Just So Stories

New South Publishing

New South Books

9781761170713 / March 2026 / RRP $49.99

This magnificent volume has been on my shelf for a couple of months now and I have been glorying in dipping in and out of it. I’ve still not quite finished exploring every single page and detail but the time is right for the review to be written. I’m on my mid-year blog break and time is more relaxed, so therefore more time for lengthier perusals and leisurely reading.

While I can’t say that The State Library was my local haunt growing up [that would be Hurstville council library] I certainly went there often enough to know how special it was, and even a little of its history but, naturally, I had no idea really how much behind-the-scenes went on unseen by the public. And I have always loved the state of Trim, alongside Matthew Flinders [many thanks to my late friend Wal Ives for my copy of the book].

With hindsight, as a librarian of almost 30 years in both schools and public library, I might have had a good crack at outlining some of that but this splendid book takes the reader on a wonderful journey back to the library’s establishment with its restrictions to typical of the time i.e. for gentlemen of means only through its evolution, changes of address and refurbishments, the seed of the collection, the acquisition of rarities and the preservation of historical treasures, the significant people involved in that process right up to the present day.

And the icing on this cake is the compilation of recollections from patrons well-acquainted with the magic of libraries and their resources many of whose names the reader will readily recognise [here’s my top list of recognised names]: Tom Keneally, Marcus Zusak, Anita Heiss, Sam Mostyn, Shaun Tan, Corey Tutt, Nagi Maehashi, Ali Cobby Eckerman, Anna Funder, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Richard Glover and many more. These identities have given the reader an insight into their own connections with their respective public libraries which I found absolutely fascinating. I particularly enjoyed Maxine Beneba Clarke’s version and will follow her example, for myself.

Bedroom library: started reading at 3 and never stopped since, so many illustrated books and some still on my shelves e.g. Wizard of Oz, Teddy Edward’s Winter Holiday, The Wind in the Willows, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Little Bookroom and Seven Little Australians to name a few.

Home Library: my big brother’s bookshelves and my Father Bear’s: The How and Why Wonder books collections, Greek and Roman history and other assorted ‘boy’ type non-fiction typical of the 60s and then as I got older John Steinbeck and James Michener plus many, many Readers Digest classics.

Primary School library: Hurstville PS in which I started my library career as a monitor. If I recall correctly that came with special borrowing privileges and I still have the Certificate of Achievement recognising my industrious service. As our primary (like so many of the times) was segrated into girls/boys with the tuckshop on the dividing line, and the library located in the boys’ building – it was also handy for getting the opportunity to talk to the cute boy you liked, just saying!

High school library: St George Girls’ High, Kogarah in which I was again a library monitor for the duration of my time there. I distinctly remember all our first form gathered in the library to watch the moon landing – and by coincidence our library was Miss Moon. And this was also the library where I first discovered The Hobbit and fell in love with Tolkien’s writing (neither my father nor my brother were fantasy fans).

Current library: Redcliffe branch, MBC – not brilliant but mostly adequate and they certainly do get a lot of interesting events and visiting authors which I love.

And as an adult so many, many libraries in which I’ve worked, been head of, managed and even sold LMS to, going back for just on 30 years now.

You don’t need to be a librarian to love this book but I suspect you will be a person who truly appreciates the value of libraries, especially your own favourite. The writing is neither pretentious nor highbrow and it is lavishly illustrated with colour plates both historical and contemporary. All in all, it is a treasure unto itself and would make a gorgeous gift for any bibiliophile, which includes yourself! A very bookish 5 📖📚💻🏛🦉rating for this beauty.