How did a library founded over four hundred years ago grow to become the world-renowned institution it is today, home to over thirteen million items? From its foundation by Sir Thomas Bodley in 1598 to the opening of the Weston Library in 2015, this illustrated account shows how the Library&;s history has been involved with the British monarchy and political events throughout the centuries. The history of the Library is also a history of collectors and collections, and this book traces the story of major donations and purchases, making use of the Library&;s own substantial archives to show how it came to house key items such as early confirmations of the Magna Carta, Shakespeare&;s First Folio, and the manuscript of Jane Austen&;s earliest writings, among many others.
This revised edition brings the history of the Bodleian Library up to the present moment. Beautifully illustrated with prints, portraits, manuscripts, and archival material, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of libraries and collections.
| Preface |
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6 | (1) |
| Note to the revised edition |
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7 | (1) |
| Floor plans of the Old Bodleian |
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8 | (3) |
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1 The first university library |
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11 | (12) |
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2 The early years, 1602--1652 |
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23 | (48) |
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3 Consolidation, 1652--1700 |
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71 | (30) |
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101 | (30) |
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131 | (46) |
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6 A new century and a New Bodleian, 1912--1945 |
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177 | (28) |
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7 Post-war expansion and modernization |
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205 | (43) |
| Bodley's librarians |
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248 | (1) |
| Notes |
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249 | (5) |
| Further reading |
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254 | (2) |
| Picture credits |
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256 | (2) |
| Index |
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258 | |
Mary Clapinson was on the staff of the Western Manuscript Department in the Bodleian Library for thirty-five years. Appointed Keeper of Western Manuscripts in 1986, she was the first woman to hold a Keepership in the Bodleian. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, and Emeritus Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford, her undergraduate college.
