Oldest Book in Australia Flies in to Melbourne Rare Book Fair

The 2026 Melbourne Rare Book Fair hosted by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers will bring together leading rare book experts and dealers at the largest antiquarian book fair in the southern hemisphere.

The 57th annual Melbourne Rare Book Fair runs July 30-August 1 at Wilson Hall, The University of Melbourne. The Book Fair is the concluding event of Melbourne Rare Book Week's programme of free events across the City of Melbourne and Ballarat July 23-August 1. The ANZAAB Rare Book Fairs were established in 1972 and are now held annually in Melbourne and Sydney. 

Among books appearing at the fair will be a 10th century manuscript of Saint Jerome’s commentary on Isaiah which will become the oldest book in Australia when it lands, Australia’s first newspaper The Sydney Gazette from 1803, E. H. Shepard’s original illustrations from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, and the fine first edition of Charles Darwin's On the origin of species that was awarded Best Book at Firsts London 2026 presented by Douglas Stewart Fine Books, Melbourne.

The manuscript containing Saint Jerome’s commentary, written between 901 and 950 AD, will be offered by Antiquariaat Forum from the Netherlands and Antiquariat Inlibris Gilhofer from Austria for €850,000. The manuscript is believed to have been produced at the Abbey of St Gall, one of the great  centres of learning of medieval Europe. Remarkably, it survives in its medieval binding. It is also believed to be the first manuscript from St Gall to appear on the market since 1905.

“This is not  just a text, it’s a tangible monument,” said Dr Laura Gazzoli of Antiquariat Inlibris Gilhofer. “We not only have the original pages, they’re still in their medieval binding, wooden boards  and leather, just like they would have been for centuries on the shelves of a monastery library. There are place-markers and comments from the monks who went back and forth consulting it."

Fair convener and ANZAAB Vice-President Tim White said: “For more than 50 years the Melbourne Rare Book Fair has celebrated our long and rich connection with books and literature. It is a highly anticipated part of the global rare book calendar and the quality of rare books displayed is unparalleled in the Southern Hemisphere. For collectors, scholars, and enthusiasts alike, the Melbourne Rare Book Fair is a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of rare books, history, art and design, and perhaps take some of it home with them.”