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
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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 underworld / Sofie Laguna
General Fiction
What we can know / Ian McEwan
General Fiction
After the fall / Kirsten Alexander
General Fiction
The long road from Kandahar / Sara MacDonald
General Fiction
The champagne war / Fiona McIntosh
Crime Fiction
Dark desert road / Tim Ayliffe
Crime Fiction
Appointment in Paris / Jane Thynne
Crime Fiction
The last days of Kira Mullan / Nicci French
Crime Fiction
Cold truth / Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Crime Fiction
No one would do what the Lamberts have done / Sophie Hannah
Non Fiction
The dark prince of Melbourne / Ian W. Shaw
Non Fiction
100 diaries that chronicled world events / Colin Salter
Non Fiction
Full corset and stockings / Craig Horne
Non Fiction
Unapologetically Ita / Ita Buttrose
Non Fiction
This way up / Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman
Other Genres
I am Nannertgarrook / Tasma Walton
Other Genres
The invocations / Krystal Sutherland
Other Genres
The oracle code / Marieke Nijkamp and Manuel Preitano
Other Genres
The lost bookshop / Evie Woods
Other Genres
Revelation Beach / Susan Francis
Ebooks
The Concierge / Abby Corson
Ebooks
The River Is Waiting / Wally Lamb
Ebooks
The Perfect Cornish Murder / Fiona Leitch
Ebooks
Heated Rivalry / Rachel Reid
Ebooks
Crisis / Frank Gardner

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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