“The Moriarty of the Book World”: Thomas J. Wise at The John Rylands Library
PhD student Ellesse Patterson reflects on the relationship between The John Rylands Library and one of Britain’s most notorious literaryContinue Reading
Category: Research
‘We are just ordinary people who believe the Bible, and have found in the Christian faith something real’: the intriguing story of Parkhill Chapel
Reader Services Assistant Angela Petyt-Whittaker writes about exploring the history and significance of a Brethren chapel’s archive.
Introducing the Frank Tilsley Archive
Joanna Tilsley and Jessica Smith write: We are delighted to announce the acquisition of the archive of writer, journalist andContinue Reading
Incunabula Cataloguing Project. Number 11: Blockbooks (Part 5) – The Art of Memory
In this final blog on the John Rylands Library’s collection of 15th-century blockbooks, we take a look at the memory aid known as the “Ars memorandi”
Incunabula Cataloguing Project. X: Blockbooks (Part 4) – The Mirabilia Romae and the Chiromantia
Continuing our look at the blockbooks in the John Rylands Library: an early guidebook to Rome and a book on the art of palm-reading
‘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
Grace Frankland and the wonderful world of microbes
Archivist James Peters writes about Grace Frankland and her work as a scientist, focusing on her often neglected contribution as a science communicator
The Pan African Conference (1900) and the Frankland Family Archive
Archivist James Peters writes about the first Pan African Conference and its ties to the Frankland family archive, held at the John Rylands Library.
‘Take no distaste of my words, though they be a woman’s writing’
Guest author Dr. Naomi Baker discusses Rose Thurgood’s conversion narrative (1636-7), one of the earliest known English conversion narratives, giving us rare insight into religious women’s lives and beliefs in the decades before the English Civil War
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