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Rare books

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Uncredited artist Glycine Rubicunda Dingy-Flowered Glycine Diadelphia Decandria Kennedia Rubicunda, Dusky Coral Pea, No 268, July 1 1794

Uncredited artist, Glycine Rubicunda. Dingy-Flowered Glycine: Diadelphia Decandria [Kennedia Rubicunda, Dusky Coral Pea], No. 268, July 1 1794

Australian flowers in print

Spring has definitely sprung in Canberra and around Australia.

Many of us are spending more time enjoying plants in bloom, especially exotic bulbs. It is also an excellent time to celebrate our spectacular native flowers. 

Blog
A large, old text with Chinese characters is bound with traditional thread stitching, sitting on a shelf, supported by a white fabric strap wrapped around its cover. The edges of the pages are uneven, showing wear with the stitching slightly frayed. Other colourful books with Chinese characters are lined up alongside it on the shelf.
Chinese collections research guide

Get help to find and access material from the Library’s Chinese collection and beyond.

Research guide
Collection guide
De Vesci Collection

Country house library collection of 1648 books and 54 serials with strength in English and French publications of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

Collection guide
Rows of shelves filled with colourful books and doorways lined down the middle
Explore ‘Bibliomania: Stories from inside and outside the book’ at the Library

Participate in the Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference 2024 at the National Library.

News article
A drawing of William Shakespeare.

Samuel Ireland (etcher), Portrait of William Shakespeare (detail) in W.H. Ireland, Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instruments Under the Hand and Seal of William Shakespeare, 1796, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn482564

Fakespeare: The story of the Vortigern hoax

Join Dr Kate Flaherty and actors from Bell Shakespeare as they uncover one of the most amusing and successful literary hoaxes of all time.

Event
Sappho Hildegard von Bingen Aphra Behn rare books
Great female writers of centuries past: Sappho to Aphra Behn

Sappho, Hildegard von Bingen and Aphra Behn: an ancient Greek poet; a medieval abbess, composer and writer; and a Restoration playwright and spy. What do they have in common?

Blog
Image of the title page and portrait frontispiece of NLA RB CLI 2050 with portrait frontispiece an image of a woman in profile with a prominent 18th-century wig.

Mrs M. Robinson, Poems, volume 1, London: Printed by J. Bell, British-Library, Strand, 1791, Clifford Collection (Overseas Rare Books), RB CLI 2050, nla.cat-vn2476718

Great female writers of the eighteenth century: Trailblazers and radicals

Dive into the works of great female writers held in the Library's rare books collection.

Blog
Rare Books Swimming - Roger Lever

Frontispiece and title page of Melchisédech Thévenot, The Art of Swimming. The second edition. London: Printed for John Lever, 1764, nla.cat-vn7756220

Rare book highlights – Swimming in 1764

This blog, by the Library’s Rare Books and Music Curator Dr Susannah Helman, explores this charming little book, just in time for the last days of summer. It may even be helpful the next time you take the plunge!

Blog
Rare Dictionaries

Jacques Lacombe (1724–1811), Dizionario Portatile Delle Belle Arti (Portable Dictionary of the Fine Arts), Venice: Bassano, 1768, Onions Collection, nla.cat-vn15907 

Rare dictionaries at the Library

Today, we can find the meaning of a word online. In the past, we only had physical dictionaries. (I had a 1980 reprint of The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary (1976), covered in royal blue contact paper.)

Blog
Book
Title page of the Margarita Philosophica 1517

Title page of the Margarita Philosophica (1517)

Reisch’s Margarita Philosophica (1517)

The Margarita Philosophica (Pearl of Philosophy) (1517) of German Carthusian monk and prior Gregor Reisch (c. 1467-1525).

Blog
Old book open to page reading 'As You Like It: A comedy'

Nicholas Rowe (editor), The Works of Mr. William Shakespear, 6 volumes, volume 2, London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, 1709–1710, David Nichol Smith Collection, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1355760

Shakespeare in the Library’s rare books collections

Celebrate William Shakespeare's birthday with Shakespearean gems from the National Library's rare books collections.

Blog

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