History Or Hoarding? With Annabel Crabb

Long before the Internet introduced us to twinks and furries, the Victorian era had explored 'scandalous' gay porn via explicit love letters between men. The Library locked such filth away, lest it corrupt the people, yet curiously, simultaneously chose to preserve it. Annabel Crabb finds an erotic literary treasure, penned by Oscar Wilde's most famous and tumultuous lover, that was lost in the vaults for a century.Join Annabel for History Or Hoarding? LIVE — Tuesday 26 May at State Library of NSW. RESERVE YOUR PLACEThis episode's speakers:Margot Riley — CuratorMaggie Patton — Head of Collection Acquisition & CurationRichard Neville — Mitchell LibrarianDamien Webb — Manager of the Indigenous Engagement BranchSearch for Letter to Maurice Schwabe from Lord Alfred Douglas 1893 in the SLNSW collection.Presenter: Annabel CrabbResearcher: Julia O'SheaAudio Engineer: Harvey O'SullivanSupervising Producer: Rachael CusickExecutive Producers: Eric George and Carmel RooneyHead of Audio on Demand: Jessica RadburnTo hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts.To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.

A charming restaurateur, ballroom dancer, coin collector and porn aficionado. A closely-guarded trove of colonial gold coins in the William Dixson collection. A daring heist! Annabel Crabb dives into the obsessive world of numismatics and finds the history of Australian currency is full of crooks.This episode's speakers:Jim Noble - NumismatistJulia O'Shea - ABC ResearcherOral History Librarian Rosie Block interviews librarian Joy Storie, 2005A detailed listing of the Sir William Dixson numismatic collection is available in the SLNSW online catalogue.Presenter: Annabel CrabbResearcher: Julia O'SheaAudio Engineer: Harvey O'SullivanSupervising Producer: Rachael CusickExecutive Producers: Eric George and Carmel RooneyHead of Audio on Demand: Jessica RadburnTo hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts.To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.

The grim history behind the NSW State Library's doors. Opened in 1826, exclusively to the rich white men who could pass a secret "blackballing" test, the doors were redesigned during World War II to depict Indigenous people. But their origin story is wild, as Annabel Crabb discovers.This episode's speakers:Damien Webb — Manager of the Indigenous Engagement BranchRichard Neville — Mitchell LibrarianYou can see the bronze doors at the Mitchell Library on Shakespeare Place in Sydney, or by searching for SLNSW portico doors.Presenter: Annabel CrabbResearcher: Julia O'SheaAudio Engineer: Harvey O'SullivanSupervising Producer: Rachael CusickExecutive Producers: Eric George and Carmel RooneyHead of Audio on Demand: Jessica RadburnTo hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history, including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts.To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.

Plagued by the question "Am I a hoarder?" journalist Annabel Crabb visits Australia's oldest library and learns that her own issues with 'collecting' historical items are MINOR. The State Library of NSW is known for books, but its underground vaults are teeming with oddities: Bits of Henry Lawson. Military antiques. HUMAN HAIR!This episode's speakers:Maggie Patton - Head of Collection Acquisition & CurationLouise Anemaat - Executive Director, Library and Information Services and Dixson LibrarianRichard Neville - Mitchell LibrarianDamien Webb - Manager of the Indigenous Engagement Branch Search for this episode's treasures in the SLNSW collection:Mary Shelley Lock of hair 1851 Portraits of John and Harriet Blaxland attached to ropes of plaited hair - 1880sSir Charles FitzRoy c 1855 - Henry Robinson SmithBicorn, or cocked hat, belonging to Matthew Flinders ca. 1800A Young Mount Pitt bird - Sydney Bird Painter 1792An Aboriginal Man 1810-1821? - Unknown To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts. To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.Presenter: Annabel CrabbResearcher: Julia O’SheaAudio Engineer: Harvey O’SullivanSupervising Producer: Rachael CusickExecutive Producers: Eric George and Carmel RooneyHead of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn

Annabel Crabb — who personally struggles to declutter, just ask Annabel's husband — visits Australia's oldest library and immediately feels better about her own habits. Above ground, this place is all books. But below? There are letters, maps, old restaurant menus, military antiques, coin collections, stamps, walking sticks, an upsetting amount of HUMAN HAIR, and — most importantly — some incredible stories that capture our history in unique ways.Join Annabel as she dives into the secret stacks and collections of Australia's oldest library, State Library of NSW, uncovering strange, forgotten and fascinating National treasures. Episode 1 of the podcast will be available from 22 April 2026, tap 'favourite' or 'follow' now to add it to your podcast playlist on the ABC listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Annabel CrabbResearcher: Julia O'SheaAudio Engineer: Harvey O'SullivanSupervising Producer: Rachael CusickExecutive Producers: Eric George and Carmel RooneyHead of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn