Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 5h

Small book, big map! As part of his research on Huguenot-Indigenous American interactions, Maddock Fellow Dr Joe Borsato @theecoalchemyst.bsky.social is looking at translations of Alexander Exquemelin's book on pirates. Apparently the pirates of the Caribbean used to hang out around Tortuga in Haiti

A large map of the Caribbean pull-out from a duodecimo book printed in 1686

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 2d

Delightful doodles of some pipe smoking Georgians found by Maddock Fellow Danielle Magnusson on the works of Ben Jonson, printed in 1616 #Readers #Epigrams

Bottom corner of a 17th century book showing drawings

Title page of 'Epigrammes' by Ben Jonson, showing doodles at the bottom of the page

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 4d

On 8th October, Dr Sarah Hendriks will be giving a separate talk about the project to recover history lost in the Great Fire of 1922 in Dawson Street as part of the Dublin Festival of History: ria.ie/events/dubli...

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 4d

Very interesting talk by Dr Sarah Hendriks (Maddock Research Fellow) at lunchtime next 7 October in the National Library about recovering history lost in the Great Fire of 1922 at the Public Record Office of Ireland: www.nli.ie/exhibitions-...

In Conversation with Dr Sarah Hendriks: Curator of Collecting Ireland’s History

www.nli.ie

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 5d

'Where the Land floweth with milk and honey': Daniel Denton's 'A brief description of New York' printed in 1670 was the first English language account of the region & was intended to encourage settlers to the colony.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 7d

Recent Maddock fellow Kelley Glasgow explores how early modern history writing provided an outlet to criticise the political system
marshlibrary.ie/how-to-insul...

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 7d

Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, to usher in October! From Valeriano's 'Hieroglyphica' printed in 1602

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 8d

Some lovely doggie doodles from our 14th century Psalter #Manuscript #Doodles

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 9d

It was Charles VI, thank you!

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 9d

A section so important, it required two 'manicules' or pointing fingers, left by 16th century readers. It describes the coronation of Charles VII of France in 1380 & is from Fabyan's Chronicle, a history of Britain printed in 1516
#ManiculeMonday #MondayMarginalia

Detail of the margin of a page from a 16th century book with a hand-drawn manicule or pointed finger added in ink, indicating a section of printed text.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 12d

A stork and a poor auld 'unknown bird kill'd of yt coast of Affrica'. From Francois Froget's 'A Relation of a voyage ... on the coasts of Africa, Streights of Magellan, Brasil, Cayenna, and the Antilles' printed in 1698 #TravelLiterature #Birds

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 12d

'De mure montano', so labelled a mouse, but likely an alpine marmot.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 13d

A very adorable mouse from 1554

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 15d

Facing the red & black title page of 'Practica Visitandi Infirmos' printed in 1640 is the mark of the book's printer, Giacomo Gaffari. It told readers they could buy his books in under the sign of the bull #TitlePageTuesday #Printers

Opening of 17th century book with title page printed in black and red on right and stamp showing a bull in a decorative border on left.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 16d

Inhospitable, cruel, but pretty good at fighting!

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 16d

An early reader added a lovely gloved manicule, or pointing finger, to Sebastian Münster's 1554 Cosmography at the section on Ireland, described as a fertile land with a pleasant climate. He's not quite so complimentary about the people tho'.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 18d

Thank you to all 561 visitors who braved the rain and joined us for #CultureNight last night! What a fantastic evening!

A special thanks to all our staff and volunteers who kept the show running and did a great job!

Image shows stacks of old books, brown oak shelves with matching ladders. In between the stacks is a long corridor with a beige carpet. There is a door at the end of the corridor.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 19d

Less than two hours until we kick off our Culture Night 2025 tours! Join us for a free guided tour of Ireland's oldest public library this evening from 5.45pm to 8.45pm. No booking necessary; first come, first served!

Photograph showing the interior of Marsh's Library. A central aisle is flanked by 18th century floor to ceiling oak bookcases filled with 'rare books'

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Reposted by Marsh's Library

Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies @sims-mss.bsky.social · 20d

Yesterday was our first Manuscript Studies Interest Group of the year! 10 astronomical manuscripts from Penn's collection and a dozen attendees. We made volvelles using a plan from @marshslibrary.bsky.social. No photos of the event, but here's a link to a booklist:

drive.google.com/file/d/1wzDx...

Photo of a hand holding a paper volvelle

Photo of a printout of a plan for a Make Your Own Volvelle

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 21d

National Ploughing Championships, 16th century style! From Sebastian Munster's 'Cosmographiae Universalis', printed in 1554.

Woodcut showing a man ploughing a field with an elephant. The woodcut is surrounded by Latin text.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 22d

Come join us for Culture Night 2025 on Friday 19th September! Guided tours every 30 minutes from 5:45pm to 8:45pm, no booking required! Check out the programme for more fun things to do around the city: culturenight.ie/event/cultur...

Image show a circle coloured red, green, yellow, orange and blue on a black ground. In the centre of the circle in white are the words Culture Night.

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 22d

The decorative fish add a bit of whimsy to our 15th century manuscript on canon and civil law! #Medieval #Manuscripts

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 23d

In 'Chorea Gigantum' (1663), Walter Charleton claimed Stonehenge was built by the Danes as a place to crown their monarchs. Of course we now know it is prehistoric megalithic monument where the demons dwell & the banshees live #Stonehenge #SpinalTap

Photo of a 17th century landscape engraving of Stonehenge

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 26d

Hmm, looks like a fun party! A meeting of Johannes Hevelius, Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe & other great astronomers, with the muse of astronomy Urania in the centre. From Hevelius' star catalogue Prodromus Astronomiae, completed & published by Hevelius' assistant & wife, Elisabeth.

Engraving showing six men seated around a table with Urania in the centre.

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Reposted by Marsh's Library

laurajcleaver.bsky.social @laurajcleaver.bsky.social · 29d

My team will be talking about Narcissus Marsh and how medieval manuscripts ended up among the “best and most useful books for each faculty and science” in his public library for Dublin. @marshslibrary.bsky.social #BuiltWithBooks
Oh and we also have a mummy and some pirates 🏴‍☠️

laurajcleaver.bsky.social @laurajcleaver.bsky.social · 29d

Looking forward to this today #BuiltWithBooks

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