More than 1,000 comics, mostly published in Australia and including some overseas titles reprinted in Australia, from the 1940s to 1970s, as well as fanzines and personal papers.

1,066 Japanese books, nearly all published in the 20th century. They mostly relate to Japanese literature and include a large number of novels and also poetry, plays, essays, biographies of writers, literary history and critical works.

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

We held the third illustrated Shakespeare lecture and discovered the objects and stories that reveal how Shakespeare made landfall in Australia.  

See Dr Kate Flaherty and actors from Bell Shakespeare explore the link between the books that inspired Shakespeare and Shakespeare's own work.

Hear Oxford academic Professor Emma Smith, the world’s leading Shakespeare scholar, discuss Shakespeare’s First Folio as part of its 400 year anniversary.

3,300 books and serial issues in a range of languages relating to Asian and European literature, politics, history, religion and more. 

Papers of Christina Stead including diaries, manuscripts of her works, correspondence, personal documents, cuttings and photographs as well as papers of her biographers.

Manuscripts of poems and stories and letters from over 70 writers that Stephens assembled in the years in which he was editing the ‘Red Page’ of the Bulletin and later the Bookfellow.

Edited by Chris Wallace

Dr Matthew Lamb presented his recent Fellowship research on Frank Moorhouse’s ‘archival imagination’, exploring how his methods shaped his work and identity. 

Learn how to uncover facts and colour from historical documents, manuscripts, newspapers and more.