Exploring the world of books at Oxford
This term‘s focus is the research and writing of a project related to our course Palaeography, History of the Book and Digital Humanities. Having previously studied nineteenth-century carnival illustrations, I wanted to continue with the theme of festivals to trace identity formation through visual dialogue. Through SOLO’s, the Search Oxford Library Online Catalogue, tag listing eighteenth-century festival …
At the last session of the History of the Book class for Michaelmas Term, the group officially launched this blog. Watch the short video-clip with reflections on what “studying History of the Book” means for all of us. …and – as a Christmas special – a DIY video on how to make your own (mock-)medieval …
By Luise Morawetz After learning about different methods and difficulties of conservation (visit the Masterclass on Materiality post to read more about this part of the session), we got the chance to look at some manuscripts and to learn about the specifics of their materiality. What was especially intriguing for me was seeing the manuscript …
‘15cBooktrade’ and what we can learn from it The printed book now lying in front of me – an edition of Otto von Passau’s ‘Die vierundczweinczig Altê. od’ d’ guldin tron’ from the year 1480 – has travelled a long way before arriving here, on a wooden table in Lecture Room 2 of the Taylor …
By Godelinde Gertrude Perk Featured image courtesy of the University of Oxford Development Office This masterclass focused on the materiality of medieval manuscripts, that is, medieval manuscripts as material objects, and their conservation. It explored how manuscripts were made in the Middle Ages and how modern conservators (for instance in the Bodleian Conservation Studio) conserve …
By Isabelle Riepe A library must not always be just books. Libraries established before the 20th century mostly originated from collections, alongside objects, like porcelain, clocks, furniture, or paintings. Sometimes those also find their way into a newly founded library of the 19th century. The Taylor Institution Library (Taylorian) opened in 1849, following the will of architect Sir Robert …
By Luise Morawetz and Vincent Leung In the fourth week of our History of the Book methodology module, the topic was palaeography. Dr. Colleen Curran, a researcher at the Faculty of English of the University of Oxford and expert in Insular scripts, took us to the Weston Library’s Visiting Scholar’s Centre to introduce us to …
By Isabelle Riepe The ex libris of the book Trauerspiel by Voltaire suggests it was owned by Theodore Besterman and gifted to the University of Oxford, specifically the Taylor Institution Library. Theodore Besterman founded the Voltaire Foundation, which publishes the definite edition of the complete works of Voltaire and specialises in eighteenth-century scholarship, and bequeathed …
By Caroline Godard While studying in Paris a year and a half ago, I went to the Shakespeare & Company bookstore to hear Agnès Poirier speak about Left Bank, her newly published history of the Paris intellectual scene from 1940 to 1950. Her book intrigued me, but more than that, I was captivated by her …