Whelan Collection

The Whelan Collection is a treasure trove of Australian literature, featuring over 1,000 autographed books from 1892 to 1967, many with personal insights from their authors. Collected by Philip Whelan, a passionate bibliophile and adventurer, the collection also includes manuscripts and letters that reveal the vibrant literary culture of the time. Whelan’s dedication preserved a unique slice of Australia’s literary history, offering a window into the nation’s storytelling heritage.

Literature and writing

Key items in the collection

Highlights from this collection demonstrate its historical significance and variety.

The Whelan Collection features around 1,050 books by Australian authors, nearly all signed and many with detailed notes. These annotations often reveal how the books were written, their inspirations, real-life locations behind fictional scenes, and the people who inspired the characters. Published between 1892 and 1967, most of the books are from 1920–1950, offering a remarkable insight into Australian publishing during that era.

The collection includes many novels and poetry, showcasing authors like Miles Franklin, Henry Lawson, Katharine Susannah Prichard, A.B. Paterson, and Eleanor Dark, among others. It highlights the breadth of Australian literary talent from that period.

Whelan's interests extended beyond fiction. The collection also features works by historians, biographers, travel writers, war correspondents, and experts in fields such as politics, science, and the arts. Notable names include C.E.W. Bean, Frank Hurley, Ion Idriess, and R.G. Menzies, reflecting the diverse range of Australian writing.

The collection includes a variety of literary manuscripts, with a significant number by E.J. Brady and smaller contributions from Mary Gilmore, Edward Harrington, Hugh McCrae, Walter Murdoch, Pixie O’Harris, and others.

It also contains personal papers, including a short autobiography, correspondence with the Library and Angus & Robertson, and letters from several writers, particularly Mary Gilmore. Additionally, the collection features letters, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other materials documenting the history of Cobb & Co.

About Philip Whelan

Early life and travels

Philip Sydney Whelan (1873–1943) was born in Warwick, Queensland, and moved to Sydney with his family in 1879. At school, he befriended notable literary figures such as Christopher Brennan, and later, Henry Lawson, A.B. Paterson, and Roderic Quinn. At 14, Whelan ran away to sea, spending years traveling across South America, the United States, England, and Europe.

Career and military service

Returning to Australia in 1900, Whelan worked at the Mount Kosciusko Observatory for nearly three years before transferring to the Weather Bureau in Brisbane. His career later took him to the phosphate fields on Ocean Island and a coconut plantation in the Solomon Islands. When World War I broke out, Whelan enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces in 1917. He was severely wounded at Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918 and discharged later that year due to permanent disabilities.

Passion for Australian literature

During his recovery at the Prince of Wales Military Hospital in Sydney, Whelan met Mary Gilmore, who inspired him to pursue his interest in collecting autographed books by Australian authors. This hobby became his lifelong passion. Through extensive correspondence with literary figures, he built a collection that included not only books but also manuscripts. As Whelan’s reputation grew, authors began gifting him signed books, often with detailed inscriptions.

Legacy

By the time of his death, Whelan had assembled an impressive collection of over 300 autographed books, many featuring personal messages from the authors. His dedication to Australian literature left a lasting legacy, preserving unique connections between writers and their works.

Background to the collection

Whelan donated his collection of books and manuscripts to the Library in 1937 and continued adding to it over the next 6 years, building it up to include 579 books, 41 manuscripts, and 177 letters. After his death in 1943, his friends W.G. Cousins and J.K. Moir added more books, with regular consignments arriving during the 1940s. Writers also made occasional contributions over the years. The final additions were made by Whelan's sister, Florence, in 1968–69.

The Whelan Collection is part of the Australian Collection and remains intact as a formed collection. Each book is individually catalogued with a call number starting with "WHELAN".

Held in the Manuscripts Collection are Whelan's manuscripts and personal papers. Use the finding aid.

This guide was prepared using these references:

Norman Bartlett, Ex-soldier’s gift to nation, n.d., Norman and Evelyn Bartlett papers, MS 6884
H.A. Lindsay, National Treasury of Australiana: The Whelan Collection, The Age, 1 September 1956, p. 20.
H.A. Lindsay, The Whelan Collection, Australian Letters, vol. 3 (1), July 1960, pp. 45–6.
W. Farmer Whyte, Philip Whelan’s Collection of Australian Authors, The Herald (Melbourne), 1 March 1941, p. 21.