Stories

The State Library, in both its published and its archival collections, holds memories of countless love stories and romances of the past. Buried within letters...

This clay tablet from Mesopotamia is the State Library of South Australia's oldest artefact, dating from ca. 2400-2300 BC. It originated in the area referred...

Rummaging through the donation inventory one morning, we came across some beautiful suburban map plans, generously donated by a Pat, no surname provided. After we...

Discover the Antiphonal, a 13th-century illuminated manuscript and one of the State Library of South Australia's most exquisite treasures. Captivating visitors with its extraordinary history...

Did you know that your State Library holds a first edition of ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen? Tucked away in the treasure-filled Rare Book Collection is...

The Europeans who settled in South Australia in the nineteenth century, found themselves confronted with celebrating what was then the most important holiday on the...

The 'beg-innings' The first recorded women’s cricket match took place on 26 July 1745 at Gosden Common near Guildford in Surrey, England, but it wasn’t...

Illegal SP (starting price) bookmaking was considered a scourge by many citizens. However it seems as though most pubs, in the days before the TAB...

Watch a conversation between Pip Williams, author of the internationally acclaimed novels The dictionary of lost words and The bookbinder of Jericho, and Peter Zajicek...

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month we pause to remember those who gave their lives for their country. In...

Find out how we are saving music recorded on cassette tape in this behind the scenes story for UNESCO's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage...

Discover the surprising role of baby socks in preserving our audiovisual heritage in this behind the scenes story for UNESCO's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage...

Belair National Park is a big, beautiful place filled with stories of tranquil walks, family picnics and joyful outings, all of them true. But this...

Crime pays. Or it did for Australian fiction writers when reading was a major form of entertainment. From the colonial era, local magazines and newspapers...

Whilst the history of trade unions in South Australia is well documented, we invite you to take a look into its history through the archives...

Did you know that Colonel William Light included a public cemetery in his original plan of the city of Adelaide? It was on West Terrace...

Join us for a captivating talk where we delve into the timeless treasure trove of postcards and letters donated to the State Library. These seemingly...