Updated periodically, these listings give brief descriptions of some of the more significant items recently added to the National Library's collections. Included are new items for the printed, pictures, manuscript, oral history, map, Asian and online collections.

Rediscovering the firsthand account of a fugitive slave
Text from an old newspaper that reads 'The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots. A True Story of Slavery, Showing That Brutality is inseparable from Slavery, That the Constitution of the United States of America is the Bulwark of American Slavery, That the only hope of abolition of Slavery is in separation from the Union. By a Fugitive Slave.'
Books

No longer yours - find out how a powerful newspaper article written in 1855 by a fugitive slave was re-published into a book and added to our collection.
Rare 1602 map of the Sunda Strait
An old black and white map of the Sunda Strait.
Maps

A very rare chart of the Sunda Strait – located between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java – from 1602 has recently been added to our collection.
Indigenous Australian cricket team touring England in the 1860s
A handwritten diary entry in an old fashioned script.
Manuscripts

Australians have often gone to great lengths to see their favourite sports teams, even back in the 1860s!
Photographs of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Two woman in green and gold clothing embracing excitedly in front of a crowd.
Photography

The Library commissioned photographers to capture the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Collection of Australia Post mail bag designs
A green background with the 2018 Australia Post logo printed on it.
Pictures

Ian 'Spike' Farrawell recently donated a set of his Australia Post mailbag card designs to the Library.
Two recently acquired Coronelli globe gores
A black and white map showing Australia, then called New Holland, in the late 1600s.
Maps

The Library has recently acquired two 17th century globe gores by Vincenzo Coronelli.
The first Russian Antarctic expedition in 1819-21
An old map of Antarctica from 1842.
Books

The Library has recently acquired a journal recording the first Russian Antarctic expedition in 1819-21.
Photographs of the anti-fashion Rational Dress Movement
An old photograph of people in sensible clothing going for a walk in the bush.
Photography

The Library has recently acquired 3 photographs which document a picnic held by members of the Rational Dress Movement in 1895.
Mark Twain's ode to Australian wildlife
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.'
Manuscripts

The Library recently acquired an original draft of a poem by Mark Twain in the form of a letter.
An early picture of an echidna
A watercolour image from the early 1800s that depicts an echidna. The depiction is not accurate in what we know echidnas to look like today.
Pictures

An 1827 illustration of an echidna has recently been added to our collection.
Russian lessons on 'Australian' swimming
Four illustrations of a man demonstrating the different stages of executing a swimming stroke.
Pamphlets

A 1913 Russian brochure on teaching the 'Australian method' of swimming has recently been added to our collection.
Correspondence between Sir John Franklin and Captain Washington
An old hand-written letter in old style script
Manuscripts

A letter from Sir John Franklin to Captain John Washington from 1839 was recently acquired by the Library.
Photographs of the 2022 Pacifica Youth Rugby Cup
Five girls playing a rugby game on a rugby pitch.
Photography

Four photographs of the 2022 Pacifica Youth Rugby Cup have recently been added to the collection as part of our Fijian Australian collecting project.
Capturing public reactions to the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Parliament House at sunset, lit up with an image of Queen Elizabeth II and the words 'In memoriam'.
Photography

Photographer David Paterson documented public reactions to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Anna Zhu photographs Gabrielle Wang
A person sitting in a chair with their arm resting on the chair's arm. Behind them is a banner with the image of a dragon and three children on it. In the background is a desk and wall covered with illustrations and artworks.
Photography

Three photographic portraits of 2022-23 Australian Children's Laureate, Gabrielle Wang, have recently been added to the Library's collection.
A rare portrait miniature of Sir Thomas Brisbane
A painted locket portrait of a man in a red military uniform. The locket is resting on some black material.

A rare portrait miniature of Sir Thomas Brisbane, the sixth Governor of New South Wales, has recently been added to the Library’s collection.
Celebrating Pride Month with new collection items
A group of four people who are very colourfully dressed, holding signs in a park. There are more groups of colourful people in the background.
Photography

To mark Pride Month, we are sharing some new photographs in our collection, taken at 2022 Pride events held in Adelaide and Perth.
Celebrating 50 years of AC/DC
A black and white image of a man holding a microphone on a stand with 2 hands. He is holding the mic close to his mouth and has his eyes shut. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
Photography

The Library recently acquired photographs of AC/DC from photojournalist Leigh Henningham.
First Women in federal parliament - Dame Enid Lyons and Dame Dorothy Tangney
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.
Manuscripts

The Library recently digitised two letters from the collections of Dame Enid Lyons and Dame Dorothy Tangney.
A new oral history interview with Dennis Altman
A black and white image of a group of mean demonstrating. The man front and centre is holding a microphone to his mouth, while the man to the right is holding a megaphone speaker up in the air. There are placards and flags in the air in the background.
Oral history & folklore

In 2022, Australian writer, academic and gay rights campaigner Dennis Altman was interviewed for the Library's Oral History collection, 31 years after his first oral history interview.
Recording the return of large-scale public events in Melbourne
Several people swimming up to the sand on a beach, with some of them getting out of the water. There is a long jetty in the background.
Photography

These photographs capture a changing moment as the people of Melbourne were once again able to go out and gather – something they hadn't been able to do in a very long time.
Photographs of 2022 Australian Federal Election polling places
The image of a person from the waist down. In one hand held out in front of them they are holding an orange paper napkin with a sausage sandwich on it.
Photography

The Library commissioned photographers from across Australia to photograph the election campaign and polling day in their communities.
Philip Gostelow's portraits of prominent Australians
A man in chef's whites in a commercial kitchen, plating up a dish. He is putting food from a frypan onto a plate. In the background there are 2 other chefs cooking food.
Photography

The Library has acquired portraits by Australian photographer Philip Gostelow.
Veritable Representation des Premieres Matieres ou Elements – The Schevenhuysen Map
The Schevenhuysen Map – is a rare, hand-coloured copperplate engraving printed in Haarlem circa 1700 by Ambrosius Schevenhuysen.
Maps

The Library has enhanced its strong collection of rare printed maps with a new acquisition. The Schevenhuysen Map is a rare, hand-coloured copperplate engraving printed in Haarlem circa 1700 by Ambrosius Schevenhuysen.
Yah Yah by Anna Zhu
A woman helps her husband put on his winter hat
Pictures

This series explores the artist’s Chinese Australian heritage through intimate images of her grandparents, who migrated to Australia in 1998. These evocative photos capture their relationship in a domestic setting. 
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
A handpainted hardback book sits in a cushioned black box
Books

This hand-painted, intricately bound edition of Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize winning novel was donated to a charity auction. The successful bidder subsequently donated the book to the Library. It is the only one of its kind.

Recently acquired material may also be found by using the 'New items' tab in the Library's catalogue, or by browsing the New Book and journal displays in the Main Reading Room.

Find out more about how the Library acquires collection items.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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