Australian Literature Society Collection | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Australian Literature Society Collection

The Australian Literature Society Collection celebrates the depth and diversity of Australia's literary history. With over 500 works, including novels, verse, and writings on history and current affairs, it captures the voices of renowned authors like Patrick White, Joseph Furphy, and Kylie Tennant. Founded in 1899, the Australian Literature Society played a pivotal role in supporting and promoting Australian literature, fostering a rich cultural legacy that continues to inspire and inform today’s literary landscape.

Key items in the collection

This collection hosts a range of formats, including:

The Australian Literature Society collection comprises 550 books, mostly novels but also verse and works on Australian history and current affairs. About 80 of the editions had previously not been held by the Library.

Notable authors included in the collection:

  • Charles Bean
  • Guy Boothby
  • Hilda Bridges
  • Ada Cambridge
  • E.W. Cole
  • Dale Collins
  • Zora Cross
  • Edward Dyson
  • Joseph Furphy
  • Beatrice Grimshaw
  • Jeannie Gunn
  • William Hay
  • Ion Idriess
  • Rosa Praed
  • Douglas Sladen
  • Kylie Tennant

The remainder of the works were acquired because the Library required additional copies. Among the other authors represented in the collection are:

  • Barcroft Boake
  • E.J. Brady
  • Mona Brand
  • E.H. Burgmann
  • Douglas Copland
  • Bernard Cronin
  • Eleanor Dark
  • Frank Dalby Davison
  • C.J. Dennis
  • Enid Derham
  • James Devaney
  • Louis Esson
  • Essex Evans
  • J.K. Ewers
  • H.M. Green
  • Victor Kennedy
  • F.T. Macartney
  • Leonard Mann
  • A.D. Mickle
  • Ian Mudie
  • Walter Murdoch
  • Bernard O’Dowd
  • Katharine Susannah Prichard
  • Percival Serle
  • A.G. Stephens
  • E.V. Timms
  • Ethel Turner
  • Patrick White
  • Frank Wilmot

About the Australian Literature Society

The Australian Literature Society was founded in Melbourne in 1899 with the goal of studying Australian literature and supporting Australian authors. It held regular meetings featuring talks, recitations, readings of unpublished works, musical performances, and reviews. The Society also created a library of first editions and significant Australian works, which it maintained for almost 80 years.

It also published a journal Corroboree for a short period (1921-23). 

The gold medal award

In 1928, R.A. Crouch donated funds to establish an annual gold medal for the best novel published in the previous year. The first recipient was Martin Boyd, with later winners including Seaforth Mackenzie (1937), Xavier Herbert (1939), Patrick White (1941), and Randolph Stow (1959).

Merging with the Association for the Study of Australian Literature

In 1982, the Australian Literature Society merged with the Association for the Study of Australian Literature. The Association now continues to present the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal.

Background to the collection

The collection was purchased from the Australian Literature Society in 1980.

The books have been catalogued individually. A summary list of the titles is available.

The State Library of Victoria holds records of the Australian Literature Society for the period 1900-82 and papers of two of its secretaries, James Booth (MS 8148) and Alvie Egan (MS 12572). It also holds an unpublished history of the Society by Andrew Millett (1969).

This guide was prepared using these references:

  • Ken Stewart, 'The Australian Literature Society 1899-1979’, Notes and Furphies, no. 4, April 1980, pp. 3-5
Page published: 11 Dec 2024

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