Our stories

An illuminated Qur’an from the Michael Abbott Collection of Southeast Asian Islamic Manuscripts. Photograph: Emily Keppel

Islamic Bookbinding

November 23, 2017

Collection Care, Conservation, Our stories, Preservation:

While the Western tradition of bookbinding is well represented in the State Library Victoria (SLV) collection, the Library also holds a small but fascinating assortment of manuscripts produced in the Islamic world. A clear understanding of the different materials and structures used in the production of Islamic manuscripts is essential for the Library’s Book Conservators to make informed decisions regarding appropriate methods for preservation, repair and display.

Illustrated children’s books: Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886)

Illustrated children’s books: Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886)

November 16, 2017

Our stories:

Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886) broke late 19th century conventions of children’s book illustration by interpreting stories rather than decorating them, peopling them with cheeky caricatures involved in chaotic escapades.

Young Dick from Slate and pencil-vania

Illustrated children’s books: Walter Crane (1845-1915)

October 11, 2017

Our stories:

Walter Crane (1845-1915) is today best known for his ornately illustrated 19th century children’s books. He designed artwork for the British master printer Edmund Evans in a variety of capacities for ten years, before Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway joined him as Evans’ triumvirate of children’s Toy Book illustrators.

Princes Court postcard series. H84.507/15

Around the world with State Library Victoria

September 27, 2017

Our stories:

To celebrate World Tourism Day (27 September), we’re taking a trip around the globe with some amazing photographs, photo albums, diaries and posters from our collection. Enjoy!

Chung Ling Soo, the Marvellous Chinese Conjurer ALMA 93.2/34

The life and death of master magician Chung Ling Soo

September 20, 2017

Our stories, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts:

Magician William Ellsworth Robinson left behind his plain name and New York background and reinvented himself as the Chung Ling Soo, the Marvellous Chinese Conjurer, complete with an imaginative and fictitious life story, In the great days of vaudeville he achieved world fame and in 1909 embarked on a wildly successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. A decade later, still at the height of his career, Chung Ling Soo was mortally wounded on stage undertaking his sensational bullet catch trick.

Mother Goose: or old nursery rhymes, illustrated by Kate Greenaway, engraved and printed by Edmund Evans, Frederick Warne and Co., London, [190?].

Illustrated children’s books: Kate Greenaway (1846-1901)

September 15, 2017

Our stories:

Kate Greenaway (1846–1901) was an English children’s book illustrator. She was a remarkable success during her lifetime, pleasing audiences with her form and originality.

Songs that sound like blood by Jared Thomas, Seahorse by Bruce Pascoe, Mrs Whitlam by Bruce Pascoe

Indigenous Children’s Books

September 6, 2017

Our stories:

Today, Indigenous Literacy Day, we celebrate Indigenous authored and illustrated children’s books on a range of topics.

Exploring galaxies and rare books for National Science Week

Exploring galaxies and rare books for National Science Week

August 14, 2017

Our stories:

From a first edition of Newton’s Principia Mathematica (1632) to the first Star Atlas ever produced (1729), the Library’s collection contains a number of early astronomical books.

A sketch of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra (c.1810). Source: Wikimedia Commons

Austen’s appeal: how Jane Austen went from anonymous to acclaimed

July 18, 2017

Our stories:

Jane Austen transcends time. Her work critiques 18th century England but it remains compelling to contemporary readers. Her terrific characters, realism, and her sense of irony and humour have earned Austen critical acclaim and a wide audience, inspiring countless readers and writers. All that for a writer who spent her entire writing career anonymous.

M0014782 Nikola Tesla, with his equipment Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org Nikola Tesla, with his equipment for producing high-frequency alternating currents. Inscribed: 'To my illustrious friend Sir William Crookes of whom I always think and whose kind letters I never answer! Nikola Tesla June 17, 1901' Photograph 1901 Published: - Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Nikola Tesla: the man who gave electricity to the world

July 10, 2017

Our stories:

Nikola Tesla was an electrical genius. He was a visionary who captured the imagination of engineers, entrepreneurs and the public with his futuristic concepts and vivid demonstrations of the power of electricity.

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