The Dryad Collection – basket weaving
As I catalogue the Dryad Collection, I was surprised to see that the books on basket weaving not only included “How to” manuals, but also books that were concerned with the cultivation of the types of natural materials to use. Many of these books had the bookplate of H.H. Peach in them, who was a […]
Dryad Collection – S is for Smock and Sheepskin
As I continue to catalogue the Dryad Collection, some of the books stand out as belonging to a different era of attitudes towards clothes. Smocks for example, may still be around on the fashion catwalks today, but in the Dryad Collection a more traditional working role for the garment is recorded, as well as a […]
The Works of John Gould
Guest post by Ian Swirles, Special Collections Assistant. My name is Ian and I am the Special Collections Assistant at the University of Leicester Library. I support the Archives & Special Collections team by getting books and archive material ready for visitors and groups to view in the Special Collections Reading Room. My role involves […]
Discovering Peterloo in Special Collections
Guest post from Dr William Farrell, Research Services Consultant. Mike Lee’s new film Peterloo has opened to good reviews this month: the screening I saw was a full house. The film tells the story of the Peterloo Massacre, a notorious event in the history of political reform in Britain. On 16 August 1819 a peaceful demonstration was held in St Peter’s Field in Manchester. Some […]
May Day: Early 19th Century Traditions
Laying May branches Whilst many associate traditional celebrations of May Day with maypoles and Morris dancers, one early nineteenth century custom featured ‘Mayers’ (those included in May Day celebrations) arising at dawn to place branches of May outside neighbouring dwellings. Performed as a symbolic gesture, the larger the branch placed at the door, the greater […]
Lifting and Heaving: An Easter Custom
For all the Easter traditions that have been passed down to us over the centuries, there are a few that are have fallen by the wayside. Writing on the subject of “Ancient Customs” in the July 1783 issue of the Gentleman’s Magazine, the correspondent H.T. noted, A custom, which ought to be abolished as improper […]
Who owned the Wicked Bible?
It’s been reported in the news this week that a copy of the so called “Wicked Bible” is to be auctioned at Bonhams in November. This edition of the King James Version was printed in 1631 and then hastily withdrawn after a printing error was discovered in the Ten Commandments. A crucial word was omitted from […]
Death’s Doings
While working on some book moves we are presently carrying out, I rediscovered the rather wonderful Death’s Doings illustrated by Richard Dagley, first published in 1822. This volume belongs to a long tradition on the Dance of Death theme, which dates back to medieval times, when death from war and violence, disease, poverty, childhood mortality […]
Caring for our Special Collections
Visitors to Special Collections often ask how we preserve the rare books, manuscripts and archives in our collection. Much of what we do could be described as preventative care. This starts as soon as someone visits us to consult an item, as we ask them only to bring pencils or digital devices into the reading […]
East Derbyshire Election, 1868
Our look back at past elections in Special Collections is rounded off today with a gallery of from an impressive volume of East Derbyshire Election Cartoons, 1868. The book was printed and published by Richard John Smithson of Chesterfield. Shown here are 21 political cartoons. Numbers 1-18 (Liberal Cartoons) were drawn by J. Priestman Atkinson, […]
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