To mark the official opening of the UTS (University Technology Sydney) Library’s Reading Room, a UTS robot--part of their state-of-the-art new library retrieval system--delivered Attila Brungs (UTS Vice-Chancellor) a rare book from Hordern House, William Dampier’s A Voyage to New Holland and the first to be shelved in the new building.
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A search is under way for the ship that carried Charles Darwin to South America.
HMS Beagle is best known for her second, voyage in 1831-36, when Darwin gathered evidence that convinced him of the principle of natural selection.
The vessel carried the naturalist Charles Darwin and was sold for scrap in 1870 for £525
Marine archaeologists believe that the remains of the brig-sloop are submerged in a mudbank near Paglesham, Essex.
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A selection of works for children spanning three centuries, including: voyage accounts, natural history and the first childrens' book to include the kangaroo; games, puzzles and works of fiction including what is considered to be the first novel of Australia Alfred Dudley: or the Australian settlers.
A fine review of our latest catalogue by Michael Stillman in Rare Book Monthly here
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage month, the Library of Congress has digitized and made available online 1,000 Chinese rare books produced before 1796. The Chinese Rare Book Digital Collection includes the most valuable titles and editions housed in the Library’s Asian Division, some of which date as far back as the 10th century and are the only extant copies in the world.
The collection may be viewed here and to read the full article...
read more about Centuries of Rare Chinese Books Now Online at the Library of Congress
Globally, libraries have been adapting. Professor Stuart Kells takes a tour of the world's best and discovers why they are still vital. From an essay in The Conversation. To read the full article click here
read more about The library: humanist ideal, social glue and tourism hotspot
The Proper Title: In the wake of more high-profile book thefts, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers is tackling head-on the sometimes thorny issue of provenance-- published on the ILAB website with kind permission of the Antiques Trade Gazette.
In the 1970s theatre writer and book collector John Wolfson began accumulating what was to become one of the largest and most rare collections of works on Shakespeare in the world. Housed in New York only the lucky few have been offered the opportunity to see this marvellous collection. That is until a sneak preview of one of its highlights at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe last week.
Chairman of Firsts – London’s Rare...
read more about Shakespeare's First Folio returns to Britain after 40 years
read more about Two recently-discovered works by 18th Century Women Artists
A new museum opens in Turin in early May 2019. Jackie Wullschläger tells the remarkable story of its creator, Federico Cerruti, “a recluse who made his fortune as a bookbinder”, in her article “Secrets of a wealthy recluse” (Financial Times, 27/28 April 2019)
read more about “Bookish interiority”: an Italian bookbinder’s legacy
A recent article from the Wall Street Journal featuring remarkable private libraries--spectacular rooms housing the owners’ collections of books, antiques, art and ephemera representing their unique, life-long passions and interests. Including the Including the the Walker Library of the History of the Human Imagination (pictured left) which automatically “wakes up,” glowing with theatrical lighting, when entered! Click the link above for the full article.
The Libro de los Epítomes was a catalogue for Hernando Colón’s 16th-century collection, which he intended to be the biggest in the world. The Guardian reports on the extraordinary discovery in the Arnamagnæan Collection in Copenhagen: a window into a “lost world of 16th-century books”, according to Cambridge academic Dr Edward Wilson-Lee, author of the recent biography of Colón, The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books.
“It’s a discovery of immense importance, not only because it contains so...
read more about 500-year-old library catalogue reveals lost books
