Rare Hopkinson & Cope albion press on display at State Library of Victoria

Book-lover, Mitchell Jordan, went to the library in search of novels and instead discovered a rare Hopkinson and Cope albion press from the 1800s.

The machine is part of a brilliant exhibition, The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria, currently on show at the State Library of Victoria. Comprising of a unique display of rare books and original manuscripts, documents, photographs, artworks and installations, the works showcases the State Library of Victoria's literary history collection, and draws upon the collections of individuals and organisations across the country.

Sydney-siders may get up in arms at the thought, but Victoria can rightfully claim to have some of Australia’s most well-known writers: Peter Carey; Sonya Hartnett; Peter Temple and Germaine Greer are just some of the Victorian writers whose work is featured. Audiences can see edited drafts of Carey’s Man booker-winning novel, True History of the Kelly Gang or the notebooks and fragments that would eventually form Hartnett’s exquisite novel, Of a Boy, which won the 2003 Age Book of the Year Award.

Printing enthusiasts are also likely to be intrigued by the Hopkinson and Cope albion press (pictured) which dates back to 1859 and is a gift of Tate Adams, artist, printmaker and teacher who established Lyrebird Press in 1977 after retirement from teaching printmaking at RMIT University.

According to the notes on the exhibition, the English press was used by Adams to produce several books during his time at Lyrebird Press Books. Acquired by Adams in 1960, the press arrived from overseas still in its original crate where he was told it had sat in a printing storeroom for 100 years, unopened. Only in the printing world would you expect such miracles.

The Independent Type runs until 25 October.