Abstract The National Library of Australia has a small but interesting collection of rare books and manuscripts. These collections are the legacy of a remarkable period of growth in the Library's history.
Strengths are greatest in British and European materials, particularly from the eighteenth century.
The present collecting activities of the Library are concentrated on Australian and Asian materials. While very early imprints are now less likely to be collected, the Library has a number of collections of scarce and unusual works relating to Asia and the Pacific. Paper Despite a history of almost one hundred years, the National Library of Australia remains a relatively recent arrival on the scene, especially when compared to some of the great national and university libraries of Europe, North America and other parts of the world. For this reason, and because Australia itself is a new country in terms of writing and publishing, its rare book and manuscript collections are small. The National Library of Australia had its genesis in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library.