout murders / Luke C Jackson, Maya Graham, Kelly Jackson
Other Genres
The rose field / Philip Pullman
Other Genres
The night of Baba Yaga / Akira Otani
Other Genres
Pictures of you / Tony Birch
Ebooks
The Lost Bookshop / Evie Woods
Ebooks
Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare / Cyril Hare
Ebooks
Love Off Script / Laura Starkey
Ebooks
Once We Were Brothers / Ronald H. Balson
Ebooks
Dearly Beloved / Mary Jo Putney

About us

The Melbourne Athenaeum enriches Melbourne’s cultural and educational life by fostering public engagement with the arts and culture, and supporting creativity.
A Management Committee of volunteers is responsible for the organisation’s governance. Every member joining the Melbourne Athenaeum becomes a custodian of a rich part of the city’s living history.
history image
State Library Victoria, www.slv.vic.gov.au, Alfred Martin Ebsworth, June 29, 1885.

History

The story that unfolds here is about a unique organisation that continues to contribute to the city’s culture in a building first completed in 1842.
crosschevron-down