Discover Rare Books and Special Collections: Illustrating the Natural World

The University of Sydney Library holds one of Australia’s largest collections of rare and special books, with over 300,000 items. Join us at Fisher Library for a bespoke and intimate encounter with highlights from the collection.

Each session will run for 90 minutes; guests can drop-in during this time to view items and chat with staff, and enjoy light refreshments and mingling.

Please note that there are 2 bookable sessions:

Afternoon: 3 – 4:30 pm
Evening: 6 – 7:30 pm

We hope you can join us!

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Illustrating the Natural World

Throughout history, humanity has sought to capture the wonder and beauty of the natural world. Join us to discover a bird-eating spider by Maria Sibylla Merian; albums of stunning fungi watercolours by Edwin Wheeler; life-sized birds and animals by Elizabeth and John Gould; and Didier Mutel’s fluorescent dinosaurs in Birds of Acid.

These events are a special opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the most fascinating items in our collections and hear about their stories.

Throughout 2025, we will be hosting 4 themed events (other themes include Extraordinary Women on Tuesday 14 October 2025 and Around the World in Rare Books on Tuesday 2 December 2035). Find out more!

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Celebrating 175 Years

These events are held in celebration of the University’s 175th anniversary. The Library has been an intrinsic part of the University’s identity from the very beginning; the purchase of Library books was one of the earliest decisions made by the Senate in the establishment of the University.

Since then, our Library collection has continued to expand alongside the University. Our Library now has 14 locations across campuses and 4.6 million books.

As we reflect on this rich history, we invite you to immerse yourself in our collections, which have sparked scholarly curiosity over the past 175 years.

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Images

Maria Sibylla Merian, Dissertatio de generatione et metamorphosibus insectorum Surinamensium, 1719, RB Folio 6219.6