The Children's Library of the Unitarian Church in South Australia was established in October 1859 'in the hope of exciting a taste for reading among the younger members of the congregation', and is believed to be the first children's library in Australia. The most significant years of the library were those from 1859 until the First World War when the collection was richest. In later years, as more libraries were opened in Adelaide, fewer books were added. The library was finally closed in 1969, and stored for a further 21 years before finally being donated to the Children's Literature Research Collection in 1990. It is maintained as a separate sequence within the Children's Literature Research Collection.

Many of the books are battered with wear, some have lost title and other pages. Many, however, are in good condition having been protected by the holland covers made by the library committee to help preserve them. These greyish covers, with the book numbers inked in black on the spine, were unsightly and uninviting, but they certainly helped to extend the life of the book.

Kingston, W. H. G. (William Henry Giles), 1814-1880

Costello, Peter. Jules Verne: inventor of science fiction, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1978

The Jules Verne companion, [compiled by] Peter Haining, London: Pictorial Presentations [and] Souvenir Press, 1978

Martin, Andrew. The mask of the prophet: the extraordinary fictions of Jules Verne, Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press; Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1990

State Library of South Australia: Unitarian Church Children's Library

The Literature Network: Jules Verne

State Library of South Australia: Treasures of the State Library. Les enfants du capitaine Grant