The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed from 6pm Thursday April 2 until 10am Tuesday April 7 for the Easter long weekend.


NOTICE OF MEETING

The 2026 Annual General Meeting for the Melbourne Athenaeum Inc. will be held in the library at 1 pm on Monday 13 April.

For more information please speak to library staff.

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed from 6pm Thursday April 2 until 10am Tuesday April 7 for the Easter long weekend.


NOTICE OF MEETING

The 2026 Annual General Meeting for the Melbourne Athenaeum Inc. will be held in the library at 1 pm on Monday 13 April.

For more information please speak to library staff.

News and Events

Thursday 23 April 2026
Author Talk: Samuel Thawley

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Samuel Thawley has pursued a life outside the ordinary, living and working in over 15 places around the world in a wide range of organisations and in a broad mix...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
Daughters of Batavia / Stefanie Koens
General Fiction
The general of the dead army / Ismail Kadare
General Fiction
At the foot of the cherry tree / Alli Parker
General Fiction
Mona's eyes / Thomas Schlesser
General Fiction
The archipelago of another life / Andrei Makine
Crime Fiction
Fish swimming in dappled sunlight / Riku Onda
Crime Fiction
Bog queen / Anna North
Crime Fiction
What rhymes with murder? / Penny Tangey
Crime Fiction
Private prosecution / Lisa Ellery
Crime Fiction
The dark library / Mary Anna Evans
Non Fiction
A brain that breathes / Jodi Wilson
Non Fiction
Abroad in Japan / Chris Broad
Non Fiction
The book forger / Joseph Hone
Non Fiction
World of war crimes / Geoffrey Robertson
Non Fiction
The house of blue glass / Alan Atkinson
Other Genres
Medea / Rosie Hewlett
Other Genres
I ate the whole world to find you / Rachel Ang
Other Genres
Eros : queer myths for lovers / Zoe Terakes
Other Genres
The murderbot diaries / Martha Wells
Other Genres
The match of the century / Cathy Maxwell
Ebooks
Murder at Blackburn Hall / Sara Rosett
Ebooks
The River Is Waiting / Wally Lamb
Ebooks
Heated Rivalry / Rachel Reid
Ebooks
Secret Service / Tom Bradby
Ebooks
It Happened One Summer Tessa Bailey

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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