CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements p2. Introduction p3.

1. The improvers (1854-1862) p9. Foundation and rise of the institute; ‘moral improvement and rational amusement’; The chapel and Chapel Street; Weekly lectures; Trustees; Reasons for decline in popularity.

2. Fall and resurrection (1863-1900) p14. Struggle to stay afloat; Secretary dismissed; Penny readings; School of Art and Design; Classes abandoned; Government intervention; Two pictures.

3. John Henry Furneaux (1857-1943): Secretary, Prahran Mechanics’ Institute 1900-1938 p19.

4. Popularity through progress (1900-1930) p22. J.H. Furneaux becomes Secretary; Rebuilding project; Complaint against Secretary; Prahran Technical and Art School established; Technical School and Mechanics’ Institute building in High Street; Membership reaches 800.

5. Slow fade out (into the 1970s) p27. ‘Most generous offer ever made’; Efforts to start Girls’ School; Scholarships; Money troubles again; Threepenny libraries; Furneaux retires; War effort; Another period of decline.

6. New directions in the 1980s p32. Two threats; Library’s value questioned; Committee sets new course; Alliance with Historical Society; Long-serving committee members; Hawksburn School connections; Reasons for survival.

Notes p36. About the author (Laurie McCalman) p37.

ILLUSTRATIONS (selected):
Interior of library, 1983 p2 (and front cover). Prahran College Council President Peter Isaacson and Prahran Mayor Cr Rob Wilson Reid, chairman of the Mechanics’ Institute p6. Corner of Chapel and Greville Street 1905, showing mechanics’ institute, Royal George Hotel, Town Hall p7. Rev. William Moss p8. G.W. Rusden, trustee of the institute p13. Chapel Street from the Town Hall tower, 1867, looking north and south p16-17. J.H. Furneaux p19. J.H. Furneaux in later years; W.J. Furneaux, eldest of J.H.’s three sons p21. The Prahran Mechanics’ Institute building, High Street, 1983 p26. The original PMI building, Chapel Street, 1983, with Wittner Shoes as tenants p31.

SURNAMES / FAMILY NAMES mentioned in the text: compiled by TM (not including names for illustrations, which are listed under ‘Illustrations’ heading):
A'Beckett, T.T. p15. Allen, Mr p15. Ambler, Mr p34. Arnott, Cr p22. Aspinall, B.C. p13. Baker, Bill p2. Barkly, Sir Henry p12. Billyeld, Mr p9. Birkbeck, George p4. Blair, David p13. Brown, Mr R. p34. Butterworth, Mrs T. p29. Callendar, M. p15. Carew-Smyth, Mr p36. Clampit, George p14-15. Coates, Dr J. p13. Corrigan, Dr p15. Cran, Cr David p2. Crews, J.B. p10, 12, 13. Crook, Joseph p9, 10. Cross, George p15, 23. Cumming, Mr p22. Day, Rev. p9. Dean, Mr W.R. p21, 25. Densham, Cr p23. Divorty, Rev. p9. Dunham, John p34. Dunnett, Ephraim p11. Dwight, Tommy p15. Ettelson, Mr P.W. p34. Fletcher, Rev. p9, 12. Flintoft, Mr p34. Forbes, Cr p22. Foster, J.F.L. p12. Fraser, Alex p15. Fraser, Simon p22. Furneaux family p36. Furneaux, Captain Tobias p19-20. Furneaux, Clifford p2. Furneaux, Gordon p2. Furneaux, H.R. p25. Furneaux, John Henry (Harry) p2, 4, 18-21, 22-5, 27-9, 35. Furneaux, Mrs J.H. (nee Mary McConnell) p36. Furneaux, Raymond p29. Furneaux, Richard p19-20, 35. Furneaux, W.J. p36. Gahan, Cr Chris p35. Gahan, Cr George p35. Gamble, Walter M. p16, 20, 34. Gooch, Cr H.M. p22, 23. Gooch, Mrs (mayoress) p22. Guinness, Rev. W. p12. Halkyard, Mr C.S. p20, 34. Hamlyn, William p36. Harris, Mr p11. Hecksher, Misses p15. Hinde, John p17, 18. Hinton, Arthur p2, 36. Holdsworth, A.A. p22. Horne, Leonard p4. Hotham, Lady p11. Izett, Andrew p12, 13. Japp, Mr p20-21. Jennings, James p9. Jennings, Joseph p9. Knight, Sir George p15. Knox, Mr p22. La Trobe, Sir Charles Joseph p11. Langhorne, George p10. Levick, Mr T. p24, 25. Luxton, Cr Thomas p22-24. Malone, Betty p2, 5. Mason, George p10, 11. Mason, James p12, 13. Maxwell, Mr p34. McCalman, Laurie p6, 37. McKenzie, Mr p16. McMaster, Mr p34. Michie, Sir Archibald p15. Miller, Edward p22. Molloy, Mr J. p23. Moody, Captain Les p9. Moss, Rev. William p9, 10, 12, 36. Munro, James p15. Osment, Cr p15, 22. Peacock, Sir Alexander p27. Peppercorn, Mr p16. Pett, Madame Victorine p15. Rimmer, Molly p2. Rodgers, John Browning p20, 35. Romanis, John p9, 11, 12, 14. Romanis, William p13. Routley, Elizabeth p20. Routley, Susan Anne p20. Rusden, George William p12, 15, 22, 36. Sampson, Will p30. Sargood, Frederick James p12, 13, 36. Sargood, Sir Frederick Thomas p17, 22, 36. Schauder, Don p6, 33. Service, James p15. Shepherd, Danny p15. Shinkfield, Alan Rogers p2, 34-5. Simmons, Cr p22. Skinner, Judge C.B. p9. Smith, R.R. Murray p15. Stokes, Dr James p9, 10, 12, 36. Storey, Mr p9. Tate, Frank p27. Watson, Mr p11. Waugh, Rev. J.S. p15. Wesson, Alfred p5, 21. Westgarth, William p12. Wiencke, Shirley p20. Wilmot, Mr p34. Wilson, Mr H.D. p29. Winterbottom, Mr p11. Witchell, Mr p11.

PLACENAMES, INSTITUTIONS etc. mentioned in the text:
100th anniversary p30. 50th anniversary p23. Aborigines p10. Annual meeting 1908 p24. Art classes p24. Bank of Victoria p17. Board of Works p19. Buckfastleigh, Devon p20. Chapel Street p9, 10. Chapel Street property p30. Coles, G.J. as tenant p28. Colonial Mutual Fire Insurance Co. p23. Common School no. 491 p20. Commonwealth Bank p28. Community singing programme p30. Devonshire p19. Edinburgh School of Arts p4. Food for Britain Campaign p29. Free Library Service Act p5. Free Presbyterian Church p9. Furneaux and Goodbody, Malvern Road, Prahran p20. Geelong Mechanics' Institute p35, 37. Girls' Domestic Economy School p27. Governor-in-Council p25. Greville Street p10. Hawksburn Primary School p34, 35. High Street building p25, 28, 30, 32. HMS Adventure (ship) p19. Independent Chapel (Congregational Church) p4, 9, 10, 36. Kirk and Burchet Tannery, South Yarra p20. Library Association of Victoria p21. Library Council of Victoria report p32-3. London Mechanics' Institute p4. Manchester Mechanics' Institute p4. Mechanics' Institutes Federation (proposed) p21. Melbourne Athenaeum (Melbourne Mechanics' Institute) p3. Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company p22. Memorial stone p22. Minister of Education lease 1947 p30. Old Hawksburnians' Association p20. Penny readings p15. PMI minutes p6. Popular readings p16. Portman's Stores p23. Prahran and South Yarra Musical Society p15. Prahran College of Advanced Education p6, 32. Prahran College of TAFE p2, 24. Prahran Council p13, 18, 19, 24, 25, 28, 30, 32. Prahran Free Lending Library p5, 13, 17. Prahran Historical and Arts Society p34, 37. Prahran Mechanics' Institute Act 1899 p18, 25. Prahran Patriotic Fund p29. Prahran Pioneers' Association p21. Prahran Road District p10. Prahran State School no. 1467 (later Hawksburn Primary School) p16, 20. Prahran Technical Art School p6, 24, 25. Prahran Technical College p24, 30, 35. Princes Gardens p20. "Purraran" p10. Rent Reduction Act p28. Royal George Hotel p10. School of Art and Design p16. South Melbourne Mechanics' Institute p15. South Melbourne Standard (newspaper) p15. South Yarra p19, 20. St John Street p25, 27. St Matthew's Church of England, Chapel Street p20. Temperance Society p15. Three penny libraries p28. Town Hall p5, 13, 15, 16, 17, 30. Union Street p28. Unitarian Church p4. Victoria College p24. Victorian and Local History Library p33. Victorian Education Department p24, 27. Victorian Railways Institute p29. Victorian State Government lease p25. Wards Committee p19. Wesley College p15. Wesleyan Chapel, St Kilda p20. Windsor Technical School, Hornby Street, Prahran p28. Wittner's Shoe Store p23. Working Men's College (now RMIT) p24.