Footscray Mechanics' Institute Library

MRBW week event ASTOUNDING WORLDS July 31st is now fully booked. Thanks to members and guests who booked early. Event is being run by MRBW, and bookings via Trybooking. Unfortunately the FMI is not involved with the booking process or any wait lists.

BOOK REVIEW: "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll

Well walking around the FMI library and came across a copy of 'Through the Looking Glass' by Lewis Carroll. First published in the 1870s (this version is from 2011). Well as I haven't read this book since childhood thought I will have a look. Well had such a good time reading the book, so I wish to tell share information about this book and its author dear reader.

The story is one of a fantasy where a young women falls asleep, and dreams she enters a reverse world through the mirror on the mantelpiece, whilst playing with her kitten. This incidentally is not a childrens book, but a book with a child protagonist.
In the world she (Alice) enters, the characters take the form of chess pieces, and the world that of a chess board.
Alice progresses across the board till she enters the eighth square and become a Queen.
On the way she encounters strange feelings and events and a plethora of characters. Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Humpty Dumpty, White Knight, and Kings and Queens, and she experiences disassociation and disorientation.
These characters in the parade of characters purportedly mirrored real life personages in Carroll's circle. All ends well you will be glad to know.

The narrative contains several poems. One of particular note is "Jabberwocky". The opening and closing verse, which are in mirror writing in first instance, are as follows

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe

A nonsense poem, which follows standard parameters, but utilises made up words in a beguiling manner. Some words have become standard English such as 'chortle' ie chuckle and snort. Other poems appear in the text which include phrases much used in English expressions, such as 'of cabbages and kings".
To talk of many things is the expressions meaning but it is used as title of stories (O. Henry) and music bands.

The book ends with an acrostic poem which spells out the name of a young women of a family the author was friendly with, and who may have inspired the story. The word plays which the author indulges in include many portmanteau ie the combining of two words to make a separate meaning. Contemporary examples are 'Bollywood' or 'Mockumentary'. Other word use calls upon a knowledge of older or dialect English. Gyre and gimble for example.

The book explores elements of mathematics and philosophy of a kind. Constant double talk and puns litter the text. The author whose pen name was Lewis Carroll, was in fact a certain Dodgson who was an establishment figure, churchman and long time academic. He was also an innovative mathematician and inventor of some renown, who had a gift for photography in its early days around the 1880's.
The work and its authors life have been subject of many kinds of analysis, from Freudian to anti-establishment. Does his satire undermine the society he lived in? Was his penchant for photographing young girls aberrant? Theories abound.
For such a small piece the book enlivens debate at several levels. Moral, linguistic and just as a nonsense yarn to entertain the kids.

Read and enjoy - Review by Neil

"Kiki's Delivery Service" by Eiko Kadono- another classic Japanese novel in our collection, since adapted as an anime film by Studio Ghibli.

Next FMI Event:
NICK DRAKE - From "Five Leaves Left" to "Pink Moon"

Our next event on Friday 26th June, librarian Cameron Borg will be presenting a short lecture on the three studio albums that make up the recording legacy of UK folksinger Nick Drake.

For many years almost forgotten, a new generation of musicians have found these three striking albums from Nick Drake to be inspiring works of creative genius.

Where: FMI Reading Room
When: Friday 26th June 2026
Time: 1pm-1.45 pm
Cost: FREE to members
No Need to Book

There are 11 Mechanics' Institutes in Victoria that actively maintain and operate a functioning library service. Out of more than 500 surviving institute buildings across the state, these remaining few still allow community members to sign up, browse, and physically borrow from their lending collections.

The primary Victorian Mechanics' Institutes that run dedicated, active lending libraries include:

Metropolitan Melbourne

Melbourne Athenaeum
Victoria's very first Mechanics' Institute (founded in 1839), it continues to run a beautiful, historic subscription lending library directly above the bustling CBD streets.

PMI Victorian History Library established in 1854 as the Prahran Mechanics' Institute, this highly active library holds over 70,000 items. It functions as a specialized lending library focused specifically on the history of Victoria.

Footscray Mechanics' Institute
209 Nicholson St - Situated right in Footscray, this institute still functions as a fully operational lending library with a lovingly maintained reading room and a billiards room.

Berwick Mechanics' Institute and Free
This historic outer-southeast location continues to operate its library service, regularly updating its catalog with new book purchases.

Regional Victoria

Ballaarat Mechanics'
This major regional hub features a contemporary lending library for its members, running continuously since its inception in 1859.

Bonnie Doon Free Library (Bonnie Doon)
Managed locally by the Bonnie Doon Community Group, this site still provides active free lending library services to its local high-country community.

Maldon Athenaeum Library
Located within the historic goldfields region, this volunteer-run institute keeps its traditional library doors open for local borrowers.

Other smaller regional institutes that receive state funding specifically to protect and continue their live community library services include the Little River Mechanics' Institute, Stanley Mechanics' Institute, Talbot Mechanics' Institute, and Toora Mechanics' Institute.

Australia's first Mechanics' Institute was the Van Diemen's Land Mechanics' Institution, established in Hobart in 1827.

However, the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts (founded in 1833) holds the distinction of being the oldest institute in the country that is still in operation today.

The Footscray Mechanics' Institute was founded in 1856, we celebrate our 170th year this year.

"hopepunk" Sci-fi sub-genre full of heart & optimism

Yes I'll be contributing to our MRBW talk on July 31st with a discussion of newer sub genres in sci-fi, my fave being "hopepunk".

The term "hopepunk" was officially coined in July 2017 by Massachusetts-based fantasy author Alexandra Rowland via a brief, off-the-cuff post on the blogging platform Tumblr.
The exact phrase that started the movement was: “The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on.”

Here's some cover images of "hopepunk" titles currently for loan within the FMI library collection. cheers! Cameron

Human interest story of the week.❤️

The influence of a great Librarian runs deep...
Our Cameron is quietly focussed on encouraging FMI nonreader President Nev to " interest borrow". So, whilst flicking through this older gem Cam sent home with Nev -The Bulldog Heritage-,a name in a photograph caption jumped out at him. It was Geoff Balfour, Nev's beloved late brother, in a rep.team photo previously unseen by any of the family. A little memory from the past, mid 1950s, and precious message about random gifts offered to us in books. The photo has since been shared with the family, thanks to Cam and his passion for connecting people with stories....who would have thought? 📚❤️🤍💙

Friday 31st July 2026 - 1pm MELBOURNE RARE BOOK WEEK event. Sci-Fi panel. Bookings open now through this external non-FMI link: Pounce fast if you want a seat - strictly limited tickets.
https://rarebooksmelbourne.com/

BOOK REVIEW: "N4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia" by Mark Piesing.

A fascinating yarn of daring do, of which I had never heard of.

The book tells a tale of Umberto Nobile, an Italian engineer, and his adventures in the Arctic. Almost Tin Tin-esque, the man went to the Arctic in a form of dirigible. A first attempt at reaching the North Pole led to a overflight from Norway to Alaska. A second attempt ended in disaster. The Second airship, the N-4 of the title, crashes into the ice sheet after overflying the North Pole on its first attempt.

A dirigible was a gas filled balloon with a gondalier cabin underneath. The N-4 had 16 men aboard. When it crashed the cabin area hit the ices and 10 crew ended up strewn around, while the gas filled section flew away with 6 crew never to be seen again! The nine survivors then were stranded with a small tent and some limited supplies in extreme conditions. After failure to secure radio communication three crew attempted to walk out. One perished and was perhaps subject to cannibalism. The others remained on the ice. Nobile the leader was badly injured and must have suffered terribly. The stranding was a cause celebre in the international media and there were many players from several nations involved in the rescue . Russian icebreakers, (who rescued the two survivors who attempted to walk out), German planes et al, risked life and limb to reach the lost balloonists. Scandinavian pilots eventually saved most of the stranded men.

The story is much more than this, with the exploration of the Arctic generally being big part of the story, as told with the personalities of numerous ego maniacs in the mix.
Not least was that of Mussolini and his henchmen as Nobile was not one of the in crowd and his success not seemingly part of the plan. Didn't help Nobiles cause that when recued and back in Italy he seems to have given Mussolini a bit of a spray. He eventually worked in America and Russia, was eventually exonerated and lived to a ripe successful old age
The politics of Scandinavian vs Italian players gets detailed by Piesing, as does the intra Scandinavian rivalry. Amundsen is the most notable. A classic explorer who went to the Antarctica and the Arctic with dog sleds. Leader of numerous adventurous sorties by land and air, who then loses his life in the search for N-4. American millionaires both male and female enter the stage as detailed by the author. The bleak freezing environment is another player in the work - no land but ice and more ice. Australia's own Hubert Wilkins get some text time also.

The islands off Norway and Russia were a base for the operations. This took me down the rabbit hole of geography of todays Arctic. The islands are still there but the ice isn't. Cook looked for the NW passage in the Pacific. The ice was hundreds of feet thick. Earlier stories of ancient Greek voyagers encountering ice miles from where it now is in the North Atlantic. The new route from the Pacific to the Atlantic between Russia and Canada is regularly used by commercial bulk carriers nowadays, and is growing more popular as the ice continues to recede. Ports exist on the Russian arctic coast. Russia has huge atomic powered ice breakers to es**rt these ships so the seasonal passage achievable extends. It is only a matter of time before this shorter route competes with the Suez Canal.

The book could do with a good edit. Places where the text babbles on about pet dogs barking at polar bears, or the gulls swooping and calling AGAIN spoil the narrative. Equally at crunch point where N-4 crashed details are suddenly scant in my mind. That said fascinating yarn of fortitude and bravery by many assorted souls in pursuit of understanding how our planet actually is!

Another great new book in the FMI library
Review by Neil.