‘On the shick’ in Little Lon

‘On the shick’ in Little Lon

April 16, 2020

Buildings & streets, Social life & customs, Such was life:

Of all the slums in inner Melbourne, ‘Little Lon’ was the most notorious. But there was more to the precinct than met the eye…

Jazz Head, 2016

New Sights and Sounds in Arts

April 6, 2020

classical music, Dance, Film, jazz, Music, Musicals, opera, Popular music, Rare Books & Arts, rock:

Some great new arrivals include recent releases and acquisitions in popular, rock, musical theatre and film music, classical, jazz, chamber, ballet and opera on CD and Blu-Ray.  All CDs listed… Read More ›

Blondin and his imitators

Blondin and his imitators

March 26, 2020

People & professions, Such was life:

In the 1870s, a visiting French tightrope walker inspired others to try the same- often with disastrous results.

The marvellous and macabre Waxworks, part one: ‘…the more murderers, the more it thrives.’

The marvellous and macabre Waxworks, part one: ‘…the more murderers, the more it thrives.’

March 4, 2020

Social life & customs, Such was life:

Before true crime podcasts and books on serial killers, where did Melburnians go for their taste of the macabre? To the waxworks of course.

EBooks for Family Historians

EBooks for Family Historians

March 2, 2020

Family matters:

Did you know that the State Library provides access to over 16,000 eBooks on a wide range of topics?  Our eBooks can be accessed by anyone within the Library and,… Read More ›

Original writing box containing correspondence, from the Syme Family Papers collection

A lesser known story of the Syme family

February 5, 2020

Collection Care, People & professions, Preservation, Such was life:

Found within the family papers of The Age editor-in-chief David Syme, are a set of letters that give a small insight into the women of the Syme family.

Back to the future in Rare Books

Back to the future in Rare Books

January 29, 2020

Collection:

State Library Victoria’s Rare Books Cataloguer Derrick Moors uncovered a fascinating item recently while working on the Wallace Kirsop Collection, a generous gift by one of this library’s greatest supporters.… Read More ›

Albert Ullin OAM (1930-2018)

Albert Ullin OAM (1930-2018)

January 17, 2020

Our stories:

In 1960 Albert Ullin founded the first children’s bookshop in Melbourne and named it the Little Bookroom. This tiny shop in the Metropole Arcade, followed by later expansions into other… Read More ›

The collar king

The collar king

January 15, 2020

People & professions, Such was life, War:

A chance find in an opportunity shop sets the finder on the trail of Melbourne’s former ‘Collar King’.

x

January 1, 2020

Uncategorized:

Online Collection Spotlight: Parliamentary Papers

Such was life

Collection of wills from Cohen, Kirby & Co. Solicitors, Bendigo

Collection of wills from Cohen, Kirby & Co. Solicitors, Bendigo

July 28, 2026 0 comments

A recent donation to the Library gives us insight into the last wills and testaments of Victorians of the 19th and 20th Century, from what they were bequeathing to who they held dear.

Arts

Collecting Agatha Christie

Collecting Agatha Christie

July 4, 2026 7 comments

Agatha Christie was a leading author of the golden age of detective fiction whose books continue to excite, delight and intrigue readers. To celebrate her outstanding legacy, State Library Victoria recently acquired first editions of some of Christie’s most popular titles.