World’s oldest example of printed text unveiled at State Library Victoria in Australian first

Two decades, 5000 objects and 5 million visitors: Australia’s longest-running and most popular book exhibition, World of the Book, celebrates its milestone 20th anniversary when it opens at State Library Victoria on 31 May 2025.

Two recent acquisitions will be on public display for the first time in Australia: a medieval scribal knife dated to the 15th century, and the earliest recorded example of mass printed text in the world – the Hyakumantō Darani, a paper scroll produced in Japan more than 1250 years ago.

‘For the first time, the Library’s Rare Books Collection can tell the history of printed text from its origins in Asia, rather than from its European beginning,’ said Dr Anna Welch, Principal Collection Curator. ‘The history of the book is global and unites us as humans, as the Hyakumantō Darani demonstrates: it is a Buddhist Sanskrit text originating in India, printed in Japan in Chinese characters.’

Other collection highlights among the 300 items to be showcased include a rare medieval manuscript made for a Medici and a set of Chinese–English phrasebooks produced in 1862 during the gold rush, a time of massive Chinese migration to Australia and particularly Victoria.

World of the Book: The Rare, the Sacred and the Iconic is refreshed each year to illuminate the treasured place of books in our hearts and minds through the extraordinary riches of the State Collection, from a cuneiform tablet dated to c. 2050 BCE to the modern books we read today.

‘State Library Victoria is uniquely placed to deliver the country’s largest exhibition dedicated to the book,’ said State Library Victoria CEO Paul Duldig. ‘In this landmark 20th year, it’s only fitting for some of our newest and rarest acquisitions to take centre stage for the first time in Australia.’

Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said, ‘Incredible, educational and totally free – for 20 years the World of the Book exhibition has proven a hit with a generation of Victorians and visitors and is an example of the amazing experiences on offer for all ages at State Library Victoria. The Library’s State Collection belongs to all Victorians, and this inspiring exhibition provides the chance to get up close to priceless treasures dating back thousands of years; don’t miss it!’

In celebration of the anniversary, 20 iconic items from the Library’s Rare Books Collection that were shown in the inaugural 2005 exhibition will be on display again. These include the Medici manuscript, which will be turned to a different page to reveal to never-before-seen aspects to audiences, and the oldest book in Australia: De institutione musica (The Principles of Music), a seminal work on the theory of music dated to c. 1100 CE.

The oldest item in the Library’s collection, a cuneiform tablet that is close to 4000 years old, is the only object that has been on display for the life of the exhibition. Unlike light-sensitive books and paper, which cannot be permanently on display for conservation reasons, the tablet is unaffected by exhibition lighting.

Among the most contemporary showcases is one dedicated to the iconic Treehouse series created by children’s book author Andy Griffiths and illustrator Terry Denton. It features sculptures made by Andy’s family as well as fan art and international translated editions of the popular series, which have been donated to the State Collection by Andy and Jill Griffiths.

'The power of books never ceases to amaze me: they spark ideas, open our eyes to new possibilities, and fuel our imaginations,’ said author Andy Griffiths. ‘State Library Victoria's enchanting World of the Book exhibition is like a playground for the curious and creative mind, and it's an honour to see our beloved Treehouse books and characters on show as part of the far-reaching global history of that magical thing, the book.’

Other exhibition highlights include:

• women translators of the Iliad and the Odyssey
• female and non-binary utopias and dystopias
• art and nature: early herbals, urban wildlife and life under the sea
• surrealism and Dada, from Max Ernst to Franticham
• colour theory
• Victorian artist Deanna Hitti.

World of the Book opens on Saturday 31 May in Dome Galleries, Level 4, overlooking the iconic La Trobe Reading Room at State Library Victoria. Entry is free and free guided tours are also available.

See the current iteration of World of the Book in its last days before it closes on Sunday 18 May. For more information, please visit the State Library Victoria website.