FICTION AND
THE AUSTRALIAN COMMON READER
The ACR is a searchable archive of fiction reading in Australia since the 19th century. What novels and stories did Australians read, and in what forms? You can use ACR to search for detailed information about authors, titles, publishers, libraries, periodicals, and readers. Its three main sources of information are library holdings and loans, diaries and letters, and newspapers and magazines.
Newspapers and Magazines
Serials, Stories and Sketches
19th century Australia was 'the land of newspapers', as the journalist Richard Twopeny called it in 1883, and most fiction was consumed in the columns of the dailies and weeklies, and in magazines. The ACR newspaper archive features the Johnson-Woods' List of fiction serials in fifteen Australian newspapers and magazines of the 19th century. Online access coming soon.
Diaries
Daily Reading
The Australian Common Reader collects and arranges information about the reading patterns of Australian readers in the past sourced from diaries and letters. The ACR Diaries archive is searchable via author, work, diarist, and date, and is cross-searchable with the Libraries archive. Additional information about individual reading practices and experiences is also included.
At present, the Diaries archive holds information from two diaries: Annie Baxter Dawbin and William Bunn. Others are being sourced and added. Access database »
Libraries
Borrowing History
The Australian Common Reader collects and arranges information about the reading patterns of small populations in the past (typically country towns, suburbs, and colonial cities) sourced from library catalogues and loans registers. The ACR Libraries archive is searchable via author, work, library, borrower, and date, and is cross-searchable with the Diaries archive. In addition, users can undertake more complex quantitative analyses of reading.
At present, the Libraries archive holds loans information from 7 Australian libraries. Further loans information and catalogue holdings will be added. Access database »