The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed on Friday September 26 for the Friday before the Grand Final public holiday.

The library will be open regular hours on Saturday September 27.

The Melbourne Athenaeum Library will be closed on Friday September 26 for the Friday before the Grand Final public holiday.

The library will be open regular hours on Saturday September 27.

News and Events

Friday 10 October 2025
Music: Phil Manning and Mark Ferrie

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

 

Phil Manning and Mark Ferrie both have long pedigrees in the Australian music industry. Phil is a founding member of legendary OzBlues band Chain, a solo performer and session musician....read more
Saturday 11 October 2025
Alissa Duke Draws in Books

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

What happens to the books no-one wants? Join a talk by artist and librarian Alissa Duke who draws in books that are about to be discarded. Alissa draws an image...read more
Play Video

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
Atmosphere / Taylor Jenkins Reid
General Fiction
My friends / Fredrik Backman
General Fiction
The passengers on the Hankyu Line / Hiro Arikawa
General Fiction
Foreign country / Marija Pericic
General Fiction
The Phoenix Pencil Company / Allison King
Crime Fiction
The book of secrets / Anna Mazzola
Crime Fiction
The palazzo / Kayte Nunn
Crime Fiction
Barren Cape / Michelle Prak
Crime Fiction
To the dogs / Louise Welsh
Crime Fiction
Melaleuca / Angie Faye Martin
Non Fiction
What artists see / Quentin Sprague
Non Fiction
Edda Mussolini / Caroline Moorehead
Non Fiction
Mud and stars / Sara Wheeler
Non Fiction
Cactus pear for my beloved / Samah Sabawi
Non Fiction
Vaccine nation / Raina MacIntyre
Other Genres
Antarctica / Claire Keegan
Other Genres
The colony / Daniel Pollock
Other Genres
The midnight dance / Nikki Katz
Other Genres
Kip of the Karoo / Emma Gourlay
Other Genres
The arrangement / Mary Balogh
Ebooks
Mother of Eden / Chris Beckett
Ebooks
In Praise of the Bees / Kristin Gleeson
Ebooks
Grave Intentions / RV Raman
Ebooks
The Village Hall Vendetta / Jonathan Whitelaw
Ebooks
A Trace of Hares / Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

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.
crosschevron-down