200 Years of the Christian Brethren (Give or Take)
A Guest Post by Dr Tim Grass
Category: Guest post
‘A plan for Manchester and Salford’ and studying Robert Owen in Manchester
Guest author José Álvarez talks about two lesser-explored stages of Robert Owen’s life, drawing information from a beautiful map of Manchester and Salford
Three Near-Identical Voltaire Letters
Guest authors Dr Zoe Screti and Dr Gillian Pink investigate a curious coincidence surrounding three near-identical letters by French philosopher Voltaire
Cotton, Botany & Empire: Tracing botanical sciences in the archives of the first industrial city
Guest author Arianna Tozzi, Early Career Fellow at the John Rylands in 2024-2025, writes about the role of botanical innovations in developing the high-quality cottons used in textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution
Sci-fi and satire: William Gifford on gaslight c. 1808
Guest author Dr Roseanna Kettle, Early Career Fellow at the John Rylands in 2024-2025, writes about the satirical work by William Gifford on the topic of gaslight technology in Georgian London
A Gothic Coffer
Guest author Ed Potten discusses a newly acquired 15th century coffret containing a woodcut print
Celebrating Janmashtami the Persian Way: Sānval Singh and the Bhāgavat Purāṇa in Persian MS 961
A guest blog by Pranav Prakash, specialist in the comparative study of book arts, literary cultures and religions in South Asian and Persian societies
The Saint Christopher woodcut dated 1423
Guest author Ed Potten discusses the dating of the unique St Christopher woodcut
“One of the Busiest Men in Manchester”: William Edward Armytage Axon (1846-1913)
Guest author Lucy Evans explains how the Axon Papers collection at the John Rylands Library proved instrumental for writing her new book on the life of the prolific librarian, antiquary and journalist William Axon
Missionary Helps Postcards, 1907-1921
By Prof Jean DeBernardi (Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of Alberta)