National Treasures showcases dozens of rare artefacts\nof Australian history that are held in Australian libraries. Not\njust a chronicle of books, it unveils a catalogue of priceless\ndiaries, manuscripts, maps, drawings and paintings. Included are\nAndrea Corsali’s 16th-century book Lettera, which contains the\nfirst European depiction of the Southern Cross; the journal that\nCaptain Cook kept on the Endeavour from 1768 to 1771; and one of\nthe six known copies of John Lewin’s Birds of New Holland with\nTheir Natural Histories, the first book on Australian birds,\npublished in 1808. There are also Walter Burley Griffin’s concept\ndrawings for Canberra (the winner amongst 137 entries in an\ninternational competition), the Mabo Papers, Ned Kelly’s famed\nhelmet, and a host of other fascinating sidelights on Australian\nhistory.

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