This collection contains books and periodicals published before 1915 which were formerly part of the Launceston Mechanics Institute collection. The collection is divided into non-fiction, including major literary works, popular fiction, children's literature and serials categories.
The Ancestors of Our Hero,
(illustration by John Leech)
from "Ask Mamma; or, The Richest Commoner in England"
by R.S. Surtees
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The collection came into being after a visit from Dr Stephen Murray-Smith in the early 1960's. Dr Murray-Smith was enthusiastic about the preservation of the collection and in particular the popular fiction collection. The research value of this collection was also recognised by other academics and in 1979 Mr. Mike McCausland, then a lecturer in literature at the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education, first suggested cataloguing the collection.
Popular Fiction
As the result of a later submission from Mr. McCausland and Mr Stefan Petrow, who was researching the history of the Mechanics Institute, a grant was made from the Sir John Morris Trust Fund for the cataloguing of the popular fiction part of the collection.
There are 7000 titles in the collection, which are the surviving part of a lending collection which flourished between 1842 and 1929. The Mechanics Institute was mentioned favourably in the Munn Pitt Report into Australian libraries in 1934 for the quality of its general literature collection.
The collection is strong in the fields of English and Australian Literature. Authors such as W.H. Ainsworth, R.D. Blackmore, G.P.R. James, Joseph and Silas Hocking are a representative sample. Australian authors who are well represented include Louis Becke, Ada Cambridge, B.L. Farjeon, Mrs Campbell Praed and Hume Nisbet.
This page was created by the Launceston Reference Library. It was last updated on March 27, 2001. Your email comments or questions are welcome.
