William Cook, ‘The sheer size of it’ Menzies’s Marvelous Book Collection

One of the main reasons that the Robert Menzies Institute has been set up at the University of Melbourne, beyond the fact that Menzies was both a student and chancellor of the institution, is that he bequeathed the university his personal library of over 4000 books. Housed in the Leigh Scott Room in the Baillieu Library, the collection is a unique cultural artefact that reveals insights into who Menzies knew, what he read, and what engaged his mind. A remarkable time capsule of twentieth century Australia, it is a great resource for historians and its treasures serve as the basis for the RMI’s museum exhibition housed in the Old Quad. 

In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer explores the collection with William Cook, our Curatorial Assistant who has spent over a year cataloguing Menzies’s books. 

William Cook is a former lawyer and has worked in Melbourne and Prague for leading law firms. He is currently studying a Masters of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University and has an International Master of Laws, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. Will has also worked in libraries and as a House Warden and Tutor at Brunswick Street College.