This week we welcome Kirsty to the Secret Library blog. Here she highlights a recent event at Leeds City Library that showcased some of our lesser seen items. From 25 July – 30 August 2026 Leeds was transformed into a giant board game to celebrate a landmark moment in its history. People were encouraged to…
Tag: treasures
Treasures of the Central Library
We launched an updated edition of our Treasures of the Library leaflet this month, packed full of new information about key items from our Special Collections. Take a look by clicking on the cover image below – or read on for an excerpted lookback at how our collections came into existence. Please contact us if…
Leeds United Part 4: Treasures of the Library
Part four of a four-part series exploring the history of Leeds United, as told through books and other materials held at the Central Library. You can find all of the parts in our dedicated Sport page and all the books mentioned here can be accessed by contacting us on 0113 37 86982 or via localandfamilyhistory@leeds.gov.uk……
The Maurice Rosenbaum Letters: A Leeds Connection
This week, we welcome University of Leeds students Amy Clayton and Lucy Slater as guest authors. Amy and Lucy have been investigating a new addition to the Central Library collections – the letters of Maurice Rosenbaum – over the last few months. Here, they explain who Maurice was and his connection to Leeds and Yorkshire….
Writing in the Margins: The Annotated Nuremberg Chronicle
This week we welcome guest author Dr Nina Adamova, British Academy Visiting Fellow at St Petersburg University, who explores a particularly interesting copy of The Nuremburg Chronicle held at the Central Library. Dr. Adamova will be delivering a talk on the same subject tomorrow at 2pm. Tickets are still available at the time of writing. …
The Ancient Art of Bookbinding
This week we hear from Library Officer, Philip Wilde, who highlights some amazing examples of bookbinding in the Central Library collections… The ancient art of bookbinding has been a craft for over 2,000 years. Originally the binding served the purely practical purpose of protecting the book however, book coverings were later to be seen as…
Speed-dating our Library Treasures IV
Last Wednesday night saw the latest instalment of the Speed-date a Library Treasure event, this time taking place in the cosy upstairs room of Further North in Chapel Allerton. Leeds Libraries staff brought along a number of treasures from the special collections and with 3 minutes between each bell they hurried to extol the virtues…
‘Sundry Articles of Queens or Cream-Colou-r’d Earthen-Ware’ – The Leeds Pottery Books
Adam Barham, Assistant Librarian Manager in the Art Library, takes a look at our collection of rare Leeds Pottery Books… Leeds Central Library houses several rare volumes relating to the Leeds Pottery Company. These include the Design, Drawing & Pattern Books and another set of volumes entitled ‘Designs of Sundry Articles of Queens or Cream-Colou-r’d…
