The Library has a vast collection of Australian and international literature and literary criticism. We collect Australian fiction, poetry and drama widely and try to collect everything that is written by Victorians or set in Victoria.
The collection of international literature includes notable works from all countries and all periods. Particular strengths are British and western European literature from the 19th to early 20th century, and 19th-century collections of Latin and Greek literature. Translations of non-English material are also collected.
International prize-winning works and literary biography are features of the collection and the library acquires collected works of major international authors.
We hold a broad range of sources critiquing Australian and international literature. Reviews of Australian books are indexed in the database Austlit. Criticism of international and Australian literature is found on our literature and review eresources, including commentary on classical texts and contemporary literature through full text databases like Literature criticism online. We have books by, literary criticism about and biographies of significant authors including Peter Carey, Jane Austen and Franz Kafka.
The journal collection is particularly notable as it contains many 19th-century novels that were initially serialised, such as His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke in the Australian Journal, and Oliver Twist in Bentley's Miscellany, by Boz (Charles Dickens's pseudonym!).
For research purposes, the Library holds an outstanding collection of children’s literature, with many rare editions, and the personal papers and unpublished material of some Australian authors in Australian Manuscripts.
