National Library of Australia's Books

National treasures from Australia's great libraries brings our national memory to life, for the first time showcasing more than 170 treasures that have helped define our nation -- where we come from, who we are and what sets us apart. Both a guide and a lasting record of a remarkable exhibition, this richly illustrated catalogue reveals the magnificent collections of Australia's National, State and Territory libraries.

Richly illustrated with exquisite manuscript maps and editions from celebrated European cartographic publishers of 17th century to familiar contemporary products such as tourist maps. Discover the stories behind these maps, the technological changes in map making and changes in human knowledge and representation of the world.

Highlights from the Library's Pictures Collection - the stories behind some of our most interesting paintings.

This lavishly illustrated book takes a broad sweep through the history of Australian childhood, from the early nineteenth century to the present. Drawing on material from the Library's Pictorial, Manuscript, Ephemera and Newspaper Collections, and using excerpts from the Oral History Collection, in addition to specially commissioned feature articles from Robert Holden, and children's writers Steven Herrick, Ursula Dubosarsky and Jack Bedson, the book surveys and celebrates two centuries of growing up in Australia.

Collection of papers from the 'Towards Federation 2001' conference, held in Canberra on 23-26 March 1992 and attended by 140 participants from libraries nationwide. Includes the final report and resolutions along with agenda, working and background papers. Topics addressed include access to information by particular groups such as the Aboriginal community and the disabled, and preservation of material. Refers to a range of types of documentation such as cartographic material, microforms, machine-readable records, theses, and oral history and folklore.

Changing Coastlines examines Australia’s cartographic history. The publication reminds us of the importance of maps, not only as locators of places but also for what they tell us today about the perceptions of Australia in the minds of those who created and used them.

This publication and the exhibition it accompanied draw on the National Library of Australia’s collection to reveal how, as a nation, we have dealt with the physical distances that separate us—and which characterise our continent. The exhibition of Bridging the Distance, was on display at the National Library of Australia from 6 March to 15 June 2008

To the first Europeans who came to Australia, everything seemed topsy turvy. Christmas was in the summer and trees shed their bark but not their leaves. And the animals were bizarre. There was a bird that laughed like a donkey and a type of greyhound that bound along on its hind legs like a hare. There was an animal in Tasmania whose nocturnal screeches sounded like the devil and a river creature that had a duck's bill at one end and a beaver's tail at the other. The Europeans had never seen anything like these animals before and gave them names similar to those of the European creatures they already knew. They drew and painted odd pictures of them, showing they did not understand the animals' habits. In one illustration, a wombat is standing on its back legs and in another a Tasmanian tiger is wrestling with a platypus of the same size.

Book's by National Library of Australia

National Treasures from Australia's Great Libraries

National Treasures from Australia's Great Libraries

Australia in Maps

Australia in Maps

Picturing Australia

Picturing Australia

The Endless Playground

The Endless Playground

Towards Federation 2001

Towards Federation 2001

Changing Coastlines

Changing Coastlines

Bridging the Distance

Bridging the Distance

Topsy-turvy World

Topsy-turvy World

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