Each week our Collections Manager Rhian, brings you our ‘Rare Book of the Week’ on social media. Too good to be lost in the daily deluge of tweets and instagrams we wanted to bring you a round-up of some of our favourites. The theme this time is nature. How stunning is this Granulated Cuttle illustration?…
Category: Treasures & Discoveries
Pearls in the Strong Room
Everyone is familiar with the sight of poppy sellers in the run-up to Armistice Day, but did you know that there was another campaign of remembrance before that? Library Digital Assistant Becky takes us hunting for Pearls in the strong room. Rachel Tretheway’s moving book, Pearls Before Poppies (361.76) relates the story of an appeal…
The Chimney Corner: Secret Books From The Secret Library #2
The second in an irregular (very irregular) series of books and other items selected from our vast collections. In this entry Librarian Antony Ramm takes a look at a rather nice presentation book with some eye-catching illustrations… The book – if we can even call it a book – was produced to commemorate a special…
Rare Books Round Up – Big Garden Birdwatch Edition
Each week our Collections Manager Rhian, brings you our ‘Rare Book of the Week’ on our social media accounts, too good to be lost in the daily deluge of tweets and Instagrams we wanted to bring you a round-up of some of our favourites. This week it’s the turn of Birds. This weekend marks the…
Botanicals of the Winter Solstice
It’s day 21 of our Heritage Advent calendar and also the Winter Solstice, to celebrate we’re delving deep into a very beautiful item from our Special Collections. Some of our favourite winter plants can be found in the beautifully illustrated encyclopaedia of trees Sylvan Musings, or, The Spirit of the Woods (1849)by Leeds botanist and…
Step Back Leeds
This week we hear about a project making creative use of the Central Library’s 19th-century Political Cartoons collection… Organised by a group of five second-year Liberal Arts students at University of Leeds, Step Back Leeds is a project that works to explore the 19th Century political story of Leeds through the Leeds Libraries’ collection of…
Rare Book Round Up – Illustrious Illustrations
Each week our Collections Manager Rhian, brings you our ‘Rare Book of the Week’ on our social media accounts, too good to be lost in the daily deluge of tweets and Instagrams we wanted to bring you a round-up of some of our favourites. This week it’s the turn our beloved illustrated beauties. We’ll begin…
Exploring Leeds Central Library – The Basement
Over the next few weeks we’re going to take you around Leeds Central Library, down into the deep dark depths of the basement and up to the lofty glazed ceilings of the top floor. Because when you have your very own 137 year old building it would be a shame not to explore it to…
The Secret Library | Leeds Libraries Heritage Blog 