'You can read the past in this city, if you know where to look.'

From illegal village to modern metropolis, Melbourne is a city of many layers. Jenny Lee observes them with a sharp eye, sampling the city's marvellous and not-so-marvellous moments and reintroducing some of the unconventional characters who've shaped its history.

'Jenny Lee loves Melbourne ... Her book comes as a small revelation, showing us the city growing up before our eyes.' – Robyn Annear

'The reign of knowledge and humanity is coming.'

Lisa Lang introduces us to Melbourne's most eccentric entrepreneur, taking us on the journey from
E. W. Cole's humble beginnings on the Victorian goldfields, to his bold establishment of the world's largest bookstore, and original publication of the iconic and enduring Cole's Funny Picture Books.

'Lang's little book is a simple and clear account ... A useful primer on a leading light of Marvellous Melbourne.' – Bill Perrett

Meet the keeper of Melbourne's most famous brothel. L. M. Robinson evokes the decadence of the 1880s boom era and the moral pandemonium that gripped the city at the end of the nineteenth century.