John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Why did clergymen marry? What did a wife offer them in serving their parishes? Why on earth would Charlotte Lucas marry Mr Collins? Answers to these questions, & much more, at this talk using the @thejohnrylands.bsky.social collections with curator Paul Carlyle. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/clerical-c...

Ever noticed a paper slip between the books?

This marks the position of a book that has been temporarily removed. The book might be in the research room being studied. Alternatively, curators, conservators or imaging staff might be working with the book.

Keep an eye out for one of these slips.

Black and white portrait of an elderly person wearing a fur-collared coat and a chain clasp, set in an oval frame. Portrait taken from her autobiography, Life of Frances Power Cobbe, 1894. Reference: R705.

Happy International Women’s Day! Today we celebrate Frances Power Cobbe (1822-1904) - writer, philosopher, suffrage campaigner and one of the first women in Britain to publish non-fiction.

Explore her story further through our latest blog:
https://ow.ly/cybI50YpaNv

Medal with green white and purple stripes. The medal is engraved 'hunger strike'.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, join curators to explore recent acquisitions relating to the Suffragettes. Highlights include Hunger Strike Medals awarded to sisters Margaret and Frances McPhun.

📅Thursday 5 March, 2-3.30pm. Find us in the reading room on level 2.
No need to book, just drop in.

Open botanical book showing detailed black and white plant illustrations with a hand holding a fold-out page. Foldout plate of Aloe Americana Polygona from Praeludia Botanica, (Caspar Commelin,1703);Dr Williams’s Library, 1012.M.14.

In our latest blog, placement student Verity Burton examines botany and empire in the Dutch Golden Age, reflecting on how botanical illustration, global trade and colonial extraction were deeply intertwined.

Read the full blog here: https://ow.ly/5fz350Yl2vi

Page of manuscript with decorated border.

Love new month on the calendar? This is March from a 13th century calendar. The page shows the occupation for the month which is pruning. You can also see the zodiacal sign, Aries.

Browse this full manuscript online here: https://www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/view/MS-LATIN-00117/1

Rylands BlogNew online collection of Arabic manuscripts II: from calendar to calligraphy In our recent blog, we introduced some of the Quranic codices featuring our new digital collection of Arabic manuscripts. Apart from the muṣḥafs (written copies of the Qurʿan), it also offers volu…

Thanks for flagging. This link should work: rylandscollections.wpcomstaging.com/2026/02/26/n...

Colophon of the scribe on the last page of the manuscript; Arabic MS 97, folio 50b.

From a 13th-century Christian calendar to a debate between a coffee drinker and a smoker, our latest blog explores more highlights from the Rylands’ newly digitised Arabic manuscripts collection.

Discover poetry, calligraphy and more via Manchester Digital Collections:
https://ow.ly/EvIM50Yi2bE

Ticket with writing reading 'The John Rylands Library Reader's Complimentary Ticket'.

Imagine being a life member of The John Rylands Library…

This un-used reader’s ticket gives a glimpse into the 126 years that the Rylands has welcomed readers.

To become a reader today you apply online: https://ow.ly/pVfG50YkkSv

Unfortunately you don’t get a fancy reader’s ticket like this one.

Papyrus amulet with an illustration of a crocodile.

Papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John.

We're excited to be collaborating with the Harry Ransom Center on their next exhibition Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt.

The exhibition brings to life the voices of Greco-Roman Egyptians through rare papyrus manuscripts rarely seen by the public. Opening 11 April in Austin, Texas.

Library Catalogues and / as Research Data: the hidden voices of early printed books in the John Rylands
Free and online via Teams. Booking essential via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/john-rylands-research-institute-and-library-17289731815

Page from a muṣḥaf showing Surah 2:183-185 in Naskh script.

Ramadan Mubarak

Here is Surah 2:183-185, outlining the guidance for fasting in the month of Ramadan.
This page is from a giant muṣḥaf (Qur’an) copied in Egypt in the second half of the 14th century.

Explore the full item online: https://ow.ly/eEZw50Y8Kcf

Printed grid showing the 12 animals of the Chinese calendar.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Today marks the start of celebrations for the Year of the Horse. This page shows the 12 animals of the Chinese New Year calendar. Find the horse towards the bottom between the dog and the tiger.

Calendar from ‘Edo osetsuyo kaidaikura’, by Takai Ransan, 1864 (Japanese 2)

Woodcut illustration of a three-headed eagle with a lute, a bucket and crown, fish and loaves

What is this strange-looking blockbook? Known as the ‘Ars memorandi’ (Art of Memory) it was designed to aid readers in remembering the Gospels of the New Testament in the Bible by means of metaphorical symbols.

Explore the symbols in the book in a new blog post: https://ow.ly/Yu0b50YeevW

Black and white photo of a woman operating an early computer in a room with large cabinets and windows. Publicity shot of the Ferranti Mark I, Coupland 1 building, 1951, MUC/2/D5

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Ferranti Mark I - the world’s first commercial digital computer delivered to a customer.

Explore its impact, from early programming and research to games, music, and Manchester’s role in shaping modern computing:
https://ow.ly/LTVx50Y84k2

View of costume dress as part of the Holly Graham exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery.

Visited Cottonopolis exhibition at the Rylands? Find more cotton history in the city at the places below:

🧵See Manchester Art Gallery's exhibition ‘Holly Graham: The Warp/ The Weft/ The Wake’

🏭Head to the Science and Industry Museum to explore the Textile Gallery.

illustration showing the letter 'A' alongside the sun, with a red elephant whose trunk has transformed into a brass instrument.

A is for alphabet. B is for books. X is where things get interesting!

A new online exhibition exploring wacky ABCs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Explore how the alphabet learned to misbehave: https://ow.ly/Clb950Y8Gp0

Curated by Dr Susana Sánchez González.

Painted photographic head and shoulders portrait of a young woman in Victorian dress, facing left

✨MEMORIES, COLLECTIONS AND THE PASSAGE OF TIME✨
We’re proud to announce an upcoming exhibition showcasing work from Pinc College's partnership with Rylands Heritage Imaging Lab. The project has been shaped by students visits, workshops, and conversations with the John Rylands team.

Detail from Arabic MS 6, a copy of the Qur'an, with gilt and coloured rulings.

A selection of Arabic manuscripts from the John Rylands Library are now available online via Manchester Digital Collections, including early Qurʿanic manuscripts, richly illuminated muṣḥafs, and rare translated texts.

Learn more about the collection in a new blog post: https://ow.ly/askj50Y65fj

Black and white photograph of two women kissing in front of a net on a tennis court

🏳️‍🌈It’s LGBTQ+ History Month.

Take a look at the LGBTQ+ guide to special collections that brings material together in one place to help you explore. From writers and musicians, to student stories, the guide is a starting point to LGBTA+ histories.

Find the guide here: https://ow.ly/9Y7t50Y5WpV

Page of black text with red highlight letters. Page has two heraldic shields in colour.

A book of English firsts, this book explores hawking, hunting and heraldry. 🦅🏹🛡️

By Juliana Berners, this is the first English printed work authored by a woman. It also contains the first images printed in colour in England.

📕 Boke of St Albans, 1486 (10001)

Newly catalogued correspondence at Manchester University’s Main Library reveals the experiences of Edgar Woodall, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps during WWI, working in casualty clearing stations and field ambulance units on the Western Front.

Blog: https://ow.ly/9bn050Y4IQF

Exploring Diaspora Dreams and Everyday Life in the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre Education Trust Archive. Online free seminar via Teams, booking essential on Eventbrite: https://ow.ly/Ni3W50Y4i4s

If you need a break from doomscrolling, browse collections online at Manchester Digital Collections: https://ow.ly/Uaqc50Y1PL8

A few things that caught our eye…
Woodcut depicting the Virgin and Infant Christ from between 1490 and 1500.
Amulet against the evil eye in the shape of a curved fish.

Readers have been welcomed at the Rylands since the library opened 126 years ago.

The collections remain open and available to all. You can apply online to become a reader to access the collections: ow.ly/KenI50XXSBt

Where can you find outstanding historical maps of Japan? Revisit our #NCCSpotlight by Dr. Sonia Favion on @thejohnrylands.bsky.social collection (Manchester) to find world maps, provincial & regional maps, political maps, maps of spiritual sites, and more! 🗺️🗾 guides.nccjapan.org/homepage/new...

Exploring Diaspora Dreams and Everyday Life in the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre and Education Trust Archive
Thur 12 Feb 1pm, online seminar, free
https://ow.ly/YxVb50XTzTK

Happy New Year!

Today is also our 126th birthday. The Rylands opened to the public on 1 January 1900. Since then, millions of people from Manchester and around the world have visited, studied and worked here.

We’re back open for visits from Wednesday 7 January and we can’t wait to see you.

Season’s Greetings from everyone at the Rylands.

We wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year.

We’re back open for visits from Wednesday 7 January. See you in 2026!

Enriqueta Rylands is ready for Christmas, are you?

We’re signing off until 2026 so will be quieter over the next few weeks. Just a reminder that we’re open for public visits from Wednesday 7 January.

Best wishes for the festive season from everyone at the Rylands.