Discover 4000+ years of storytelling at World of the Book

World of the Book

Returning for its 21st year *World of the Book* is Australia's longest-running and most celebrated exhibition dedicated to books and the history of writing. Featuring more than 400 rare remarkable and historically significant treasures from the State Collection the exhibition spans almost four millennia with many items on public display for the very first time.

The 2026 exhibition presents the State Library Victoria's largest-ever tribute to women writers showcasing more than 120 works acquired through the Women Writers Fund. Literary icons including Jane Austen Agatha Christie Octavia Butler Toni Morrison Virginia Woolf and the Bronte sisters are celebrated alongside outstanding Australian and international authors whose works have shaped literature and culture.

Among the exhibition's highlights is a newly acquired first edition of Jane Austen's *Emma* (1816) still in its original Regency-era binding and featuring the dedication to the Prince Regent. Visitors can also view rare editions of *Pride and Prejudice* *Sense and Sensibility* and *Persuasion* tracing Austen's journey from anonymous novelist to one of the world's most influential literary figures.

Other extraordinary treasures include one of the oldest printed texts in existence Japan's *Hyakumantō Darani*; rare 17th and 18th-century printed and handwritten amulets and talismans from Europe and Mongolia; beautifully crafted movable and miniature books; the bestselling Melbourne mystery *The Mystery of a Hansom Cab*; early feminist children's books from Melbourne's pioneering Sugar and Snails Press; and rare works documenting the naming of dinosaurs during the Victorian era.

Established in 2021 the Women Writers Fund was created to address the historical underrepresentation of women in the State Collection. Supported by generous donors the fund has raised more than $750000 to acquire significant literary works helping to build one of Australia's most important collections of writing by women.

Free Exhibition

*World of the Book* is a free exhibition presented in the Dome Galleries on Level 4 of State Library Victoria. Running until May 2027 it offers visitors an extraordinary opportunity to explore thousands of years of literary history through some of the world's rarest and most treasured books manuscripts and printed works.