Minor Collections

1877 Collection Uniformly bound in sheepskin, this collection of some 500 volumes represents the Library's first recorded collection as listed in the 1878 University Calendar. Largely purchased from London bookseller Henry S. King, the collection also includes gifts and exchanges from societies. Learn more

Andrew Watson Rural China Collection Reflecting a lifetime spent in Chinese studies, Andrew Watson's collection comprises rare research material related to China's rural development and economic history. Many of the items were acquired by Andrew during his employment by the Chinese government in the 1960s. Learn more

Brailsford Robertson CollectionThe brilliant researcher Thorburn Brailsford Robertson was appointed the University's first Professor of Biochemistry and General Physiology in 1919. The collection reflects his interests in experimental physiology, insulin manufacture, protein chemistry and animal nutrition. Learn more

Burden Collection (in process) The Burden Collection consists largely of 18th century play texts, opera librettos and other print resources used by Michael Burden as research material for his published works about the stage music of Purcell and also on opera, dance and theatre in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Learn more

Christine Rothauser Wagner Collection (in process) This collection reflects Christine Rothauser’s lifelong love of Wagner and his works. A regular attendee at the Bayreuth Wagner Festivals and other Wagner performances worldwide, Christine compiled a comprehensive collection about Wagner and performances. Learn more

Colin Crisp Collection This rich collection of books and films donated by Colin Crisp, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies at Griffith University, reflects his life-long study of classic French cinema from the 1930s to 1960s. The films feature performers such as Edith Piaf and Fernandel. Learn more

Cornell Collection Professor James Cornell's collection reflects his research in French language and literature and includes extensively annotated medieval romance and poetry, as well as works by Villon and influential French Renaissance writers Rabelais and Montaigne. Learn more

Crime Fiction Collection A popular collection with titles dating from the 1950s to the 1960s, the crime fiction books, with their distinctive and often lurid paperback covers, were purchased in response to Dr Michael Tolley's teaching and research at the University. Learn more

Cultural Revolution Collection Comprising pamphlets, ephemeral material and publications of the Foreign Language Press, this collection provides the historical context for the Cultural Revolution, launched in 1966 by Mao Zedong in an attempt to reassert his authority over the Chinese Government. Learn more

Fisher Collection R. A. Fisher's extraordinary contribution to statistical theory, experimental design, scientific inference, evolutionary biology and genetics are reflected in this collection of his own publications, his scholarship prize books and volumes selected from his personal library. Learn more

Hague Collection Law graduate, Ralph Hague, gifted the Library more than 30,000 books over his lifetime. Many of them have been brought together to form this fascinating collection of books about books, including the buying, selling, printing, collecting and cataloguing of books. Learn more

John Jenkin/Bragg Collection  Donated by John Jenkin, this collection features books related to William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg, who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 2015 for introducing and developing the science of X-ray crystallography. Learn more

Liberal Men's Education Association Collection Founded in 1922 as a sub-group of the South Australian Liberal Union (later the Liberal Federation), The Liberal Men's Education Association was active in the 1920s and 1930s as an educational and social body for the promotion of conservative politics. Learn more

Marie Robinson CollectionMarie Robinson was a member of staff of the Barr Smith Library for 38 years until her death in September 1998. Marie was an expert on the Library's collections, contributing enormously to their development for many years. In her personal life Marie was an expert in bromeliads. Learn more

Miniatures Collection Comprising almost five hundred volumes, this collection includes works of less than 14cm in height. A range of disciplines are covered and the publication dates span more than 400 years, the earliest being a 1561 edition of the meditations of St. Augustine. Learn more