Rare books

The Australian Museum Research Library holds a significant collection of Rare Books numbering over 1500 volumes. Many of these rare books are located in section libraries where they are regularly used and consulted in the day to day work of our scientists. Among our oldest titles are: 

• Libri de piscibus marinis... Lugdini, 1554, by Guillaume Rondelet
• Prodigiorum ac ostentorum chronicon... Basileae, 1557, by Conrad Lycosthenes
• Icones animalium quadrupedum viviparorum et oviparorum... Tiguri, 1560, by Conrad Gessner

Areas of particular strength in our collection are books relating to the early European exploration of Australia and the Pacific, and natural history dating from the same period. Examples of the former are the Cook voyages, First Fleet journals such as Surgeon John White, 1790; John Hunter, 1793; David Collins, 1804, and the French voyages of exploration. 

Important natural history works include those by the authors Buffon, Cuvier, Linnaeus and Fabricius, as well as George Shaw, George Perry, P.A. Latreille, and William Swainson. In addition to John Gould's Birds of Australia, the collection includes his monographs on The Ramphastidae, The Odontophorinae, The Macropodidae, and The birds of Great Britain, The Birds of Asia, The Birds of New Guinea and The Mammals of Australia. 

Selected rare books are regularly put on display in the Research Library and Museum exhibitions. The storage conditions of the collection are being constantly assessed, and there is a program of treatment and conservation.

Using Rare Books in the Research Library

Items from the collections are available on request between 9-12.30am and 1.30-5pm Monday to Friday. 

• Rare books will be issued one at a time. In some instances users may be requested to wear white gloves so that pages are not damaged when they are turned.
• To prevent stress on the spine of the book, a cushion will be issued with the rare book. Please ensure the spine of the book is supported by the cushion before opening the rare book.
• The book spine must not be forced open. If the book needs to be gently held open by hand, please ask the Research Library staff for assistance.
• Many books in the collection are extremely fragile. If the book is in a box labelled "To be handled by Research Library staff only" the book will be opened by staff at the relevant page.
• If you need to make notes pencils only are to be used in the vicinity of the rare book. No white out, no ballpoints, no ink. Certainly no food or drink.
• Rare books are not to be photocopied. However photography may be arranged with Research Library staff and Photography Section. Any reproductions will incur a fee.

Rare book projects

• The restoration and display of Icones animalium
  • The Author
  • The Book
  • Conservation

• John Gould and the bird illustrators

Copyright © Australian Museum, 2002