Books | National Library of Australia (NLA)

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Showing 109 - 120 of 143 results
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Arresting scenery: Capturing time and place in crime fiction writing

Explore some of the crime-fiction reads in the collection and how they can help readers learn more about Australian culture, history and place.

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Book cover with blue bird with a blue flower in it's beak, standing near other blue objects, including a fork, spoon, bottle lids and more

Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker

ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime 2024: 'Bowerbird Blues'

Join Mike from the National Library Bookshop as he reads 'Bowerbird Blues' for National Simultaneous Storytime 2024.

News article
Video
Title page of the musical score for Mozart's Marriage of Figaro

W.A. Mozart (1756–1791), Boosey and Sons’ Complete Edition of Mozart’s Opera, Figaro, for Voice and Pianoforte, with English and Italian Words, London: Boosey and Sons, 1854–1864, Hince Collection (Music), MUS Hince 2 collection M 76, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8596647

Figaro!

Searching for the 18th-century character in the Library's rare books and music collections.

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In the foreground, spiky lizards climbing a broken computer, and in the background a large imposing red structure in front of a pink sky

Detail from cover of Aurealis Magazine, Issue 7, nla.cat-vn427048

The end of the world at the Library: Sci-Fi, dystopia, and Australian fiction

Explore some of the speculative fiction reads in the collection and how they can help future generations understand society in the time they were written.

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Image of the title page and portrait frontispiece of NLA RB CLI 2050 with portrait frontispiece an image of a woman in profile with a prominent 18th-century wig.

Mrs M. Robinson, Poems, volume 1, London: Printed by J. Bell, British-Library, Strand, 1791, Clifford Collection (Overseas Rare Books), RB CLI 2050, nla.cat-vn2476718

Great female writers of the eighteenth century: Trailblazers and radicals

Dive into the works of great female writers held in the Library's rare books collection.

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Woman with red hair standing in front of a bookshelf of romance books, holding a tablet with the cover of a romance book on the screen. She is facing forward with her back to the bookshelf, looking to the side and slightly smiling
Library love stories: Romance in the National Library of Australia’s collection

Explore the history and diversity of Australian romance books in our collection.

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Uncredited artist Glycine Rubicunda Dingy-Flowered Glycine Diadelphia Decandria Kennedia Rubicunda, Dusky Coral Pea, No 268, July 1 1794

Uncredited artist, Glycine Rubicunda. Dingy-Flowered Glycine: Diadelphia Decandria [Kennedia Rubicunda, Dusky Coral Pea], No. 268, July 1 1794

Australian flowers in print

Dive into two of the earliest English publications to feature Australian flowers and the stunning images they contain.

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Japanese portrait of a women reading

Bijin Shinobazunoike o nozomu, Beauty looking at Shinobazu Pond (1895), nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5744665

Asian collections

The Asian language collections cover a broad range of formats and focus on contemporary Asia from the 19th century onwards 

Information article
Magazines and books from the 00s and 90s spread out, including the 'Australian Women's Weekly: Children's birthday cake book' and a document titled 'Y2K: State disaster contingency plan'
Discovery video: 90s and 00s nostalgia

Join Madeline and Allister as they dive into our collection and discover items from the '90s and '00s.

Video
Title page of the Margarita Philosophica 1517

Title page of the Margarita Philosophica (1517)

Reisch’s Margarita Philosophica (1517)

The Margarita Philosophica (Pearl of Philosophy) (1517) of German Carthusian monk and prior Gregor Reisch (c. 1467-1525).

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Old book open to page reading 'As You Like It: A comedy'

Nicholas Rowe (editor), The Works of Mr. William Shakespear, 6 volumes, volume 2, London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, 1709–1710, David Nichol Smith Collection, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1355760

Shakespeare in the Library’s rare books collections

Celebrate William Shakespeare's birthday with Shakespearean gems from the National Library's rare books collections.

Blog
Rare Dictionaries

Jacques Lacombe (1724–1811), Dizionario Portatile Delle Belle Arti (Portable Dictionary of the Fine Arts), Venice: Bassano, 1768, Onions Collection, nla.cat-vn15907 

Rare dictionaries at the Library

Explore dictionaries of various shapes, sizes, languages and subjects from the Library's collection.

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