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Stay up to date with the latest from Magdalene, including College announcements, academic achievements, alumni updates, feature articles, and highlights from recent events.
Magdalene Outreach Residential 2016
Fifty students from state schools across the Magdalene College Link Areas of Merseyside and North/West Wales travelled to Cambridge for a 3-day residential to experience life as a student at the University of Cambridge.
Samuel Pepys and the library of John Dee
Dr M E J Hughes, Fellow in English and Pepys Librarian, has written a guest post for the Royal College of Physicians blog to li
Women Printers
Women printers played a key role in early modern publishing. The Pepys Library holds many examples of books printed by women, often widows running presses themselves.
350th Anniversary year
2016 marks the 350th Anniversary of the Great Fire of London, which Pepys so famously recorded in his diary. This year also marks the 350th birthday of Pepys’ first two bookcases, or ‘presses’ as he called them.
Reformed Librarie-Keeper
John Durie’s 1650 work championed librarians as active contributors to learning, not passive custodians, a view still echoed in today’s professional advocacy.
Washing an Historic Print
Yes, historic prints can be safely washed. Using a blotter wash, conservation intern Thomas Bower improved one Ferrar print’s condition and slowed its long-term decay.
Historic Prints Under Examination
Conservation intern Thomas Bower cleaned and re-housed 260 Ferrar prints, uncovering fascinating traces of early papermaking and the prints’ creative use by the Ferrar family.
Gabriel Harvey
Gabriel Harvey’s annotated volume of poetry by James VI and Du Bartas offers insights into literary circles, faith, and scholarship in late 16th-century Britain.
Magdalene’s Magna Carta
Magdalene’s 14th-century pocket-sized manuscript of Magna Carta reveals its practical legal use long after 1215, highlighting its enduring role in English statutory tradition.
Etiquette and Conduct
Magdalene College Old Library holds important works on social etiquette, including Castiglione’s Il Libro del Cortegiano and Brathwait’s The English Gentlewoman, reflecting 16th-17th century ideals of conduct
Pepys’ Trade Cards
Pepys collected 17th-century trade cards, an early form of advertising. These cards, often depicting shops and maritime themes, offer valuable insights into commerce and social history.
Collecting Texts
In April, a paper on Pepys’ book collection was presented at the ‘Collecting Texts & Manuscripts, 1660-1860’ conference at Plymouth University, exploring his unique library organisation and influences.