The Bodleian Libraries contain a wealth of material that is relevant to the study of the book in every period. This is not only in book or manuscript form, although Bodleian Special Collections are frequently used for teaching at the Bodleian’s Weston Library for Special Collections. Many non-book items–eighteenth-century pins, samples of paper, newly-made parchment, old copper plates–exist within and outside the miles of bookstack. We will be undertaking a survey of this material in 2021-22, paying close attention to what is useful for the teaching the history of books and manuscripts in the broadest sense.
Throughout this year we expect to be looking into:
- printing surfaces such as those outlined in the LibGuide Printing surfaces – Printed images in Bodleian collections – Oxford LibGuides at Oxford University
- samples of supports such as parchment and paper
- examples of writing materials and copying technologies
- the working collections of the Bodleian Bibliographical Press
- library collections assembled with an eye to the history of printing, notably the John Johnson Collection of printed ephemera
- the Strickland Gibson Collection
- … and who knows what else might come to light?
Centre for the Study of the Book | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)