Oliver House

As schools across the country celebrate World Book Day, our study last year found that 40% of Britons hadn't read a single book in the past 12 months - the median Briton had read 3 books in the preceding year

yougov.com/en-gb/articl...

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at Birkbeck, University of London, is looking for a talented researcher to join a project focused on expanding our understanding of non elite writers and writing in seventeenth century England. As Postdoctoral Research Associate you will join 'Written Worlds in Seventeenth-Century England', an exciting Leverhulme Trust–funded project. The role is offered on a 13 month, part time (17.5 hours a week) contract with a salary of £22,124 rising to £25,189 per annum (pro-rated £44,247 to £50,379 per annum). In this role, you will carry out dedicated research on non elite textual production, working closely with the Principal Investigator, Professor Sue Wiseman, and the Co Investigator, Dr Brodie Waddell. You will have the opportunity to work extensively with manuscripts and printed sources, visit archives, investigate datasets, develop the project database, and contribute to shaping the project’s scholarly outputs - and you may also be involved in textual editing. As Research Associate, you will focus on one of two thematic strands: 1. Non elite writing produced in the provinces, or 2. Writing produced by non elite women. Further details via link

We are hiring postdoc researchers to join our #WrittenWorlds project at Birkbeck, with Sue Wiseman, @mdpowelldavies.bsky.social, @richardjansell.bsky.social and I.

0.5FTE, 13 months, focus on women's or provincial non-elite writing #EarlyModern 🗃️
cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/post...

Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, with memorials to writers in the floor and on the walls

'You can't get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me' - C. S. Lewis

From Chaucer and Dickens to Austen and the Brontë sisters, explore the memorials to some of the great writers remembered in here Westminster Abbey: www.westminster-abbey.org/history/famo...

#WorldBookDay

Basque children refugees arriving in Southampton on the Habana [MS404 A4164/7/1/8]

Photograph of the booth staffed by Miss Bennett in the interior of the hall at Atlantic Park, Eastleigh, with a number of the refugees in residence at the transit camp, 1920s [MS 311/53]

University Refugee Week highlights the University’s dedication to creating a supportive environment for refugees, emphasizing community solidarity: buff.ly/xSVmLio. Our Special Collections are notably strong in historical resources about refugees. Learn more here: buff.ly/rixzsxt

Online Talk: Did women do philosophy in the Middle Ages?

by Tatiana Barkovskiy 23 March 6:00pm-7:30pm Abstract: When we think of the periods in European history when women were able to do philosophy, the Middle Ages may hardly come to mind as providing favourable conditions for this activity. One…

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Help shape the future of @senatehouselib.bsky.social by taking part in our Library Transformation survey.

@uolondon.bsky.social
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#libraries

Had fun looking at manuscripts this morning @senatehouselib.bsky.social with students from the MA in the History of the Book @ies-sas.bsky.social 🎓📚 #Skystorians #MedievalSky

Shelf of small books in the Syon Abbey Library. Most have parchment bindings and hand-made modern orange labels created by the community of Syon Abbey.

Shelves of books in the Chris Brooks Collection. The books in this photograph were written for children and young adults in the 19th and early 20th century, and many of them have colourful and illustrated bindings.

Shelves of late 19th and 20th century books in the Hypatia Collection of books and journals by and about women. Many of the books have colourful or illustrated spines.

Four shelves of 19th and 20th century books in the John Betjeman Library

Our rare book collections are available for EVERYONE to access for research or enjoyment in our reading room!

With more than 50,000 books published between 1471 and 2025, we have something for everyone.

Find out more! ➡️ libguides.exeter.ac.uk/archives/books

#WorldBookDay #RareBooks #Exeter

The Bodleian Declaration: a History | The Bodleian Library Record View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

And you can read about the history of the @bodleian.ox.ac.uk Oath\Declaration here:

@livunipress.bsky.social
@ox.ac.uk

Interior of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, showing historic wooden bookcases and a decorated ceiling. In the foreground, a sign displays the traditional Bodleian Oath, which readers must read aloud before being admitted to use the library. The oath reads: 'I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, or to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document, or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library'

The traditional Bodleian Oath, which every reader is required to read aloud on seeking admission to the Bodleian Libraries 📚

#WorldBookDay

📷 | @bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Happy St Piran’s Day to all who celebrate! #Cornwall

A lovely morning - it feels much like spring.

Love Letters A free exhibition showcasing 500 years of devotion, longing, sacrifice and passion. Open 24 January to 12 April 2026.

‘Love Letters, a free exhibition at The National Archives in Kew, features correspondence that spans over 500 years of devotion, longing, sacrifice, heartache, and passion.’

And is open until 12 April 👇

A great afternoon out with the Archives team @senatehouselib.bsky.social to see the current exhibition ‘Love Letters’ @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy

#archives #letters

A photograph of two young female figures stood outside of a building – they both have a hand on their left hips. They are wearing head scarfs and aprons to protect their clothing. Behind on the left, the door to building is open. A notice is pinned to the door.

#BlackCountry this 1907 photograph of women brick workers in Cradley Heath is from MS 4618 : Industry and Employment photographs collection (Black Country Workers) #LibraryofBham #Sandwelllibs #SandwellArchive

Barbara Cartland biography to be published by Hodder & Stoughton

ICYMI: Hodder & Stoughton is set to publish Matthew Sweet’s biography of prolific “queen of romance” novelist Barbara Cartland: Barbara Cartland: The Great Dictator 👇 #BookSky

YouTube video by Royal College of Physicians 'That which never can be suppressed': LGBTQ+ history in the Royal College of Physicians collections

As #LGBTplusHM draws to a close we wanted to share a lively virtual talk by our archivist Felix Lancashire & rare books librarian Katie Birkwood exploring some fascinating & potentially challenging #LGBTQ+ collections at the @rcphysicians.bsky.social.

Watch now 👉 youtu.be/2i3RuFI6aGE?...

A Turneresque sky this evening.

A green wheelie bin with a white recycling symbol on the side.

Tip 5: Recycle right - avoid wishcycling – check the notices above our waste and recycling bins to see what we can and can’t recycle. Coffee cups, tissues and sweet wrappers belong in the General Waste bin. If in doubt put things in the General Waste bin to avoid contaminating the recycling.

Now open!

Our new exhibition The English Print Revolution: Caxton and Beyond is now open!

Co-curated by Karen Attar (SHL) and @michaelwdurrant.bsky.social (IES, SAS) the display celebrates the 550th anniversary of William Caxton’s first printing press!

#Discover In January 1901 students at the Durham College of Science (forerunner to Newcastle University) started a student magazine, containing news and articles relating to student life.

Find the first 4 issues from 1901 on CollectionsCaptured: cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

And here is the catalogue to his papers @bodleian.ox.ac.uk!

#archives

1825: Recievd a letter in rhyme from a John Pooley - a very dull fooley [two lines inked out] who ran me 10d further into debt as I had not money to pay the postage

📸 Cover of "Love Him or Leave Him" (1950) by Mary Burchell, the pseudonym of Ida Cook. This was one of over 150 romance novels the author published with Mills & Boon (Mills & Boon Collection – 1950/017).

In a new blog, Vic Pickup shares ten surprising stories from the archive of one of the world’s best-known romance publishers, Mills & Boon, held here at the University of Reading Special Collections. Link in the comments!📚💕

Promotional design for an event called "Print the Okanagan." The top half shows two grayscale portraits side by side. On the left, a young person with long hair smiles into the camera, wearing a light-colored sweater. On the right, an older person with curly hair and a beard looks toward the camera with a neutral expression, wearing a dark sweater. The background has a collage of text snippets. The bottom half of the image is bright pink with white text providing further details about the event.

Pink text on a white background with information about the Print the Okanagan event at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus on 21 March 2026

The BSA Events Committee is proud to support Print the Okanagan, featuring Jason Dewinetz of Greenboathouse Press and Clare Thiessen of broke press, who will discuss their processes of printing and creating books from the perspective of being the sole operators of independent presses in the Okanagan

Hello, fellow historians, especially those in the north of the UK! Booking is open for the second of our events on Second Projects, organised by me and Tracey Loughran and supported by History UK - details of speakers and registration link below!

ahc.leeds.ac.uk/events/event...

There’s more about #ArchivesforLondon here:

The next #ArchivesforLondon event will be presented by @senatehouselib.bsky.social’s own Beth Astridge. Beth, the University Archivist @uolondon.bsky.social, will talk on ‘Discovering Archives and Manuscripts at Senate House Library’ on 25 March

#archives #london

200 years of student life: New book repositions students as central to London’s history Student London: A new history of higher education in the capital, written by IOE academics, delves into London’s rich history of student life – launching today for UCL’s bicentenary.

The book forms part of the wider bicentennial programme #UCL200 and rewrites student experiences back into the history of higher education in London. There’s more about the project (which includes a video on ‘The Making of Student London’) here👇

@uclpress.bsky.social
@ioe.bsky.social