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Bodleian Libraries
@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
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Amazing collections and breath-taking libraries. Facilitating research at the University of Oxford.

Readers: www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Visitors: visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
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bodleian.ox.ac.uk
What book would you recommend to someone learning about neurodiversity for the first time?

We’re updating our Space for Reading at the Weston Library and this time, the theme is Neurodiversity.

Share your book recommendations here: https://forms.office.com/e/bRHBxTXBSY
Shelf filled with various books. A question overlay asks, 'Which book would you recommend to someone learning about neurodiversity for the first time?'
November 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Which one are you feeling like on this Monday morning?

Shelfmark: Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 264, found on Digital Bodleian! Explore the manuscript and what other characters it has to offer: https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/ae9f6cca-ae5c-4149-8fe4-95e6eca1f73c/

#MedievalMonday
Collage of four medieval manuscript illustrations. Image one features a crowned individual laying down on a bed with a patterned backdrop. Image two shows a personified animal standing upright, dressed in orange clothing, looking skyward with a hand facing up. Image three depicts a person with a wondering expression, bending forward with their head resting in their armns. Image four displays an armored knight holding a sword and shield with their hands to their ears.
November 24, 2025 at 9:04 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
EVENT: Christmas Shopping with Moleskine
🗓️ 28 November, 2:30 - 7:30PM

Join us at the Weston Library for a free hot-foil personalisation by a professional calligrapher to any Moleskine product purchased in our shop.

More info: https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/2025/nov/christmas-shopping-event
A dark blue notebook with the University of Oxford logo embossed in gold. Another notebook has an illustration of the Radcliffe Camera on the front. A dark blue notebook with the University of Oxford logo embossed in gold being held in front of the Bodleian Old Library An open notebook with an illustration of the Radcliffe Camera on the right-hand page. A smaller, closed notebook is on the left-hand page. This notebook is dark blue with the University of Oxford logo embossed in gold on the front. A dark blue notebook and a notebook with an illustration of the Radcliffe Camera held in front of the Radcliffe Camera on a sunny day
November 23, 2025 at 8:00 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
A fruity find! 🍎

This practical guide to fruit varieties, now known as The Tradescant’s Orchard, was made for gardeners, not as fine art.

Later bound by Elias Ashmole, it joined Oxford with his collections and moved to the Bodleian in 1860.

Shelfmark: MS. Ashmole 1461
An illustration of a pear tree with bright green leaves. There is a spider on a web between the branches and a caterpillar at the bottom, next to a fallen leaf. Illustration of a branch from an apple tree with several ripe apples, lush green leaves, and a small owl perched on one of the branches. A butterfly flutters at the upper right corner. An illustration of a small tree with bright red fruit. Perched on a branch is a small bird. There is a caterpillar on the stem.
November 20, 2025 at 4:54 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
One place, two creative visions. Clarendon Quad brought to life through pen and photo.

Photograph by spiralling_oxford (Instagram)
Illustration by t.e.sheperd.art (Instagram)
A person walking towards another person standing between historical sandstone buildings with the spire of the Exeter College Chapel visible in the background, Oxford. A detailed pen and ink drawing by T. E. Shepherd, depicting a narrow alley with elaborate architectural details, including stone buildings with Gothic elements, a prominent spire in the background, and cobbled streets.
November 19, 2025 at 4:10 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Give the gift of discovery this Christmas!

A Friends of the Bodleian membership unlocks exclusive events and supports the preservation of the Bodleian Libraries’ treasured collections.

https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/friends-of-the-bodleian?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=friends
Four individuals engaged in a friendly conversation at an event. All are wearing name tags and appear to be in a historic building with ornate wood paneling and stained glass windows.
November 16, 2025 at 5:42 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
A golden hour glow in Clarendon Quad after the rain earlier this week. 🌧️
November 15, 2025 at 11:49 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Amid species and habitat decline, the Ashmole Bestiary c.1210 remains profoundly relevant, underscoring our duty to study and protect the natural world.

Insights courtesy of Dr Andrew Dunning.
Shelfmark: Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1511
November 14, 2025 at 4:09 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
VISITING FELLOWSHIPS: Applications are now open for 2026-27!

The deadline for applications is Friday 28 November 2025.

For more information on how to apply: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/csb/fellowships/bodleian-visiting-fellowships
Promotional banner inviting applications for Visiting Fellowships at the Bodleian Libraries for 2026-27, featuring an interior view of the library.
November 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Even the lawns at the Radcliffe Camera have stories to tell. 👏

This new pattern, designed by University Parks team leader James, transforms one of Oxford’s most iconic spaces into a work of art.

📸 | @jimigk13 (instagram)
View of a weathered 'Please Keep Off the Grass' sign in the foreground with St Mary's Church in the background. Aerial view of the Radcliffe Camera, a circular building with a domed roof, surrounded by a symmetrical green lawn in Oxford. View of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin with its intricate Gothic architecture and spire, situated next to a lush green lawn in Oxford. View of a meticulously maintained lawn with geometric grass patterns at Radcliffe Camera, Oxford, surrounded by historic stone buildings.
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Happy 423 years of us! 🎉 📚

The Bodleian Libraries opened for the first time on 8 November 1602...

This means, we're older than the refracting telescope (1608), the publication of Shakespeare's Hamlet (1623) and Sir Isaac Newton's apple (1666)! 😅
Illustration of the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, featuring an intricate architectural drawing of the historic building with detailed facade, numerous windows, and figures dressed in academic robes seated in the foreground. Engraving of the interior of the Bodleian Library at Oxford, featuring detailed architecture with arched ceilings, rows of books, and figures walking between the bookshelves. Aerial view of the Radcliffe Camera surrounded by Oxford University's historic buildings, with a cloudy sky above. Aerial view of the historic University of Oxford, showcasing intricate architecture and a person walking across the courtyard.
November 8, 2025 at 7:01 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Service update: the Bodleian Old Library and Gladstone Link will close at 6.30pm today because of an emergency lighting failure. The Radcliffe Camera will remain open until 9pm as usual but may only be accessed from Radcliffe Square, not via the Bodleian Old Library.

Thank you.
A photo taken from behind the Bodleian's statue of the Earl of Pembroke, who is silhouetted against the Old School's quad on a sunny day.
September 24, 2025 at 4:28 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Yesterday marked the start of the Autumn equinox, but we were busy celebrating #MedievalMonday.

We hope this beautiful photo of the Radcliffe Camera, framed by the autumnal leaves of Exeter College gardens makes it up to you.
A photograph taken from Exeter College gardens, looking up the wall of the garden and the Radcliffe Camera peeking from beyond. Orange and brown leaves from a tree above the photographer frame the image, and bushes in front have red, orange and yellow leaves giving the whole scene a distinctly autumnal feel.
September 23, 2025 at 2:15 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
📚If you’re about to start at Oxford, we hope to become some of your favourite places 📸😉

The Bod isn’t just one library — it’s over 25, with millions of resources. It’s also a Legal Deposit Library, which means it holds (nearly) every item published in the UK and Ireland. 🤯
A student reaches for a book from a bookshelf in the floating stacks at the Weston Library, Blackwell Hall, Bodleian Libraries.
September 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Our medieval curator Alison Ray introduces Rawlinson Bodleian Library MS. Rawl. D. 252...a 15th Century necromancer's journal.

This manuscript contains spells written in Latin and Middle English, and would have served as a reference for a professional sorcerer.

#MedievalMonday
September 15, 2025 at 3:17 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
'Woke up this morning with
a terrific urge to lie in bed all day
and read. Fought against it for a minute.

Then looked out the window at the rain.
And gave over. Put myself entirely
in the keep of this rainy morning'

excerpt from Rain, by Raymond Carver.
The Radcliffe Camera as seen from High Street, silhouetted against a rainy grey sky. Pedestrians with umbrellas in the foreground. Clarendon Quad with the Old Bodleian to the left, the Clarendon Building to the right and the Sheldonian Theatre in the centre. Pedestrians hurry past in waterproofs with umbrellas held aloft. The pavements are slick with rain and the skies above are a murky grey. Catte Street in the rain with three friends silhouetted against the Old Bodleian. The dome of the Radcliffe Camera reflected in a puddle.
September 15, 2025 at 10:31 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
The Radcliffe Camera: beautiful since 1737.

With thanks to student Shabnam Taghiyeva for the video.
September 10, 2025 at 8:59 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Join MED:EL (the world's leading hearing implant company) at the Bodleian for a free, in-person educational session exploring the science, innovation, & human stories behind cochlear implants.

Register here: bit.ly/4mKGgy8

9 Sept | 10am–12pm | Weston Library
<<>>
September 4, 2025 at 1:19 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Our medieval offerings for #InternationalDogDay:

1. Dog leaps over an initial in Ms Bodl 264.
2.'Drop it!': a dog with a rabbit in its mouth runs away from its owner. MS Bodl 264.
3. Dog jousts a monkey MS Douce 131.
4. Lapdog sits by their ailing mistress MS. Douce 195.
A page of Latin text from a medieval manuscript. Two columns of closely written words are decorated with small illuminations; rubrics, small pictures of birds and other animals, and floral details. In the central column, a small dog leaps playfully over a gilded initial in Ms Bodl 264 fol 8r. A dog with a rabbit in its mouth runs away from a disgruntled looking owner along the lower left margin of this highly decorated manuscript– highly relatable to modern dog owners, we’re sure. MS Bodl 264 fol 52r. A dog riding a deer, jousts against a monkey on goatback in this very elaborately decorated 12th Century Psalter. Lots of colour, illustration and gilding throughout this manuscript. An illuminated initial immediately above the jousting animals shows a man being knighted. Shelfmark: Bodleian MS Douce 131 fol 32r. A beloved pooch faithfully waits at their ailing mistresses’ bedside in a two panel illustration. The mistress lies on her bed with her head on her hands, while a small white dog is on the floor next to her. This manuscript belonged to Louise of Savoy, 1476–1531, whose son became King Francis I of France. Shelfmark: Bodleian Library MS. Douce 195 fol. 1r.
August 26, 2025 at 12:31 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
You'll notice lots of different decorative symbols on the arches (or 'bosses'). These details include coats of arms of benefactors who funded the build, symbols from folklore and bible stories; and even the initials of the medieval stonemasons themselves.
A close up of the ceiling showing the symbols carved into the stone. There are lots of initials; some of these are thought to represent the benefactors who funded the building of the Divinity School whilst others (particularly towards the back of the room, as funding dried up as the school took many years to complete) are thought to belong to the stone masons carving the ceiling themselves. There are also allegorical images from the bible and folk lore - a fox can be soon stealing a goose in one striking carving - and many coats of arms.
August 20, 2025 at 10:02 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Did you know? The Divinity School was built between 1427-1483, making it one year older than the Aztec Empire 🤯.

It's one of the oldest surviving purpose-built university buildings and was originally used as a lecture hall for theology.

The architecture is in the Perpendicular Gothic style.
A photograph showing the breadth of the Divinity School ceiling at the Bodleian Libraries, as viewed from below. The ceiling is carved from a light stone and is extremely ornate, featuring huge vaulted arches that span the width of the room. On either side are floor to ceiling length windows.
August 20, 2025 at 10:02 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Bodleian Book Hospital. 22 August, 11.00–15.00.

Bring flapless lift-the-flaps & scribbled on bedtime stories to the Bodleian Book Hospital where our Conservation Team will fix 'well-loved' favourites and show little ones how to care for treasured tomes.

visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/summer...
Promotional poster for Bodleian Book Hospital at Blackwell Hall in The Weston Library, featuring a Richard Scarry pop-up book and a repair checklist on a 'operating table'. In the top right a logo that reads 'BBH' in the style of the NHS logo and on the left a round sticker that says 'Repaired at the Book Hospital'. Collage of images from our last Book Hospital event showing Bodleian staff, children and parents engaging in reading and crafting activities. Includes one of our talented conservators reading to a group, another pretending to repair a book with medical gauze, and a young child attending a craft session making colourful paper projects. A round sticker overlaying the images reads 'Book Doctor In Training'. A document titled "Book Hospital Check Up Sheet" including fields for 'Trainee Book Doctor's Age', today's date, and questions about the condition of a book, with checkboxes for types of damage and a space for drawing the book's damage.
August 5, 2025 at 10:41 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
It’s #MedievalMonday and the start of August - which means you must all be waiting with bated breath to see what your Labours of the Month are.

August is typically represented by threshing or reaping. Exhausting work -as you can tell from the expressions on these faces we found in our archives!
An open medieval manuscript depicting a highly detailed calendar page with illuminated script and a border design in gold, bright blue, red, green and pink. Below the text, an illustrated scene shows two figures threshing and reaping grain with sickles in a courtyard. Bodleian Library MS. Canon. Liturg. 99. https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/3c49e764-fa4b-433c-bb79-6901edd32b8f/ Illustration from a medieval manuscript showing a person wearing a hat and cloak, holding a sheaf of wheat over his shoulder and looking extremely dejected while seated on a decorative letter. Latin text around him relates to the month of August and the labours required. Bodleian Library MS. Auct. D. 2. 6 from a manuscript by Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109. https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/1f893d08-f517-4fa8-9e20-02c225c70b71/ Illustration from medieval manuscript showing a person in a red and green tunic and tights with a green hat, harvesting wheat with a scythe, looking directly at the reader with a distinctly unimpressed expression. He's standing beneath a frame of Gothic architectural elements. Bodleian Library MS. Rawl. D. 939; Astrological and ecclesiastical calendar in six pieces; 1100-1500. England. https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/eca53671-3a29-46ef-acae-3aa2b3b48195/ Gold embossed illumination from a medieval manuscript showing three individuals harvesting wheat. The person on the right uses a tool to gather plants, the one in the centre collects a bundle of harvested wheat from the ground, and the person on the left watches whilst holding a cudgel...perhaps to 'inspire' his fellow labourers. Below, a smaller embossed miniature shows the personification of the astrological sign Virgo. Virgo, 'The Virgin', is usually represented as a young woman holding a sheaf or bundle of wheat. Bodleian Library MS. Add. A. 46. 13th Century calendar from a Psalter. Flanders. https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/5b5a488d-cf31-4bab-a347-b5ae26c01f12/
August 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
RIP Ozzy Osbourne. We scoured the archives to find our best medieval bats in the rocker’s honour.

#MedievalMonday.
1. Bodleian Library MS. Canon. Misc. 554
2: Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 304.
3: Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 764.
4: Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1511.
Illuminated bat from the Ashmole bestiary showing a bat on a gold background inside a red and green frame. The bat is brown with black wings and cartoonish, with incongrously detailed human-looking facial features. Three outlines of three bats as marginalia in a yellowed page from a Bodleian manuscript. The bat marginalia are hastily drawn (likely added by a different hand than the scribe who wrote and illustrated the rest of the text). The bats have simplistic facial expresisons; one has two eyes and a straight line for a mouth, the second has a soft smile, and the third has something between the two. A page from a bestiary showing Latin text and a black bat illustration in an embossed gold square. The bats wings look feathered and the shape is bird like, suggesting whoever drew it may not have seen a bat up close before. An immediately strange looking illustration from a medieval Paduan text. A bat flies above an illustration of a man, and both are roughly the same size. The bat has cat like legs and a long tail, and is shaped like a winged rat.
July 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Professor #MaryBeard helped celebrate 100 years of the Friends of the Bodleian in iconic style by delivering their much anticipated Annual Lecture, on the theme 'Risky encounters: the library in fact and fiction'.

Watch the full talk on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VAz....
July 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM