If I said we were going to visit old relics, valuable treasures and strange creatures, you might think we were going into the museum’s collection store. But no, we’re venturing into another restricted place: the rare books section of Museum Victoria’s library, where even staff need special permission for access.

The rare books section contains rare resources and famous books accumulated by the museum over the past 150 years. The illustrations in the rare books are a visual treat, but the stories behind the books, as told by library staff, are just as vivid. We meet the diligent librarian who found a forgotten rare and famous book during a spring clean, and hear tales of printing presses working in the freezing Antarctic.

Thanks for visiting this page that one day will be an archive,
Dr Andi

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Dr Ely Wallis among the rare books | Bizarre inhabitants of Seba's cabinet of curiosities | Ely shows the museum's copy of Aurora Australis | Val Hogan with her fishy find. Photos: Andi Horvath

Show notes

Museum Victoria Resources

Rare Book viewing held earlier this year
Rare book unearthed

External links

Reprints of Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities

Voices

Dr Ely Wallis – Manager of Information Services
Ms Val Hogan – Senior Library Technician

Host

Dr Andi Horvath – Science Communication Unit, Museum Victoria

Technical Production

Arch Cuthbertson – Podcast Recording Services