Last Friday evening President Michael D. Higgins opened the sumptuous new exhibition in Trinity’s Old Library. The exhibition, A great many choice books: 300 years of the Old Library, was curated by Felicity O’Mahony of The Manuscripts and Archives Research Library, assisted by her colleagues in M & ARL, and Lydia Ferguson of the Department of Early Printed Books and Special Collections. The exhibition includes many absolutely stunning “treasures” of the library, both manuscript and printed.
A fuller account of the exhibition opening is available on TCD library’s main blog.
The exhibition is part of the celebrations marking the tercentenary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Old Library. Further information about these can be found on the Tercentenary website.
As part of our remit, the Department of Early Printed Books and Special Collections mount regular exhibits in the foyer of the Berkeley Library. Generally the single case exhibit ties in with anniversaries or local events. As today is ANZAC Day, staff member Helen Beaney has displayed the third volume of John Gould’s The mammals of Australia, shelfmark: Fag. HH.3.8.
Gould used to make rough annotated sketches which were worked up to finished images by artists, including his wife up to her death in 1841, and also Edward Lear, William Hart and Henry Constantine Richter. The production of the plates for this three-volume set was spread out over eighteen years, beginning with the Goulds’ travels in Australia in 1838-40 and with new material being sent over to Gould at frequent intervals after their return home. In his preface, Gould emphasises the opportunities to discover new species through exploration of unmapped parts of the world.
He became an authority on the birds of Europe, Asia, Australia and America as well as the mammals of Australia. The beautiful illustrations are still of scientific importance and provide great aesthetic pleasure.
Celebrated every year on April 25th, ANZAC Day originally commemorated the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who died at Gallipoli during World War I and now recognises all New Zealand and Australian soldiers who have given their lives in military operations for their countries. So which of the images seen here did Helen choose to display? Why not pop along to the Berkeley Library and find out?
2012 sees a special anniversary for Trinity College Dublin, with the celebration of 300 years since the laying of the Old Library’s foundation stone. The tercentenary celebrations include an exhibition in the Long Room which is part of the ‘Dublin: One City, One Book’ event. One City, One Book encourages everyone each year to read the same book during the month of April and this year Dubliners was chosen. The focus of this display is the life and works of Joyce and highlights places and events associated with the 1914 publication. The exhibition of 13 items includes an early printing of Ulysses signed by Joyce and a contemporary map of the city to help visitors plot the various locations referred to in the text. The exhibition runs for the month of April.
Last Friday evening President Michael D. Higgins opened the sumptuous new exhibition in Trinity’s Old Library. The exhibition, A great many choice books: 300 years of the Old Library, was curated by Felicity O’Mahony of The Manuscripts and Archives Research Library, assisted by her colleagues in M & ARL, and Lydia Ferguson of the Department of Early Printed Books and Special Collections. The exhibition includes many absolutely stunning “treasures” of the library, both manuscript and printed.
