Blog

1. James Crossley

   This week our 101 Treasures page is devoted to the fascinating character of James Crossley, Manchester man of letters, prolific book collector, antiquarian, founder of the Chetham Society and Honorary...

   20th February 2013 • Read more

2. Let us together be bound!

     If this Valentine’s Day sees you short of ideas for a suitable declaration of your love and respect, you could do worse than take inspiration from one of the...

   14th February 2013 • Read more

3. In defence of Richard III

   The current excitement about the discovery of the body of Richard III prompts us to draw attention to the Library’s copies of the two earliest published defences of the king....

   13th February 2013 • Read more

4. A Cure for the Winter Blues

   What with some of the staff trapped in the snowy North (i.e. Oldham), others gridlocked in icy South Manchester, and the weather forecast, according to the Metro,set to be the...

   5th February 2013 • Read more

5. A Bacchanalian Garland

   Did you know that the National Anthem of the United States gets its melody from a popular 18th-century British drinking song? We learned that from listening to Radio Four’s In...

   4th February 2013 • Read more

6. Our latest newsletter is now live!

   The latest edition of our Newsletter is now out! As well as a round-up of all the latest news and events, it includes special material only available to subscribers, including...

   25th January 2013 • Read more

7. Prince Albert and his memorial

   On this day in 1867 the Albert Memorial in Manchester was unveiled. It took several years of very slow progress by a committee set up to provide an appropriate memorial...

   23rd January 2013 • Read more

8. A funny thing happened on the way to the forum

   This beautiful woodcut is taken from our 1539 edition of the plays of Terence, part of a remarkable series of illustrations depicting scenes from medieval theatre productions. The attention to...

   18th January 2013 • Read more

9. Who can stand before His cold?

   Who, indeed. This seasonal sermon on snow from the seventeenth century was written by the aptly named John Shower, a Presbyterian minister working in London, who was inspired to respond...

   16th January 2013 • Read more

10. The Library of Cool

      The Library’s position on the cool wall has improved slightly this week, thanks to the presence of several members of indie bands Everything Everything, Delphic and Dutch Uncles, who...

    16th January 2013 • Read more