Edward William Cole was born on 4 January 1832 in Kent England. Leaving home at 18 to try his luck in London, Cole then travelled to South Africa and from there to Victoria to try his luck on the goldfields at Castlemaine. He soon discovered that he could make more money selling goods to the miners and their families than mining for gold.
Next stop Melbourne where he sold books from a barrow at the Eastern Market. In 1873 Cole started selling books on a small scale at 158 Bourke Street, near Swanston Street. In 1883 he moved the business further up Bourke Street to a larger arcade opposite where Myer is now located. Over the years Cole expanded and restructured the business until the multi-story arcade stretched from Bourke Street to Collins Street, with a first floor walkway over Little Collins Street.
Cole did not just sell books but also established galleries to sell a range of merchandise including ornaments, stationery, toys, music and art. There was a fernery, a restaurant, attractions to entertain children such as puppets and a mechanical hen that laid metal eggs, live monkeys in a cage plus an aviary of birds and a band to play music for patrons. But the arcade was primarily a large bookshop selling new and second hand books.
In 1875 Cole advertised in the newspaper for a wife and chose Eliza Jordan. They had six children - Edward, Vally, Linda, Pearl, Ivy and Ruby. Ruby contracted scarlet fever and died in 1890.
Cole was responsible for a number of publications on a variety of subjects but perhaps his most famout was a series of Cole's Funny Picture Books which he wrote for children.
Edward William Cole died died on 16 December 1918. The business continued for a number of years but finally closed in 1929.
This book is a celebration of the life of Edward William Coles, an astute businessman and marketer, and his important contribution to Melbourne's history.
Joint winner of the Judges Special Prize in 2021 Victorian Community History Awards
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