The Tour was run by Daniel Wee of State Library Victoria.
The two curators, Anna Welch and Daniel Wee, have prepared this year’s iteration of the exhibition of books from the wonderful public collection which is at the heart of the State Library Victoria (SLV). The exhibition is to be found in the Dome Gallery at level four of the SLV building. A small group of 20 were shown around the collection, that this year included the SLV’s copy of the Shakespeare Second Folio, one of three copies of this book that could be viewed during MRBW this year.
The books on display ranged from the ancient to the most modern, and covered subjects ranging from Egyptology, in honour of the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, to books on modern design. It even included a recent set of Penguins. The embroidered bindings from the John Emmerson collection were much admired, and the special feature on Frankenstein featured a rare copy of the first illustrated edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published by Colburn and Bentley in 1831, as well as the stunning edition illustrated by the wood engravings of Lynd Ward published in 1986. A chess set once owned by John Ruskin was juxtaposed with the most imaginative book set in a chess game, “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll.
A favourite book on view for many visitors was a copy of “The Countesse of Pembroke’s Arcadia’ by Sir Philip Sidney (1605), adorned by inky pawprints across one page that were created for posterity by a restless cat. The World of the Book will be open for free viewing by the public until 12 May 2024.