A day at Bodleian Library and the Treasured exhibition
If you’ve read Daisybutter for any length of time, you’ll already know of my love for books and for beautiful places. Earlier this month, I was kindly invited to be a guest of Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, visiting their stunning Treasured exhibition and enjoying an exclusive, extended private tour of Bodleian Old Library. It was a magical day.
Treasured invites visitors to consider the meaning of a ‘treasure’. Is it age, rarity, beauty, or something else? Perfectly guided by the knowledgeable Nicholas Kontovas, one of the curators of the exhibition, I was treated to an in-depth look at some of the world’s most remarkable books and manuscripts. There are guided tours on most Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm, if you’d also like a guided experience.
Some of my personal highlights include a handwritten, unpublished manuscript of Jane Austen, one of Henry VIII’s personal novels filled with his handwritten marginalia, an indigo-dyed scroll from ancient Japan, and this first-edition wooden-block image mass-market edition of Journey to the West/Monkey King.
I won’t share too many more photos, in case you’d like to visit Weston Library and see Treasured for yourself, but it really was a spectacular morning and I completely loved learning about some of the historic, human stories behind these pieces, and understanding their importance in shaping today’s literature, heritage, and how we see the world today.
Afterwards, it was over to the Divinity School to marvel at this stunning medieval building and glimpse the rooms behind. Any visitor can tour this school with a ticket, and it was really special to see it with a guide who told us endless fascinating facts.
Finally, we were treated to an extended session in the Old Bodleian Library! This space is incredibly special: it’s one of the oldest libraries in Europe and, in England, is second in size only to the British Library in London. ‘The Bod’ has been a working library for more than 400 years! It is, of course, completely beautiful inside.
