Böcker utgivna av Bodleian Library

Medieval England was full of books, many times the number that have survived. The great moment of loss was when the country's religious houses were suppressed by King Henry VIII and their libraries scattered and destroyed. Twentieth-century scholarship has been enterprising in establishing what survives and in discovering what libraries once held. To understand that evidence, and to be able to reconstruct the transmission of culture in the Middle Ages, we need to employ with care the evidence of the surviving books and what medieval library catalogues can tell us about these lost collections. Libraries and Books in Medieval England paints a new picture of the circulation of books, from the totality of the available evidence. It seeks to move away from the modern conceptualization of the monastic library as the only venue for medieval book provision, and to broaden awareness of the wider book economy, including private ownership and the birth of the book trade. The result, by one of the country's leading experts and based on his Lyell Lectures in the University of Oxford, is an unparalleled work offering a new view of the field.

Garry Fabian Miller's Dark Room is a photography book unlike any other. At its heart is the artist's description of a life lived making pictures between the dark and the light, a deeply personal account woven against the history of photography from the moment of its birth in the 1830s to its decline, and some would say death, in the digital age almost two hundred years later.It is a memoir that reads at times like a manifesto, at others like a confession; a last testament to the dark room as both a site for the imagination, and a physical space for the alchemy that William Henry Fox Talbot once described as 'a little bit of magic realised'. Dark Room charts Miller's work over five decades, shifting from a camera-based practice in early career to the abstract picture making for which he has become internationally recognised, working without a camera to experiment with the possibilities of light as both medium and subject. At its core is the relationship with nature and place that has so sustained his way of life, and specifically with his home on Dartmoor and the cycle of daily walks that have been at the core of his practice for thirty years.The book also features an essay on Miller's work by his friend the potter and writer Edmund de Waal and technical notes by Martin Barnes, senior photography curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Succulents, especially cacti, are the current focus of serious ecological studies but also the darlings of designers and style influencers. Their endearing, characterful looks have given them the status of trendy 'plant pets'. But succulentomania is not new. While these plants have always been part of the landscape in the dry vastnesses of the Americas, Australia and Africa, curiosities such as furry-flowered stapeliads and euphorbias like snakes were a source of fascination for early European plant collectors - and in eighteenth-century Bavaria a prosperous apothecary grew an 'American aloe' that astounded all who saw it. This apothecary, Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, was the mastermind behind a groundbreaking book in which he aimed to include thousands of plants from all over the world, describing their individual characteristics and commissioning magnificent colour illustrations of each specimen. The succulents he featured are reproduced here in all their splendour. We may no longer look to them to treat gangrene, manufacture glass or disperse kidney stones, but succulents are proving of great interest to modern medicine and agriculture, and we can marvel at them afresh not only as wonders of nature but also as works of art.

A fascinating miscellany of the stories behind our weights and measures. How long is an ell? How big is the largest champagne bottle? How do you measure the heat of a chili pepper? Why is the depth of water measured in fathoms? And what, exactly, is a cubit? The Curious History of Weights & Measures tells the story of how we have come to quantify the world around us. Looking at everything from carats, pecks, and pennyweights, to firkins, baker's dozens, and modern science-based standards such as kilograms and kilometers, this book considers both what sparked the creation of measures and why there were so many efforts to usher in standardization. Full of handy conversion charts and beautiful illustrations, The Curious History of Weights & Measures is a treasure trove of fun facts and intriguing stories about the calculations we use every day.

"William Henry Fox Talbot is celebrated today as the English inventor of photography. He first made early photographic experiments in the 1830s and released the details of his photogenic drawing process in January 1839. He continued to introduce important innovations to the medium in the 1840s and 1850s. Drawing on archival material in the Bodleian Library, including three albums given by Talbot to his sister, Horatia Feilding, and his illustrated books, Sun Pictures in Scotland and The Pencil of Nature, this volume shows how Talbot was continually inventing photography anew. A selection of eighty full-page plates provides a thematic survey of Talbot's work, reproducing images that document his travels, his home, and his family, as well as his intellectual interests, from science to literature to ancient languages. An illustrated introduction places Talbot's work within the context of a modernizing Britain, as well as within his own social and intellectual milieu, and explores how the competing daguerreotype process spurred Talbot to improve his own techniques and seek new functions and uses for paper-based photographs. This evocative selection is a testament to Talbot's constant quest for new photographic advances, offering a window into the archives of an extraordinarily determined and creative man--

Establishing Parliament as the ultimate source of power in the land and enshrining basic civil rights, this document can justly claim to serve as the origin of Britain's democracy. An introduction by Jonathan Sumption provides historical context and outlines its influence over the centuries, including on recent political events.

Oscar Wilde's children's stories explore timeless themes of good and evil, freedom and responsibility, love and death, beauty and self-sacrifice. This beautiful collectors' edition with original watercolour illustrations and decorative motifs by Charles Robinson and an introduction by Michele Mendelssohn will delight adults and children alike.

This book features 24 of William Henry Fox Talbot's experimental prints. Offered to the reader as enigmatic physical artefacts, an accompanying essay illustrated with comparative images places these photographs in a broad historical context, revealing what relevance Talbot's experiments have to contemporary concepts of the art of photography.

Cats have provided the inspiration for an incredible range of fiction, memoir and poetry, from ancient myths and fables to much-loved children's books, and from classic tales to contemporary novels. A must for all cat-lovers, this book celebrates the inspirational connections between our favourite feline friends and the literary imagination.

"Every individual book has a history which can help us to understand what difference it may have made in the world. Within these pages you will find books damaged by bullets or graffiti, recovered from fire or water, or even disguised as completely different texts for protection in dangerous times. Marks of ownership - be it a rich treasure binding or a humble family inscription - shine a light on social history and literacy, while student doodles from the sixteenth century and a variety of pithy annotations give us a sense of readers through the ages. We increasingly recognise that the cultural and research value of books lies not just in their printed contents, but in the many other things they can tell us about the ways they have been used, read and regarded. Generously illustrated with examples from the early Middle Ages to the present day, Speaking Volumes presents a fascinating selection of books in both public and private collections whose individual histories tell surprising and illuminating stories, encouraging us to look at and appreciate books in new and non-traditional ways"--Publisher's description.

J.R.R. Tolkien's son and literary editor, Christopher Tolkien, published 24 of his father's posthumous works during his own lifetime. This collection of essays by world-renowned scholars, together with family reminiscences, sheds new light on Tolkien's work. This illustrated volume is essential reading for Tolkien scholars, readers and fans.

This beautiful catalogue features richly illustrated texts and finely printed volumes which are bound with skill and creativity using varied materials by binders from all over the world. The fourth in the series this book is a celebration of the stunningly inventive winning bindings featured alongside all the competition entries.

52 documents and objects from the University Archives are showcased here, telling a wide range of intriguing stories about the University. Arranged chronologically, the items - all illustrated - unlock human stories to which we can relate today, and include people who would perhaps not be expected to feature in a history of Oxford University.

Offers the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights following a foreword by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and a general introduction which explores the Declaration's origins in the 'Four Freedoms' described by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Outlines the story of the White Rose group and sets their resistance texts within their political and historical context. Includes a series of brief biographical sketches, including excerpts from their letters, that trace each member's journey towards action against Hitler and the National Socialist state.

Dressy men as a type of celebrity have played a distinctive part in the cultural - and even in the political - life of Britain over several centuries. This groundbreaking study tells the scandalous story of fashionable men and their clothes as a reflection of changing attitudes not only to style but also to gender and sexuality.

This collector's edition of Gray's 'Elegy' reproduces the exquisite wood engravings made by Agnes Miller Parker in 1938. Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the poet's death, this edition will not only bring new readers to the 'Elegy' but will also appeal to those already familiar with its riches.

Interweaving images of the manuscript, portraits, medical instruments and contemporary diagrams into her narrative, Sharon Ruston shows how this extraordinary tale is steeped in historical scientific and medical thought exploring the fascinating boundary between life and death.

Rachel Owen's hauntingly beautiful illustrations for Dante's 'Inferno' take a radically new approach to representing the world of Dante's famous poem. The images combine the artist's deep cultural and historical understanding of 'The Divine Comedy' and its artistic legacy with her unique talent for collage and printmaking.

Informative but light-hearted social and cultural history of our obsession with drinking and bathing in spa waters. Beautifully illustrated with paintings, engravings, maps, caricatures, posters, advertisements, ephemera and modern photos from 1597 to present day, this book presents everything you need to know about 'taking the waters'.

Homecoming, haunting, nostalgia, desire: these are some of the themes evoked by the beguiling motif of the lighted window in literature and art. In this innovative combination of place-writing, memoir and cultural study, Peter Davidson takes us on atmospheric walks through nocturnal cities in Britain, Europe and North America.

This volume provides editions and modern translations of four biblical texts from between 1409 and 1530, together with a substantial introduction explaining their context and the implications of their arguments, and encouraging further exploration of the perceptions of the nature of language that are displayed there.

This stunning gift book offers fruit and vegetables as detailed art, viewed through eighteenth-century eyes, allowing us to enjoy the sight of swan-necked gourds and horned lemons, smile at silkworms hovering over mulberries and delight at the quirkiness of 'strawberry spinach' ... a delicious medley of garden produce for gardeners and art-lovers.

This richly illustrated guide to the historical buildings of the Bodleian Library not only makes an attractive keepsake but is also packed with fascinating architectural details about one of the oldest libraries in Britain that has been in continuous use since the Middle Ages.

Marcellus Laroon's 'The Cryes of the City of London' presents, in seventy-four striking portraits, a panorama of London's marginal poor as they existed at the end of the seventeenth century. This book provides a fascinating insight into the men and women who made their livelihood, legally and illegally, on the streets of England's capital.

Oxford has an outstanding collection of plant specimens, botanical illustrations and rare books on plant classification, collecting and plant biology. Celebrating 400 years of Oxford botany, this book profiles the botanists and collections which have helped to transform our understanding of the biology of plants over the past four centuries.

This book casts a well-deserved spot-light on punctuation marks, mathematical symbols and glyphs; stalwarts of typography whose handy knack for summing up a command or concept in simple shorthand marshals our sentences, clarifies a calculation or adds some much-needed emotion to our online interactions.

Built between 1855 and 1860, Oxford University Museum of Natural History is the extraordinary result of close collaboration between Pre-Raphaelite artists and scientists. 'Temple of Science' sets out the history of the campaign to build the museum before taking the reader on a tour of art in the museum itself.

The literary heritage of Anglo-Dutch relations is explored and lavishly illustrated through the unique collection of manuscripts, early prints, maps, and other treasures from the Bodleian Library in Oxford. The book sheds new light on the literature and art of a pivotal period in European history.