The Bodleian Libraries’ autumn exhibition ‘Treasures of the Bodleian’ [opened] to the public [on] Friday 30 September.... The exhibition will feature a selection of the Bodleian’s rarest, most important and most evocative items – from ancient papyri to medieval oriental manuscripts to twentieth-century printed books and ephemera.
There are great video presentations on the website. A mobile app will be launched in October.
Astounding treasures here, including:
"Bakhshali manuscript – first evidence of the concept of zero, represented by a round dot;"
"William Shakespeare, First Folio, 1623;"
"Wilfred Owen, ‘Anthem for Dead Youth’, 1917, handwritten draft;"
"Letter from an Egyptian boy to his father, 2nd or 3rd century AD: a petulant schoolboy called Theon complains to his father for leaving him behind."
A bit closer to today's time, here's J. R. R. Tolkien's watercolor, "Conversation with Smaug," in which he depicts one of the episodes in The Hobbit.
Below is a video introduction in which--beginning at 1min.: 41seconds--a few of the items are shown with commentary.
More on the exhibition:
The exhibits are arranged into broad themes: the classical heritage; mapping the world; the sacred word; the animal and plant kingdoms; works of the imagination; the sciences of observation and calculation; historical moments in time.
The ‘Treasures of the Bodleian’ exhibition looks towards the new permanent exhibitions gallery in the Weston Library which will open in 2015. Members of the public can give their thoughts on which of the library’s treasures should be put on permanent display in the new building. Visitors to the exhibitions are also invited to take part in the debate on what makes a particular book, manuscript or relic – out of a collection of nine million – a treasure? They can offer their own views when visiting the exhibition, or via the website.
Comments