Blog

1. “What’s your favourite book?”

     The first question visitors invariably put to library staff is ‘Have you read all these books?’, to which the answer is always an automatic ‘Yes of course!’. The follow-up...

   21st August 2015 • Read more

2. Theophila and a curious letter M

     Edward Benlowes’ Theophila (1652), a 268-page poem in Latin and English, is a remarkable book for several reasons. It is said that no two copies of the Theophila are identical. Benlowes installed a...

   21st August 2015 • Read more

3. Conjuring spirits in the ‘Tractatus de Nigromatia’

   We are delighted to publish a guest post by Stephen Gordon, a post-doctoral research associate who has been researching the Tractatus de Nigromatia here at Chetham’s Library. Foliation is Stephen’s...

   14th August 2015 • Read more

4. A very private war

   Amongst the manuscript volumes housed in the library there sits a fascinating record of the early months of World War Two. The journal was written by a young lady but...

   12th August 2015 • Read more

5. Gardening up north

   Wrap up warm, don your wellies and grab your umbrella – its time to celebrate the Rainy City’s summer garden festival again. Dig the City 2015 kicks off tomorrow and...

   30th July 2015 • Read more

6. Is there a doctor in the house?

   In these days of rising costs, waiting lists and funding threats to the NHS, almost everyone can relate to an exhibition that looks at the doctor-patient relationship. Last term, a...

   9th July 2015 • Read more

7. Belle Vue Bingo!

   Chetham’s Library Belle Vue Collection takes to the road again. This Saturday the 4th of July we will be at Mecca Bingo on Hyde Road in Gorton showing ephemera and...

   2nd July 2015 • Read more

8. Chetham’s in the naughty nineties

   The 1890s, that is – the original and best naughty nineties, as our governing body the Library Committee insists. Many of them remember the period well and are still hoping...

   1st July 2015 • Read more

9. ‘It had not been my intention to write a journal…’

   A small journal written by a young lady from Jersey will be the focus of today’s post. Miss Mary Ann Lemprière began her journal on 6 January 182[5], the day...

   24th June 2015 • Read more

10. Stone circles

      As symbols of British summertime, the solstice and Stonehenge go together like strawberries and cream or mud and Glastonbury. With this in mind, we have been browsing through William...

    21st June 2015 • Read more