Special Collections
Our Hilary Term 2020 exhibition focuses on astronomical and medical items in the library’s special collection. A mix of manuscripts, letters and early printed books, Stars & Surgery provides a glimpse into the understanding of science in the past. Read about some of the highlights below. This exhibition is an extension of the event Thinking... Continue Reading →
Our Michaelmas term exhibition celebrates some of the key treasures of St. John's College. Aptly named Special Collections Today and Tomorrow, the exhibition spans the new Library & Study Centre, the 17th century Laudian Library, and the 16th century Old Library, and exhibits a wide range of our Special Collections. Read on to find out... Continue Reading →
In Trinity Term, the College invited me to write a short piece for the catalogue of the exhibition to mark the opening of the new Study Centre, describing two pages of the College's manuscript MS17. This manuscript is a mathematical compilation, largely concerned with the methods needed for computing the date of Easter. The two... Continue Reading →
Our Trinity Term exhibition celebrates all things royal, with items from the 15th century to the 18th century. You can explore some of our key themes here. Marriage . . . In laudem matrimonij oratio, Cuthbert Tunstall, 1519 This early printed book contains speeches given at the wedding of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII... Continue Reading →
This blog post explores texts in our special collections written and created for children, and the ways in which this genre has evolved through the centuries. These items span from Ancient Greek stories and 17th century fatherly advice, to Victorian adventurers and mischievous modern poems. Links throughout the post will allow you to learn more... Continue Reading →
This month's blog post on the Library's Livres d’Artistes is written by Tom Cullimore, a previous trainee and recent Assistant Librarian at St John's College Library. The Library has a collection of livres d’artistes - you can find out more about these texts by reading Tom's previous blog post. This collection includes two visual interpretations... Continue Reading →
This year St John's College is celebrating the establishment of its new Women's Network with a Women's Festival on the 10th March 2018. As part of the festival, the Library has collaborated with Archives and Paintings to create an exhibition on the history of women at St John's, from its founding in 1555 through to the... Continue Reading →
November’s blog post featured Philip Miller’s Gardeners’ dictionary (1731), collecting names and offering advice for his fellow gardeners. This month the Special Collections blog further explores the theme of horticulture in early printed books. In commodum ruralium, or the Ruralia Commoda, Pietro de Crescenzi, c. 1490-95. The Ruralia Commoda by Pietro de Crescenzi of Bologna... Continue Reading →
It can be tricky to navigate the maze of gifts, food, entertainment, cards, and relatives that make up Christmas - how can you know for sure you are making the perfect purchasing decisions? This month's Special Collections blog post picks the best bits from the 1884 Pall Mall Gazette Christmas Extra Edition, which offers the... Continue Reading →
