Papua New Guinea at 50: the papers of Francis West
Earlier this month, on 16th September 2025, Papua New Guinea celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence. Prior to 1975, the Territory of Papua and […]
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Medievalism in fin de siècle Paris: a new acquisition
One of the more enjoyable parts of curating the Library’s collection of rare books is adding new (old) books to our shelves, in areas which […]
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Finding ‘niger morocco’ on a map: a conservation study day on West African leather in Cambridge
This post is by Dr Ayesha Fuentes, an objects conservator and researcher specializing in the care and handling of archaeological and anthropological collections, based at […]
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The Bible Society’s First Mexican Gospels and the Polyglot Scot Who Would Learn Nahuatl
This post is by Munby Fellow in Bibliography Dr Joshua Fitzgerald. Joshua is an ethnohistorian researching Nahua (commonly “Aztec”) history, art and cultural heritage, especially […]
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Curious Cures: the making of a medieval folded manuscript
This post is by Beckett Thornber, an MA Conservation Studies student, specialising in books and library materials, at West Dean College. He spent six weeks […]
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Correspondence of Walter Buchanan-Smith from Borneo and Nigeria
Walter Buchanan-Smith (1879-1944) was in many ways an archetypal British colonial administrator: privately educated, a keen sportsman, a lover of dogs and ponies, and quickly […]
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Newnham College Christine de Pizan manuscript digitised
This post is by Dr Charlotte Cooper-Davis, Learning and Research Engagement Officer at the University Library. She has been researching and writing about the fifteenth-century […]
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Lessons from Lesotho
‘It’s in our hands as librarians, as archivists and library directors […] It’s in your hands.’ This was the call to action issued by Dr […]
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Cucumbers for Constipation and Vinegar for Verrucas: Curious Cures from the 21st Century
The University Library’s new exhibition – Curious Cures: Medicine in the Medieval World – delves into the intriguing, strange and sometimes improbable medical recipes from […]
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A Tudor Medical Manuscript: Winchester Geese, Bullet Extractors, and Cataplasms from the Court of Henry VIII
Followers of the Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries project who also listen BBC Radio 4 comedy show The Unbelievable Truth may have heard some very […]
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