Topic description and stories

Earliest-known children’s adaptation of Japanese literary classic discovered in British Library

14 Jun 2017

A chance discovery in the British Library has led to the discovery and reproduction of the earliest-known children’s adaptation of one of Japan’s...

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Three Jane Austen letters are shown together for the first time

28 Mar 2017

An exhibition offering a rare chance to see some of Jane Austen's letters has opened at Cambridge University Library. The correspondence on display...

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Lines of Thought: Telling the Story of History

16 Sep 2016

Shakespeare's 'First Folio', Dante's Divine Comedy , and fragments of Homer's Odyssey from the second century CE, are among the objects in our final...

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'Away he flew, right over the houses to the Gardens': illustration by Arthur Rackham for 'Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens'

Peter Pan and Wendy: how J M Barrie understood and demonstrated key aspects of cognition

03 Aug 2016

In a fascinating study of J M Barrie’s classic works for children, Dr Rosalind Ridley (Newnham College) reveals that the creator of Peter Pan, and a...

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From Shakespeare to Austen: King’s College celebrates the Thackeray Collection of rare books

18 Jun 2016

A generous award will allow King’s College to catalogue and conserve an important part of an outstanding collection of rare books given to the...

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Nan Shepherd celebrated: the Scottish writer who knew mountains

04 May 2016

The writer Nan Shepherd (1893-1981), who was quietly acclaimed in her lifetime, is the face of a new Royal Bank of Scotland bank note. One of...

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The adventures of Sir Kenelm Digby: 17th-century pirate, philosopher and foodie

30 Apr 2016

A dark shadow lay over his family name when, aged 24, Sir Kenelm Digby raised a fleet to sail against the enemy French in the multicultural world of...

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Priceless treasures: in a shot commissioned to celebrate Cambridge University Library’s 600th anniversary, Professor Stephen Hawking is pictured with Newton’s annotated first edition of Principia Mathematica.

Lines of Thought: Discoveries that Changed the World

10 Mar 2016

Some of the world’s most valuable books and manuscripts – texts which have altered the very fabric of our understanding – will go on display in...

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Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare – and an envelope of ectoplasm: Cambridge University Library at 600

23 Dec 2015

In 2016, Cambridge University Library will celebrate 600 years as one of the world's greatest libraries with a spectacular exhibition of priceless...

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Nikolaus and Krampus in Austria

Opinion: Frankenstein or Krampus? What our monsters say about us

04 Dec 2015

Natalie Lawrence (Department of History and Philosophy of Science) discusses the history of monsters, and what they say about the people who invent...

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Lee Child at Bouchercon XLI, 2010

Opinion: The man with no plot: how I watched Lee Child write a Jack Reacher novel

30 Nov 2015

Andy Martin (Department of French) discusses the year he spent sitting behind author Lee Child as he wrote the latest Jack Reacher novel.

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Figure from Mothercare, published by Truby King's daughter, Mary

Too big to cry: when war ended, the damage began

07 Nov 2015

A collection of essays edited by Drs Trudi Tate and Kate Kennedy looks at the legacy of the First World War through the lens of the creative arts. As...

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