Open Cambridge 2018

Open Cambridge offer a very rich program this year. These are the events we have selected, great opportunities to visit various colleges Libraries.

Meeting point will be
10.30 at the Corpus Christi College, The Parker Library, Trumpington Street, CB2 1RH for

"The Manuscripts of The Parker Library: Collecting and Preserving the Medieval Past"

Then at about 11.30 we will move to the Christ's College Library, St Andrew's Street, CB2 3BU for

The Art of Disruption: Society and the Supernatural

After that there will be a lunch break of about two hours.

At 2.30 pm we will be at the Queens' College , Old Library, Silver Street, CB3 9ET This will be the only event that will need to be booked.

The booking will open on the 13th of August. https://www.opencambridge.cam.ac.uk/events/treasures-queens-college-old-library

After that and until 4.30 will be at the St John's College Old Library, St John's College, CB2 1TP for

The History of the Book.

Below more information about every single exhibition and here the OpenCambridge website www.opencambridge.cam.ac.uk


Treasures of Queens’ College Old Library
Need to book
Dating from 1448, the Old Library is the original College library. Its 20,000 volumes include medieval manuscripts, incunabula, books with elaborate bindings and early editions of important works. Many of the books have been annotated by generations of Queens’ scholars, providing an invaluable record of intellectual activity from early modern times until the 19th century. With many books in their original 16th century bindings, the Library is notable in that it remains close to its original state. An exhibition of some of the Library's treasures will be on display.

The History of the Book

Saturday 15 September: 2:00pm - 4:30pm No need to book.
St John's College Old Library, St John's College, CB2 1TP

Explore the history of the book in the atmospheric setting of St John’s College’s 17th-century Library. Marvel at medieval illuminated manuscripts and the skills of the scribes who created them. Journey through the technological innovations of the Renaissance printing press that revolutionised Europe. Meet the engravers and colourists whose illustrations adorned the printed page. Voyage to the Orient to discover the different techniques used to produce early Chinese books. Then travel full circle to the 20th-century revival of traditional book making crafts by the Private Press movement.


The Art of Disruption: Society and the Supernatural

Saturday 15 September: 10:00am - 4:00pm no need to book

Christ's College Library, St Andrew's Street, CB2 3BU

200 years after the publication of Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel Frankenstein, come and explore the many ways in which writers have challenged convention using the strange, subversive and chaotic world of the supernatural. Discover treasures such as Joseph Glanville’s book on witches and apparitions, a first edition of Frankenstein, and Edward Topsell’s Historie of Foure-Footed Beastes.

The Manuscripts of The Parker Library: Collecting and Preserving the Medieval Past

Saturday 15 September: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Corpus Christi College, The Parker Library, Trumpington Street, CB2 1RH

The Parker Library and the Cambridge Colleges' Conservation Consortium have teamed up to provide a glimpse into the world of medieval book making. Not only will many of the most spectacular manuscripts from the Parker's collection be on exhibition, but the Conservation Consortium will be present to show you how these books were first made and what is required to care for them today in order to ensure that they can survive for centuries to come.

Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower

Saturday 15 September: 9:00am - 4:30pm
Cambridge University Library, West Road, CB3 9DR

Throughout its history the tower of Cambridge University Library has generated awe, rumour, myth, and fascination. An afterthought, built to house copyright collections deemed of ‘secondary’ importance. Now the tower and its collections inform contemporary research, inspire writers, and represent over a century of British literary, domestic and popular history. You are invited to uncover the secret history of this remarkable structure in the Library’s current exhibition, Tall Tales: Secrets of the Tower.

The tours are available for ages 18 and over ONLY

Apart from one all the events do not require bookings so who is interested can join the group at anytime. See you all there!