The Library has an extensive collection of Australian poetry from colonial times to the present, with a particular emphasis on poetry by Victorian writers.
You will find books from large publishing houses and small specialist presses, works by recognised poets, and collections published by members of suburban writing groups. We even have street poetry – sheets of poems handed out in the street to passers-by.
We also have scholarly publications, anthologies and literary journals devoted to poetry, and databases peppered with poems, reviews and biographies of poets. Our collection contains original letters and papers from poets, such as records of the Melbourne's Bread and Cheese Club in the manuscripts collection.
Know the first line of a poem, but you don’t know the rest? Then check our indexes to the first lines of poems or even the last line of a poem, including Columbia Granger's world of poetry on CD-ROM, which contains over 13,000 full text poems. You can browse an anthology, read the collected works of your favourite poet or find a critical work to answer an assignment question.
For more information about locating poetry, check out the Finding Poetry research guide.
