Due to refurbishment work being done on our historic lift, the Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed on Saturday August 15.

The library will be open regular hours on Friday August 14 and Monday August 17.

Due to refurbishment work being done on our historic lift, the Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed on Saturday August 15.

The library will be open regular hours on Friday August 14 and Monday August 17.

News and Events

Friday 4 September 2026
Music: Tanya-Lee Davies and Sam Lemann

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Songs by four of the greatest American music stylists - Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams and Linda Ronstadt – will be performed in the library by Tanya-Lee Davies and...read more
Thursday 10 September 2026
Talk: Melbourne’s Fascinating Trams

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

From the horse-drawn carriages of the 1880s to the sleek modern trams of today, author Greg Gardiner takes us on a fascinating ride through the history and memory of a...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
The Moroccan daughter / Deborah Rodriguez
General Fiction
Phantom days / Angela O'Keeffe
General Fiction
Chronicle of a death foretold / Gabriel Garcia Marquez
General Fiction
Benjamin's crossing / Jay Parini
General Fiction
All them dogs / Djamel White
Crime Fiction
Unsound / Heather Critchlow
Crime Fiction
How to kill a crime writer / Sarah Lotz
Crime Fiction
My inner child wants to murder mindfully / Karsten Dusse
Crime Fiction
Bad neighbours / Joanna Jenkins
Crime Fiction
Claire DeWitt and the bohemian highway / Sara Gran
Non Fiction
The courage to be ordinary / Ichiro Kishimi
Non Fiction
For and against a united Ireland / Fintan O'Toole, Sam McBride
Non Fiction
Murray Ball : a cartoonist's life / Mason Ball
Non Fiction
A training school for elephants / Sophy Roberts
Non Fiction
Jan Morris : a life / Sara Wheeler
Other Genres
The last Mandarin / Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung
Other Genres
The longest memory / Fred D'Aguiar
Other Genres
The Austen girls / Lucy Worsley
Other Genres
The Diemenois / J.W. Clennett
Other Genres
Platform decay / Martha Wells
Ebooks
Open Carry / Marc Cameron
Ebooks
Murder On Friday Street / Russell Cooper
Ebooks
Nowhere Near Respectable / Mary Jo Putney
Ebooks
No Strangers Here / Carlene O'Connor
Ebooks
A Match Made in Bed / Cathy Maxwell

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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