The Magenta House Reading Room is a tender space to read, discover, and connect. Forage through 2,100 items comprising new titles and out-of-print and rare publications in the form of books, zines, art-book objects, pamphlets, chapbooks, booklets, and interactive texts.
We believe access to free books is a universal right and that shared knowledge leads to bright assemblies of thought, action and liberation. Access to our reading room is free and open by appointment and during public events. For appointments, visitors get a one-hour slot and are permitted to bring up to 3 guests. Bookings are on a first-come, first-served basis. If spots have filled up or you’re an interstate/overseas visitor with limited time on Gadigal, feel free to email us to request an alternative date/time (subject upon availability).
WHY WE STARTED THIS READING SPACE
This reading space is self-funded and voluntarily run, and arose from the merged personal collection of its Housekeepers. After decades of collecting books from around the world and recommending books to people we meet, we decided to create a purpose-built reading space to share our publications with the public–in all their tactile, typographical and dog-eared wonder. We aim to buy from independent sellers, art book fairs, second-hand shops, independent publishing houses and arts spaces across the world–with a predominant focus on the Asia Pacific region. Many titles are either limited editions or uniquely-made, or are rare and out-of-print. We are also caretakers of books and loans kindly donated by individuals and supporters, which accounts for 10% of the collection. Alongside this, we run Magenta House Shop, which stocks a capsule collection of books and products that explores food cultures, experimental publishing and heritage ventures.
Operating this project as a reading space (as opposed to a library) lets us keep titles available and rotatable under a revolving-visitor model. It also enables us to preserve the items in-house. That said, every now and then, we partner with institutions and collectives to loan curated books for a limited-time in line with Magenta collaborations. In this case, we try, where possible, to keep carbon copies at Magenta House reading room.
MAGENTA HOUSE POP-UP READING ROOM
2026 OFFSITE
📚 14 January - 25 January 2026
Conflictorium at Carriageworks, Sydney Festival
📚 12 June - 14 June 2026
Bebot barkada at Taguan Cafe
📚 12 September - 24 October 2026
Takeaway: Tales from the Flavour Superhighway at
Canberra Contemporary / Canberra Art Biennial
The Reading room is open by appointment (normally Thursday-Sundays) and during open days, booked events and weekend Shop hours. Slots are on-going and on a first-come, first-served basis.
We house over 2,100 titles across visual art, food cultures & cookbooks, architecture, fiction, poetry, fashion, the supernatural, digital art, social design & more.
New titles, out-of-print and rare publications, zines, art-book objects, pamphlets, chapbooks, booklets, and interactive texts