Archive: 2012

1. A reprise of Dr Dee

   A fresh surge of interest in John Dee culminates this month in the release of Damon Albarn’s soundtrack album to his opera Dr Dee, which premiered last summer at the...

   9th May 2012 • Read more

2. Cherry Blossoms under the Full Moon

   This exquisite nineteenth-century ukiyo-e woodblock print by the Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige is the star of this week’s 101 Treasures feature. For a closer look and more information, click here...

   4th May 2012 • Read more

3. It’s Palm Friday

   This week’s feature in the 101 Treasures series is our beautiful eighteenth-century Burmese palm leaf manuscript. Palm leaves served as the paper of the ancient world for thousands of years,...

   27th April 2012 • Read more

4. Swan upmanship

   This week’s treasure in the 101 Treasures series is a beautiful hand-coloured manuscript book of swan identification marks dating from the sixteenth century. Every summer, the beaks of swans on...

   20th April 2012 • Read more

5. Papal Prayers

   This week’s treasure is the beautifully illuminated book of prayers for Pope Alexander VII as he prepared himself for his enthronement. This recently featured in our ‘Curios and Curiosities’ exhibition...

   13th April 2012 • Read more

6. The Yattendon Hymnal

   We are delighted to announce that we have recently acquired a copy of the Yattendon Hymnal, one of the most significant contributions to English church music. This has been generously...

   13th April 2012 • Read more

7. Another famous communist visits Chetham’s Library

   It was a pleasure to welcome elder statesman of left-wing comedy Alexei Sayle to the Library this week. He is pictured here with his friend Daniel Constantinou at the well-known...

   4th April 2012 • Read more

8. The Pigmy Revels

   A hand-coloured juvenile flap-book produced in 1773 on two separate copper-etched sheets telling the story tells of the elopement of Harlequin and Columbine. Read more on our 101 Treasures page…

   30th March 2012 • Read more

9. Victoria Bridge on a Saturday Night…

   We have recently bought a large collection of street songs and ballads published in Manchester and the North West during the mid-nineteenth century. The collection was made by the antiquarian...

   30th March 2012 • Read more

10. Manchester, so much to answer for…

    Our new exhibition examines the way Manchester’s history has been recorded over the centuries and the ways in which its civic pride and regional identity have developed, from the earliest...

    29th March 2012 • Read more