The Melbourne Athenaeum will be closed on Tuesday November 7 for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

We will be open regular hours on Monday November 6 and Wednesday November 8.

The Melbourne Athenaeum will be closed on Tuesday November 7 for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

We will be open regular hours on Monday November 6 and Wednesday November 8.

News and Events

Friday 1 December 2023
Zoe Knighton

BOOK HERE

A founding member of the one of the library’s favourite quartets, Zoe Knighton will take to the stage on Friday 1st December for a solo performance. Zoe will play Suites...read more
Friday 15 December 2023
Peter Beilharz Book Launch

BOOK HERE

Melbourne 1971: radical counterculture, hippies, opposition to the Vietnam War and consumerism. The birth of Oz blues rock, with a leading role by Australian group Chain. Peter Beilharz has penned...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
Hungry ghosts / Kevin Jared Hosein
General Fiction
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop / Satoshi Yagisawa
General Fiction
Dr. No / Percival Everett
General Fiction
But the girl / Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
General Fiction
The town / Shaun Prescott
Crime Fiction
Bad kids / Zijin Chen
Crime Fiction
Holly / Stephen King
Crime Fiction
The penguin pool murder / Stuart Palmer
Crime Fiction
Summer of blood / Dave Warner
Crime Fiction
Paper cage / Tom Baragwanath
Non Fiction
Her sunburnt country / Deborah Fitzgerald
Non Fiction
At the altar of touch / Gavin Yuan Gao
Non Fiction
Baggage / Alan Cumming
Non Fiction
Storytellers / Leigh Sales
Non Fiction
The Swedish art of ageing well / Margareta Magnusson
Other Genres
The escapades of Tribulation Johnson / Karen Brooks
Other Genres
Normal rules don't apply / Kate Atkinson
Other Genres
Up all night with a good duke / Amy Rose Bennett
Other Genres
The hummingbird effect / Kate Mildenhall
Other Genres
Neverlanders / Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva
Ebooks
The Secret Life of Sunflowers / Marta Molnar
Ebooks
Girls Don't Play Sport / Chloe Dalton
Ebooks
The Watchmaker's Daughter / C.J. Archer
Ebooks
Sneaky Little Revolutions / Charmian Clift
Ebooks
Murder by the Book / Lauren Elliott

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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