Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art opened the doors to its latest attraction on Sunday — a subterranean library with enough intellectual material and other oddities to keep even the most committed browser occupied for days.

Dubbed Phrontisterion — a word loosely translating to “thinkery” — the new space reportedly cost more than $100 million to complete and took almost a decade of planning.

Located beneath Mona’s sprawling Hobart complex, it houses thousands of titles covering subjects as varied as Antarctic exploration, science fiction, casinos, brewing and even charcuterie.

Among the collection’s highlights are Shakespeare’s First Folio, a rare edition of Sir Isaac Newton’s Opticks and a sixth edition of Charles Darwin’s Origin Of Species, the last produced in the author’s lifetime. Visitors can also view handwritten documents by David Bowie, Walt Whitman, Gustave Flaubert, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Guglielmo Marconi and Alexander Graham Bell.

The library reflects the eclectic interests of Mona founder David Walsh, who says books and public libraries played a formative role in his childhood.

“It’s possible I’ve spent more money on this stuff than the art,” he says.

Perhaps most Mona-like of all is the way the books are organised. Rather than following the centuries-old Dewey decimal system, Phrontisterion uses custom-built technology that allows books to be shelved almost anywhere while remaining searchable — a system its creators believe may be unique in the world.

The library also features a map room, study spaces, a lounge and a dedicated children’s area stocked with books from the personal collections of Walsh’s daughters.

As well as the nearly 30,000 books housed within Phrontisterion, there are also plenty of artworks to admire by artists Joshua Yeldham, Lucas Grogan, Rachel Marks, Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu, Matthew Barney and Julian Charriere. Plus a magnificent desk, staircase and chandeliers by local blacksmith and artist Pete Mattila.

Entry to the Phrontisterion library at Mona is included with a museum ticket.

Visit mona.net.au for more info.