Sydney Rare Book Week

Sydney Rare Book Week is back in person after three years of COVID-19 cancellations, with witchy discoveries to be made.

The Fisher Library is home to endlessly fascinating and sometimes peculiar rare books. With this year's Rare Book Week happening during the spookiest season, discover some of our eeriest books of rare lore.

In our collection, we have titles you can discover under the cover of our Fisher Library: A Complete History of Magic Sorcery and Witchcraft, The Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits, A Treatise of Specters, The Witch-Hunter's Manual, and A Treatise of Witchcraft.

However, it's not only the witchy variety of books available at the Library; we're also celebrating our other wonders and delights during our two-day and free Rare and Antiquarian Book Fair on 28 and 29 October.

In collaboration with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian (ANZAAB), our gothic MacLaurin Hall is hosting 17 antiquarian dealers from the ANZAAB who will exhibit their fine and rare books, manuscripts, prints, maps, ephemera, illustrations and photographs.

The event is a gathering of buyers, sellers and book lovers with a rare delight for everyone, and there is even an opportunity to find a book, print or piece of ephemera to add to your collection.

Sydney’s Rare Book Week events

Rare and Antiquarian Book Fair
Friday 28 October: 1pm - 7pm
Saturday 29 October: 10am - 4pm
MacLaurin Hall, Manning Road, University of Sydney
More information here

Portrait of a Lady's Commonplace
Julie McElhone will give a talk called Portrait of a Lady’s Commonplace, about her Doctoral research on an 18th century commonplace book that belonged to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and is now held in Rare Books and Special Collections.
Thursday 27 October: 12 pm to 1 pm
Level 2 Seminar Room, Fisher Library, University of Sydney
Register to the event here

Introduction to Letterpress Printing Workshop
University of Sydney Library is hosting two Introduction to Letter Press Printing Workshops with artist and painter Brigitta Summers, using the Library's early 19th century Albion Printing Press, the Piscator Press. Attendants will learn about the history of letterpress printing and set some type and print a personal memento to take home.
Friday 28 October: 10:30 am
These workshops are already booked out.