Purveyors of rare books will be positively salivating at the opportunity presented by the Melbourne Rare Book Week – 24th July to 2nd August - and the climax to the event: the Melbourne Rare Book Fair, being held at Wilson Hall, University of Melbourne, from Thursday 31st July to Saturday 2nd August.
The Melbourne Rare Book Fair returns again in July 2025 to Wilson Hall, the University of Melbourne
Whether it’s the first edition of ‘Phantastica’ (by German pharmacologist Louis Lewin) or ‘The philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and back again’, or signed copies of renowned classics like Lady Chatterley’s Lover (D.H Lawrence) or any number of rare editions signed by Jane Austen…the Rare Book Week and Fair are sure to draw global interest.
Valued at a mere $365,800, A Narrative of the Death of Captain James Cook, afforded by the Discovery’s surgeon, David Samwell is likely to attract interest as one of only 5 copies sighted at auction over the last 50 years. So too, a signed copy of Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, with an ominous statement that the author is unlikely to appear for any public signings again.
Suffice to say that, now in its 55th year, the Melbourne Rare Book Fair is well-established as the major annual book fair of ANZAAB and one of only a few rare book fairs in the Southern hemisphere. It carries program of free talks, workshops and tours that celebrate the importance of books, publishing, book production and collecting.
Bookings are free for all events, but tickets are limited. For more information and to secure tickets, visit the Melbourne Rare Book Fair website
