The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed on Tuesday November 4 for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

The library will be open regular hours on Monday November 3.

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed on Tuesday November 4 for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

The library will be open regular hours on Monday November 3.

News and Events

Friday 14 November 2025
Music: Shuffle Club

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

For 21 years the Shuffle Club have been filling dance floors with their playful blend of jazz, swing, blues and boogie-infused vintage party tunes. The band cut their teeth in...read more
Thursday 20 November 2025
Talk: Fascinating History of David Syme's Tomb

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Hidden within a suburban Melbourne cemetery lies a remarkable piece of Egyptian-inspired architecture: the tomb of David Syme, one of the world’s first media tycoons and the influential proprietor of...read more
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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
Together we fall apart / Sophie Matthiesson
General Fiction
Diary of a cat / Mayumi Nagano
General Fiction
The book of lost hours / Hayley Gelfuso
General Fiction
Chinese postman / Brian Castro
General Fiction
Summer Island / Kristin Hannah
Crime Fiction
Elena knows / Claudia Pineiro
Crime Fiction
Home truths / Charity Norman
Crime Fiction
Dust / Michael Brissenden
Crime Fiction
Five found dead / Sulari Gentill
Crime Fiction
King of ashes / S.A. Cosby
Non Fiction
The writer's room / Charlotte Wood
Non Fiction
A different kind of power / Jacinda Ardern
Non Fiction
When nothing feels real / Nathan Dunne
Non Fiction
The spy in Moscow Station / Eric Haseltine
Non Fiction
Saffron Incorporated / Stuart Coup
Other Genres
The prison healer / Lynette Noni
Other Genres
The king's elite / Virginia Heath
Other Genres
Midnight in Europe / Alan Furst
Other Genres
Cleopatra / Natasha Solomons
Other Genres
The Murderbot diaries / Martha Wells
Ebooks
Tress of the Emerald Sea / Brandon Sanderson
Ebooks
I See You've Called in Dead / John Kenney
Ebooks
The Budapest Protocol / Adam LeBor
Ebooks
Winter's Redemption / Mary Stone
Ebooks
The Sisters of Sea View / Julie Klassen

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.
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