A guide to finding Australian literature resources

Family papers and about 1600 books of the De Salis family from 1850-1920. Covering a broad range of subjects, including classics, religion, history, politics, literature, science, art, and children's books, reflecting the families intellectual interests.

About 3,460 books and pamphlets, mostly local, church, business and organisational histories from around Australia.

Explore items in the National Library’s collection that enter the public domain this year, including the unpublished works of Miles Franklin and Chester Wilmot.

Discover the Whelan Collection, a remarkable archive of Australian literature with over 1,000 autographed books, manuscripts, and letters from 1892 to 1967. Collected by bibliophile Philip Whelan, it offers a rare glimpse into Australia’s rich storytelling heritage and vibrant literary culture.

Explore Australia's literary heritage with the Australian Literature Society Collection. Home to over 500 works, including novels, verse, and essays, it showcases iconic authors like Patrick White, Joseph Furphy, and Kylie Tennant. Founded in 1899, this collection highlights the society's crucial role in shaping Australia’s vibrant literary tradition.

Learn about the research of 2024 National Library Scholar Zoe Smith and what she found during her time at the Library.

Join the Friends of the National Library and biographer Matthew Lamb as he delves into young Frank Moorhouse's life.

Personal papers of Patrick White, plus letters from White to other Australian writers acquired as part of their papers. Also papers of White's biographer David Marr and those of the artist and theatre designer Desmond Digby who had a long friendship with White.

Authors Tess Scholfield-Peters, André Dao and Sam Vincent, in conversation with broadcast journalist Virginia Haussegger

Module

This resource aligns to the Australian Curriculum for Year 3 English - Language, Literature and Literacy.

Dr Burcu Cevik-Compiegne presented a lecture on her 2024 National Library Fellowship research into uncovering different forms of life writing produced in Australia following the Labour Migration Scheme between Turkey and Australia in 1967.