A reminder to members that the library will be participating in Open House Melbourne from Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July.

We are expecting an influx of visitors on those days, particularly the weekend, so the library is likely to be busier than usual.

A reminder to members that the library will be participating in Open House Melbourne from Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July.

We are expecting an influx of visitors on those days, particularly the weekend, so the library is likely to be busier than usual.

News and Events

Monday 14 July 2025
Artist in Residence: William Eicholtz
Our artist-in-residence, sculptor William Eicholtz, will be working in the library most weekdays from July 14 to July 31, and during Open House Melbourne (July 26 and 27). This is...read more
Tuesday 29 July 2025
Outrageous Fortunes

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Lucy Sussex, author of Blockbuster about Fergus Hume, the biggest selling crime fiction writer of the 19th century, has now published, in collaboration with Megan Brown, the story of Mary...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
Translations / Jumaana Abdu
General Fiction
Somebody down there likes me / Robert Lukins
General Fiction
The secret year of Zara Holt / Kimberley Freeman
General Fiction
I want everything / Dominic Amerena
General Fiction
The physics of sorrow / Georgi Gospodinov
Crime Fiction
Murder at Lord's Station / Jim Eldridge
Crime Fiction
Miss Caroline Bingley, private detective / Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar
Crime Fiction
The ladies road guide to utter ruin / Alison Goodman
Crime Fiction
Nightshade / Michael Connelly
Crime Fiction
The name of the sister / Gail Jones
Non Fiction
Black convicts / Santilla Chingaipe
Non Fiction
Hear me roar / Erna Walraven
Non Fiction
Brainstorm / Richard Scolyer
Non Fiction
How to kill a witch / Claire Mitchell & Zoe Venditozzi
Non Fiction
Always home, always homesick / Hannah Kent
Other Genres
Lean your loneliness slowly against mine / Klara Hveberg
Other Genres
He would never / Holly Wainwright
Other Genres
The woman in the well / Dmetri Kakmi
Other Genres
Penelope unbound / Mary Morrissy
Other Genres
The 113th assistant librarian / Stuart Wilson
Ebooks
Fyneshade / Kate Griffin
Ebooks
The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir / Lesley Allen
Ebooks
Fix Her Up / Tessa Bailey
Ebooks
The Bingo Hall Detectives / Jonathan Whitelaw
Ebooks
Buried in a Good Book / Tamara Berry

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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