Edward William Cole

Edward William Cole
Edward William Cole
Born	Template:Birth date; Woodchurch, Kent, England
Died	December 16, 1918 (aged 86); Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s)	Bookseller, publisher
Known for	Cole's Book Arcade

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Edward William Cole, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Edward William Cole, frequently referred to as "E. W. Cole of the Book Arcade," (4 January 1832 – 16 December 1918) was a distinguished bookseller and the creator of Cole's Book Arcade located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Early life

Edward William Cole was born on 4 January 1832 in Woodchurch, Kent, England, to Harriet Cole. His biological father remains uncertain because Harriet's husband, Amos Cole, was incarcerated during the time of Edward's conception. Harriet herself was both illegitimate and lacked literacy skills. Edward’s formal education was very limited, reportedly lasting only about six months.

In 1836, when Edward was four years old, Harriet married Thomas Watson, shortly before Amos was sent to Van Diemen's Land. At 18 years of age in 1850, Cole departed for London with £20 in his possession and soon after emigrated to the Cape Colony on the ship 'Dalhousie.' There, he achieved some success as a farmer and developed an interest in botany. On 11 November 1852, he arrived at Cole's Wharf in Melbourne, Victoria, where he took on various roles working at the diggings.

Bookseller

Cole inaugurated a bookshop at the Eastern Market, Melbourne on 30 September 1865, initially stocking 600 books. By October of that year, his daily earnings reached £15 12s., which he mostly reinvested into acquiring more inventory. He expanded gradually by moving to larger market stalls. Despite his limited schooling, Cole was well-read and in 1867 authored The Real Place in History of Jesus and Paul under the pen name "Edwic," addressing the authenticity of miracles. Although he planned a sequel, he encountered difficulties finding publishers in Melbourne and Sydney.

Following redevelopment plans for the Eastern Market, Cole relocated in December 1873 to a nearby site on Bourke Street where he launched "Coles Book Arcade." His promotional talents contributed significantly to its success. The newly rebuilt Eastern Market (opened in 1879) struggled as vendors preferred the Queen Victoria Market instead. In 1881, Cole leased the entire market from Melbourne’s city authorities and invested heavily in marketing and entertainment initiatives that transformed it into a favored social hub rather than merely a fresh produce market. Despite these achievements, his lease was not renewed after one year by the Council. Subsequently, Cole arranged for a new premises on Bourke Street close to the General Post Office, Melbourne.

Cole's Book Arcade

Opening its doors on 27 January 1883, Cole's Book Arcade quickly became one of Australia's leading book retailers and was celebrated as "the prettiest sight in Melbourne." It attracted prominent literary figures such as Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain. The three-story venue featured new publications on the ground floor, secondhand books above, and assorted curiosities on the top floor. Over time, additional departments were introduced including a music section and a café where a small orchestra performed during lunchtime hours. The arcade eventually expanded through to Little Collins Street, occupying neighboring buildings as well. While reports claiming it held two million volumes were overstated, it nonetheless possessed one of the largest book collections worldwide at that time. Visitors were encouraged to browse freely without any sales pressure. The enterprise flourished further when Cole incorporated new services such as printing into his offerings.

Humorous Picture Books

Among his many bestsellers were the well-known Cole's Funny Picture Book series, which debuted with extensive promotion on Christmas Eve 1879, and Cole's Fun Doctor, both reaching sales numbering in the hundreds of thousands. In the early 1900s, he also released Cole's Treasury of Song, A Collection of the Most Popular Songs [Old and New], containing approximately one thousand melodies.

Additional publishing ventures

Using the imprints "W. T. Cole" and "Cole's Book Arcade," Cole published works spanning a wide array of topics including war and peace, spiritualism, adventure, humor, sheet music, and literary classics. He developed several series such as the Federation of the World Library, the Cream of Human Thought Library, the Commonwealth Library, Cole's Commonwealth Music Books, and Coles Useful Books. Prominent writers like Henry Lawson and W. T. Stead were among those whose works he brought to print.

Gardening publications

Cole achieved notable success in horticultural literature. His Cole’s Penny Garden Guide was a condensed version of the Law Somner and Co. Handbook to the Garden (1880), a method he frequently utilized. The bestselling gardening book under his name was William Elliott’s Cole’s Australasian Gardening and Domestic Floriculture (1897). Other horticultural titles published included Hamilton McEwin’s The Fruitgrower’s Handbook and reissues such as John Lockley’s Rose Growing Made Easy. Cole’s 1918 publication, The Happifying Gardening Hobby, integrated text and illustrations to advocate for wellbeing through gardening; historian Ken Duxbury described it as a horticultural equivalent to Cole’s Funny Picture Book. He also edited Cotton Growing: The Coming Leading Industry in Australia (1905) and issued a second edition of The Fruitgrower’s Handbook in 1913. Between 1913 and 1915, Cole released two books by A. E. Cole: The Bouquet: Australian Flower Gardening and The Australian Floral Almanac.

Political and social commentary

In his later period, Cole wrote pamphlets addressing social and political topics such as A White Australia Impossible (1898) and The White Australia Question (1903), in which he criticized the White Australia policy. This viewpoint led him to spend six months in Japan with his family in 1902. During the First World War, he authored booklets like War (1917), which condemned military conflict.

Personal background and enduring impact

Cole wed Eliza Frances Jordan in 1875; she passed away in 1911. The couple resided above their arcade business. Cole died in Melbourne on 16 December 1918 and was laid to rest at Boroondara Cemetery. He left behind two sons and three daughters.

Cole’s Book Arcade played a pivotal role in shaping Melbourne’s cultural scene. Recognized as a "marketing genius," Cole established a "shop unlike any other," combining retail book sales with entertainment elements such as a menagerie, fernery, musical band, and mechanical exhibits. This blend contributed to making the arcade an integral part of "Marvellous Melbourne" with a festive atmosphere that drew a broad clientele while maintaining focus on bookselling. Known as an optimist and idealist, Cole championed education’s transformative power and dreamed of a borderless world—principles evident throughout his writings.

The enterprise continued operating for roughly ten years following his death before executors sold its valuable real estate holdings. A relative acquired the business goodwill and sustained a smaller-scale shop on Swanston Street for an additional decade.

External links

E. W. Cole - official website offering publications, tokens, biography, and timeline
The life and times of EW Cole, interview with author Richard Broinowski on ABC Radio National, 3 September 2020
War by E. W. Cole (1917) - accessible digital version at State Library of New South Wales
Photograph of E. W. Cole from the State Library of Victoria’s Pictures Collection
Image of Mrs E. W. Cole inside the Book Arcade circa 1901 at State Library of Victoria
E. W. Cole on AustLit
E. W. Cole profile at www.whitehat.com.au
Collection of E.W. Cole ephemera held by State Library of New South Wales
Artifacts from Cole's Book Arcade within Museums Victoria collections
Medal - E.W. Cole, Cole's Book Arcade held at Museum Victoria
Token from Cole's Book Arcade, Melbourne, circa 1885 available at National Library of Australia