Manuscripts and personal papers

A torn buff coloured page with the words 'Draft of A Bill to Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia', with handwritten notes at the top and bottom of the page.

Sir Edmund Barton, Papers of Sir Edmund Barton, 1827-1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-225140407

Documenting Federation

Topic

The Library holds the archive of the first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton (1849–1920).

Digital Classroom

Group of men in white pants and dark blazers standing in a field. One of them holds a previous version of the Australian flag and another a sign that Reads 'Australie'

Léquipe d'Australie, 1924, nla.obj-148686918

Voyage to the 1924 Paris Olympics

Explore letters written by Dorothy Richmond about her experience travelling to Europe with the 1924 Australian Olympic team.

Blog

The first Russian Antarctic expedition in 1819-21

The Library has recently acquired a journal recording the first Russian Antarctic expedition in 1819-21.

News article

Sepia toned photo of soldiers sitting in a trench writing letters

J.P. Campbell, Writing in the trenches, [Anzac soldiers sit in their shelters in the trench and write letters home, June? 1915], nla.obj-146168464

Letters to home from the First and Second World Wars

Take a look at some of the letters sent from overseas to friends and family back in Australia during the First and Second World Wars.

Blog

A portion of a handwritten poem that reads 'Invocation. Come forth from thy oozy couhc, O Ornithorynchus dear, And great with a cordial claw The stranger that longs to hear.'

Mark Twain's ode to Australian wildlife

The Library recently acquired an original draft of a poem by Mark Twain in the form of a letter.

News article

Shelf and table with dozens of old, leather-bound books, some with gold designs or writing on the spines

Baskerville Collection in the Rare Books Stacks

Using the Rare Books collection

Records for much of the Rare Books Collection are in our catalogue, but if you do not find the item you are looking for, please ask for help: the item may not yet be catalogued, or an alternative version may be available

Information article

An old hand-written letter in old style script

Letter by Sir John Franklin to Captain Washington, 15 February 1839, nla.obj-3142222639

Newly acquired correspondence between Sir John Franklin and Captain Washington

A letter from Sir John Franklin to Captain John Washington from 1839 was recently acquired by the Library.

News article

Two portrait photographs side by side. The one on the left is a sepia toned image of a woman with a 1950s hairstyle and a fur around her neck The one on the right is a black and white image of a woman with a 1950 hairstyle wearing a dark velvet-looking dress.

First Women in federal parliament - Dame Enid Lyons and Dame Dorothy Tangney

The National Library has recently digitised two letters from the collections of Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney.

News article

Six women ballet dancers standing in a line

Greg Power & National Library of Australia, Annabel Knight, Juliette Barton and dancers during dress rehearsal for Sid's Waltzing Masquerade by Aszure Barton, Sydney Dance Company, The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, 1 September 2009, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-132043442

Dance collection

Our dance collection contains portraits, manuscripts, oral history interviews, photographs, music scores, personal papers, theatre programs and memorabilia.

Information article

A group of men performing a traditional dance

Terence & Margaret Spencer, Independence Day Celebration (15) Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 1975, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-145645567

Pacific collections

The National Library holds a rich and diverse range of library materials on the Pacific region, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Information article

Cook, Hutchinson, Wallis, & Bolckow, Journal of H.M.S. Endeavour, 1768, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-228959149

Rights and the Manuscripts Collection

A summary of copyright and rights in the Manuscripts Collection.

Information article

Detail from (1330). Illuminated Psalter, 1330-1350 [manuscript]. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-182166477

Medieval manuscripts

The Library’s medieval manuscripts comprise more than 6000 individual folios in 250 items and 12 bound volumes, dispersed across several collections.

Information article

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