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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

University of Reading Special Collections @uorspeccoll.bsky.social · 1d

This bound volume of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and volume I of The Ghost Seer by Friedrich Schiller is exactly what we need at this time of year! These illustrations depict iconic moments from the stories, though Schiller's tale remains unfinished…

Spine of the book which reads Novels and Romances: Frankenstein, Ghost Seer

Frankenstein illustration of page 37 “the day of my departure at length arrived”

The Ghost-Seer illustration “he stretched his hand towards a new coffin. Suddenly the lid made a rattling noise and fell to the ground. The Greek lady instantly appeared.

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 1d

*and* if you can't make it to Reading, we're planning to bring Jeremy onto our podcast so that you can get your full fill of historic fences from the comfort of your own home

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 1d

Our next free monthly gallery tour takes place tomorrow (14 October, 11.30 am)!

Join our very own Dr Ollie Douglas with @uniofreading.bsky.social's Associate Professor Jeremy Burchardt to learn about the history of fences, and why we divide and enclose the countryside.

No booking required!

Dr Ollie Douglas presents a tour of The MERL galleries with author Guy Shrubsole. The two men are surrounded by rural objects and displays, including a wicker basket and a photograph of a hunt.

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

professionally

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

thank you for this important work

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

wow I forgot about Business Fish

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

in the meantime, here's our last episode with @katrinanavickas.bsky.social - titled raves, riots, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. partly because it's alliterative. partly because we did talk about all those things. sometimes it really do be like that

merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Absolute Units - The Museum of English Rural Life podcast

Come for the big animals. Stay for fascinating and surprising stories about England's rural past, as told by our collections.

merl.reading.ac.uk

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

next ep of Absolute Units drops next Thursday - we're chatting about LGBTQ+ rural history and research by our brilliant former colleague @timjerrome.bsky.social into queer rural lives, and the challenge of combing through thousands & thousands of farm records for traces of same-sex relationships

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

so next year we are 75! wew. good age for a museum. we are going to do a podcast about it and the history of the museum because why the heck not

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

someone get us a time machine so we can go back to our founders in 1951 and describe how 74 years later we'd be flouncing our giant hog on the Internet

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

behold: the adventure of yöur life

bsky.app/profile/them...

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · Nov 21

Bluesky just hit 21m users!

as promised: please enjoy this very good hog

bsky.app/profile/kris...

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

it makes us extremely proud to know that among @bsky.app's 2 billion posts, our hog was biggest

Bluesky @bsky.app · 8d

we hit 2 billion posts today! 🥳

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 5d

thank you for recommending us!

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 7d

thanks so much! really appreciate it <3

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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

Carin Ruff @carinr.bsky.social · 7d

This was an excellent, wide-ranging episode.

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 12d

New Absolute Units is live!

Join us and @katrinanavickas.bsky.social as we explore resistance to enclosure in the modern era: from riots, to raves, to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Listen below, or search 'Absolute Units' wherever you get your podcasts!

merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Absolute Units - a podcast from The Museum of English Rural Life.

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 7d

congratulations to our friends and colleagues in the University of Reading's Special Collections (who are based in our building) for bringing this special exhibition together!

it's here until February in our Staircase Hall exhibition space. do visit!

collections.reading.ac.uk/special-coll...

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 7d

wake up babe
new generational James Joyce exhibition just dropped

University of Reading Special Collections @uorspeccoll.bsky.social · 7d

🥳 Now open 🎉

Discover rarely-seen letters and artefacts from the personal archive of beloved author James Joyce in James Joyce: Enigmas & Puzzles.

Explore Joyce's social network of friends and artists, his family life, his inspirations, and the adjustments he made to work despite ill-health.

James Joyce: Enigmas and Puzzles. 7 October - 9 February 2026. Uni of Reading Special Collections.

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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

University of Reading Special Collections @uorspeccoll.bsky.social · 7d

Visit the exhibition any time during @themerl.bsky.social's regular opening hours.

Plan your visit via The MERL's website today!

merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/

Visit Us - The Museum of English Rural Life

Find out everything you need to know about planning a visit to The MERL galleries, shop, café, garden, or reading room.

merl.reading.ac.uk

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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

University of Reading Special Collections @uorspeccoll.bsky.social · 7d

Find out more about James Joyce: Enigmas & Puzzles in the latest @uniofreading.bsky.social blogpost:

www.reading.ac.uk/news/2025/Un...

James Joyce Enigmas and Puzzles exhibition - University of Reading

www.reading.ac.uk

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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

University of Reading Special Collections @uorspeccoll.bsky.social · 7d

🥳 Now open 🎉

Discover rarely-seen letters and artefacts from the personal archive of beloved author James Joyce in James Joyce: Enigmas & Puzzles.

Explore Joyce's social network of friends and artists, his family life, his inspirations, and the adjustments he made to work despite ill-health.

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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

What's On Reading @rdgwhatson.bsky.social · 11d

Never-before-seen papers from beloved author James Joyce, part of @uorspeccoll.bsky.social's remarkable new Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection, will form the free exhibition, James Joyce: Enigmas and Puzzles.

Opens 7 Oct at @themerl.bsky.social

whatsonreading.com/venues/museu...

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 11d

<3 <3 thank you so much for speaking with us!

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Reposted by The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL)

Ollie Douglas @olliedouglas.bsky.social · 12d

Latest episode folks. With thanks to @katrinanavickas.bsky.social and @joevaughan.net for general awesomeness!

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 12d

New Absolute Units is live!

Join us and @katrinanavickas.bsky.social as we explore resistance to enclosure in the modern era: from riots, to raves, to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Listen below, or search 'Absolute Units' wherever you get your podcasts!

merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 12d

and if you're interested in finding more about @katrinanavickas.bsky.social's work, check out her brilliant upcoming book 'Contested Commons: A History of Protest and Public Space in England' (with @reaktionbooks.bsky.social)!

reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contest...

Contested Commons | Reaktion Books

A radical history of England, Contested Commons is a gripping overview of increasingly restrictive policing and legislation against protest in public spaces. It tells the long history of contests over...

reaktionbooks.co.uk

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 12d

if you're enjoying the pod, please give us ratings and reviews wherever you're listening. it helps us massively! thanks <3

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