For two decades, half a million visitors, and 5,000 extraordinary objects, World of the Book has captivated audiences as Australia’s longest-running and most beloved book exhibition.
Now, as it marks its 20th anniversary at State Library Victoria, the exhibition unveils two remarkable new acquisitions: a 15th-century medieval scribal knife and the Hyakumantō Darani, a Japanese Buddhist scroll from 770 CE—the earliest known example of mass-printed text in the world.
“For the first time, the Library’s Rare Books Collection can tell the history of printed text from its origins in Asia, rather than from its European beginning,” says Dr. Anna Welch, Principal Collection Curator.
“The Hyakumantō Darani is a perfect example—a Sanskrit text from India, printed in Japan using Chinese characters. It shows how books have always connected cultures.”
Among the 300 items on display are treasures like a rare medieval manuscript crafted for the Medici family and 1862 Chinese-English phrasebooks from Victoria’s gold rush era. The exhibition spans millennia, from a 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablet—the only object continuously displayed since 2005—to modern classics like Andy Griffiths’ Treehouse series, complete with fan art and international editions.
Highlights include revisited gems from the inaugural 2005 show, such as Australia’s oldest book, De institutione musica (c. 1100 CE), and fresh themes like women translators of Homer, surrealist art, and Victorian creator Deanna Hitti’s works.
World of the Book opens 31 May in the Dome Galleries—a free, immersive journey through the power of the written word.
