Lavishly illustrated travel books had long been popular in Europe and North America when the same American team that produced Picturesque Canada established the Picturesque Atlas Publishing Company in Wynyard Square, Sydney, on Gadigal Country, in 1885.

Country house library collection of 1648 books and 54 serials with strength in English and French publications of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

Friends of the National Library of Australia share a passion for the Library and its collections.

Explore the Prout Collection, featuring 2 oil paintings, 41 watercolours, and 38 pencil and wash drawings by John Skinner Prout, created between 1841 and 1848. This collection showcases stunning Tasmanian landscapes, including scenes of Hobart, Mount Wellington, and Port Arthur, alongside views of New South Wales and Victoria. Prout, a self-trained artist who emigrated to Australia in 1840, captured the essence of the Australian landscape, leaving a lasting influence on colonial art.

Get some winter book recommendations to suit all reading moods.

Copyright is a legal right that gives copyright owners the right to control certain activities with their works.

Our March event program brings science, history, biography and art to the Library, along with a healthy sprinkle of Shakespeare.

Learn about the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, recipient of a 2025 Community Heritage Grant.

Meet the PhD students who have furthered their postgraduate research as NLA Scholars.

Thanks to the support of Principal Patron Jane Hemstritch AO, papers detailing the experience of Australians in Asia during the Second World War are now available on Trove.