Our new exhibition, inspired by Fantasy: Realms of Imagination at the British Library opened in November and aims to bring a bit of magic to Leeds Central Library over the cold winter months, before touring to community libraries across the city.

The beautiful grade II* listed building with its winding staircases and heraldic beasts lends itself perfectly to the fantasy theme and this exhibition encourages visitors to embark on their own quest to explore parts of the library they may not have ventured to before. 

Of course, this has been a wonderful opportunity to showcase rare books relating to myths, legends, folklore and fairy tales with items dating from the 16^th century onwards, but we have also been excited to work with partners and lenders to display ancient artefacts and fan memorabilia right up to the present day.

If you haven’t visited yet here are a few tips for intrepid explorers:

• Enter Central Library through the Calverley Street entrance and immerse yourself in ‘Plantlore: Illustrating the Imagination’ an oversized pop-up book installation created by artist Laura Slater. Inspired by our collections, particularly work by William Morris, Laura explores the ‘light’ and ‘dark’ side of plant folklore.
• Pick up an exhibition map from the desk in Central Lending on the ground floor and download the Actionbound app if you want to take part in the interactive quest. There is also a family trail available to collect from the desk. A perfect, free activity for over the Christmas holidays.
• The exhibition takes place across three floors of the library. On the ground floor we explore fan culture and fantasy writers, in the Art Library the focus moves to fantasy artists and fairy tales, and in the Local Studies department we go right back to the origins of fantasy with ancient epics and Arthurian romances.
• Most importantly watch out for the dragons who are guarding our precious books!

“Long has the illustrated book cover been the portal between the real and imagined. Grounded in visual storytelling, from the magical, to the mysterious, the joyful to the dangerous, immerse yourself in tales of Plant Lore”

Laura Slater, Artist Statement

We will share more about the material in each Fantasy theme in upcoming blog posts but do let us know if you have enjoyed the exhibition by tagging us on social media and using #LeedsFantasyRealms.

You have until January 17 2024 to visit the displays in Central Library before a smaller version tours to community libraries.

Read about the exhibition in this recent BBC News article or this excellent review by Jonathan Cowie.

This project is made possible through the Living Knowledge Network.