UCD LIBRARY CULTURAL HERITAGE COLLECTIONS
Welcome to the UCD Library Cultural Heritage Collections blog. Discover and explore the historical treasures housed within our Archives, Special Collections, National Folklore Collection and Digital Library
UCD Woodland Path In April 2023 on a rather damp day, I stepped onto UCD’s campus for a walk. Little did I know then that two years later I would be contributing to the university’s Cultural Heritage Blog. As a recent addition to the Special Collection’s team getting to know its collections, my attention turned …
Continue reading "Waysides, Woodlands and Special Collections"
Most books contain clues relating to the many hands that made them. A rise in the appreciation for the art of the book — that is as an object — has generated a desire both to admire and to study books for their individuality and charming features, such as printers’ devices, marbled endpapers, painted fore-edges, …
Continue reading "Tiny Tickets: the mark of past booksellers & bookbinders"
What is a museum? If you ask anyone, the answer might be very simple: it’s a place where you go to admire art and learn about history. But more often than not, we overlook the importance of the museum as a part of history itself. How many of us have actually tried to learn about …
Choosing a colour – whatever the reason may be – is an act which all humans practice in abundance, both consciously and subconsciously. Once upon a time (pre-screen/digital era) printed colour charts – also referred to as swatches – of all shapes, sizes and materials were used as reference point for many; say for a …
Continue reading "Historical Hues: colour charts in Special Collections"
During my time in Special Collections, I worked on two main projects: tidying the new storeroom and searching for provenance within a particular collection. Both tasks required physically handling almost every book I encountered. The biggest revelation from this work was the sensory nature of special collections. I went into the tasks knowing I would …
Continue reading "Internship at UCD Special Collections: A Surprisingly Sensory Situation"
UCD is home to a collection of some 5000 printed and handwritten items belonging to the Irish Franciscans, including a copy of the Annals of the Four Masters signed by Mícheál Ó Cléirigh OFM (d. 1643), and notes compiled by John Colgan OFM (d. 1658) as part of his research into Ireland’s history, place-lore, and …
Continue reading "A DOMINICAN LETTER IN UCD’S FRANCISCAN COLLECTION"
Provenance in relation to books refers to what is rather grandly called ‘custodial history’; this could be mistaken for the rap sheet of a frequent tenant of Mountjoy rather than a blameless book. At its simplest, provenance refers to the previous owners of the book, from the first purchaser who inscribed his or her name …
One of the most enjoyable aspects of working with Special Collections is that you often find yourself surprised. You might be searching through the catalogue, or browsing the length of a shelf, when something jumps out and makes you say “oh?”. Such was the case when in the Special Collections store room one day, a …
Welcome to the second blog post on the art of the printer's mark. Let's begin with a refresher on what a printer’s mark, or device, is - a printer’s device refers to an identifying mark which can be found inside a book, either on the title page, the colophon, or occasionally at the end of …
Continue reading "Delightful Devices: the art of the printer’s mark (take two!)"
On the 10 October 1925, an advertisement in the Irish Times gave notice of an upcoming sale at Bennett & Son Auctioneers and Valuers, 6 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin. Under the auctioneer’s hammer was ‘A highly important and valuable collection of works of art moved from Carton Co. Kildare…including – 8,000 ounces of silver plate…a …
Continue reading "Country House to Special Collections: Rediscovering Books from Carton"