Blog

1. Philip’s bird

   Those of you who enjoyed meeting Philip the Monster may be interested to make the acquaintance of this magnificent creature known as Avis Philippensis – or Philip’s bird. She makes...

   14th November 2011 • Read more

2. Introducing Philip the Monster

   This splendid fellow goes by the name of Monstrum Philip, and is to be found surrounded by some of his favourite things in James Petiver’s Catalogus classicus & topicus of...

   11th November 2011 • Read more

3. A sudden and terrible raine

   The infamous Manchester weather has been a preoccupation for local residents for well over three hundred and fifty years, according to the earliest surviving history of the town. Richard Hollingworth’s...

   9th November 2011 • Read more

4. Glass slide collection

   The Library has a large and varied collection of glass slides, mostly collected by the antiquarian J.J. Phelps in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Read more about them...

   4th November 2011 • Read more

5. A bewitching sight

   A Happy Halloween to all our readers! May you ward off all the ghoulies and ghosties who beat a path to your door and enjoy a trouble-free time in the...

   31st October 2011 • Read more

6. Alain Chartier

   An exquisite manuscript of the poetry of Alain Chartier is this week’s offering in our 101 Treasures series. For a closer look at the extraordinarily beautiful and imaginative decorative motifs,...

   28th October 2011 • Read more

7. The Glamour of Manchester

   Can there be any more unlikely title? This little book published by the National Labour Press in 1920 makes a sterling effort to romanticise the history of the city, with...

   26th October 2011 • Read more

8. Online exhibition now live!

   We’re very excited about our new online exhibition which goes live today! Don’t worry if you couldn’t make it to the Library to see our popular exhibition ‘Who do you...

   21st October 2011 • Read more

9. Now you see it…

   …now you don’t. Discover the hidden secret of this apparently unassuming little book on our 101 Treasures page this week.

   19th October 2011 • Read more

10. What on earth was he on about?

    A close-up of the writing of Richard Kuerden (1623-90?) from his manuscript notes for A History of Lancashire, surely a strong contender for the worst handwriting ever… Read more about...

    12th October 2011 • Read more