We hold the world's largest Samuel Beckett Collection, and frequently welcome researchers, actors and dramatists. In April, this included the cast of the upcoming Jamie Lloyd Co production of Waiting for Godot – including actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/t...

Some of our books have detailed illustrated covers, like these three volumes on the life of Osbert Sitwell. Part of a collection of five autobiographical books, these were published between 1940 and 1950. [Finzi 23C/14,15,17]

Convinced they had seen a real phoenix, the owner of this 16th century book was not impressed by its illustrations. Belon’s 1557 ‘Vrais portraits d’oyseaux’ was used as a checklist for an avid birdwatcher and is full of their annotations. We wonder what the phoenix they saw was…? [Cole 136/5]

This dramatic cover is heavy enough to be wooden, but it’s actually made of papier-mâché! Henry Humphreys’ ‘A record of the black prince’ was published in 1849 and is full of detailed miniatures. [Longman 053]

Some of our manuscripts have tiny figures on them, a few no larger than a thumbnail! These pages range from 400 to 900 years old, and are gilt in gold. [MS 5650]

Interested in rare books collections and all things library? We’re looking for a Graduate Trainee Library Assistant to join our team! Find out more here: jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Mills & Boon have been publishing romantic novels since 1908, but who were the often hidden authors? In her prize-winning 3 minute talk from #UoRPhDConf, Vic Pickup reveals insights from her PhD research drawing on letters from @uorspeccoll.bsky.social youtu.be/qzFDFZqTLNE?... #MillsandBoon #PhD

What would social media look like in the Victorian period? Our newest online exhibition curated by PhD student Amy Longmuir explores ‘The Omnibus’, a magazine created at the turn of the century, which gives us an insight into Victorian life.

Some of the books in our collection have had their illustrations coloured in by hand, like this 1553 volume ‘De Aquatilibus’ by Pierre Belon, full of drawings of sea creatures. [Cole 136/04]

This curious book ‘The Toilet’ was published in 1867, and only has illustrations with small lines of text. Despite its name, this book does not actually contain toilets, instead each picture has a flap hiding a ‘virtue’. [Reserve 170.84 MUR]

Happy Bloomsday to all! We are pleased to announce a new exhibition from the Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection, James Joyce: Enigmas and Puzzles.

Some of our material has hidden additions, like this unassuming 1697 copy ‘Of wisdom’ by Pierre Charron. On the back cover, someone has doodled a person riding a bull or cow, also dated 1698! [Reserve 170 CHA]

Recently found in our archive, this travel journal recounts trips to Geneva, Chamonix and Rome. Written between 1846 and 1853 by Miss Fuller, this book has everything from stories of her holidays, to dancing lessons and comments on the weather. [MS 1652]

‘The feminine monarchie…’ by Charles Butler revolutionised beekeeping in 1609 by confirming the queen bee existed. It also includes musical notation of bee’s drones, recipes for marmalade, and descriptions of bees building little wax chapels in their hives! [Bee Coll. Cotton 01]

Our archives hold large collections as well as material that tells the stories of individuals. These recipes were found in a notebook filled with deeply personal stories from the author, and connect us to the history of the items we store. [MS 1653]

It's your last chance to see the Charles Hasler exhibition in the staircase hall as it closes on 30 May: tinyurl.com/bd2nppsv And look out for our latest blog post on three innovative mid-century women artists featured in the exhibition! tinyurl.com/3zx4trmw

We hold thousands of children’s books in our collection, including this edition of ‘Fighting the flames’ by R.M. Ballantyne. This copy was printed at the start of the 20th century, and has detailed illustrations. [CC 823.8 BAL]

When ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ by L. Frank Baum was first published, it contained spelling mistakes that had to be quickly amended in a new printing. This is one of our first editions, printed in 1900, with the mistakes corrected. [Wizard of Oz Collection 001]

As well as the Boy’s and Girl’s Own Annuals, we have books like this, ‘The boy’s own book of natural history’ by J.G. Wood. This 1870’s children’s book is bound in bright green cloth, and full of detailed illustrations. [CC 590 WOO]

What did a school book look like in 1782? This miniature book ‘The London vocabulary’ by James Greenwood is full of even smaller illustrations of animals and their English/Latin names. This edition has also been doodled in, with some of the animals coloured in! [CC 473 GRE]

It’s children’s book week! We’re kicking it off with one of the brightest items in our collection, this red and gold edition of ‘Two thousand years ago’ by A.J. Church. [CC 823.8 CHU]

On this day in 1939, ‘Finnegans Wake’ by James Joyce was published! This first edition is part of our Joyce collection, and is signed. [JOYCE RF 30 FIN]

Take a peek at a miniature Great Exhibition, first open on this day in 1851! This diorama, ‘Lane’s telescopic view…’ was published the same year, and folds out accordion style so we can look through the mini window. [Great Exhibition 07/13]

Need some handwriting inspo? This Elizabethan poem is dated between 1558 and 1603, and has an accompanying transcript by Dr. Claire Cross. [MS 233/2]

Only 25 copies were made of this vellum bound edition of ‘Fringilla: some tales in verse’ by R.D. Blackmore. Published in 1895, this volume is full of detailed illustrations. [Elkin Mathews Coll. BLA]

There’s only a small piece of text on each page of this book, just enough to fill the space left by its intricate borders. ‘The Prism of Imagination’ was written by the Baroness de Calabrella and published in 1844. [PC 823.89 CAL]

On this day in 1906, Samuel Beckett was born! We hold the Beckett collection, including manuscripts, correspondence, stage files and published works. This volume is a 1972 edition of Beckett’s ‘More pricks than kicks’, printed in Swedish, and is signed. [BR 30 MOR/SWE]

What did the world look like circa 1700? Frederik de Wit’s Atlas is full of hand-coloured illustrations and shows us places we recognise today that literally, weren’t on the map. [Reserve LF 131]

The University’s Special Collections @uorspeccoll.bsky.social contain the archives of experimental filmmaker, artist and activist, Stephen Dwoskin, whose works live on to provoke discussion around disability and sexuality. 🔗 rdg.ac/4iOSdkX

Today is World Poetry Day! This beautiful green and gold edition of ‘The Tower’ by W.B. Yeats was published in 1928, and is part of our Printing Collection. [PC 821.912 YEA]

Absolutely! Application approved!

This is not a book, it’s a wooden ‘calculator’! ‘Napier’s bones’ was invented by John Napier in 1617 and originally made of bone (hence the name). Our set is made of wood instead and each rod is less than 7cm tall! [RES 511.078 NAP]

This book of ferns has been nature-printed, where the illustrations are 3D, and you can feel the veins of the leaves! Written by Thomas Moore, this 1857 volume was printed by Henry Bradbury, where the leaves of the plants were pressed into lead plate to leave a detailed impression. [RES LF 035]

When Robert Hooke’s 1665 ‘Micrographia’ was published, he popularised the science of seeing tiny things. This edition is responsible for terms like ‘plant cell’, which Hooke coined after the cells of monasteries and compared to pores or honeycomb! [Cole 249Q]

How would you draw an animal you had never seen before? Edward Topsell’s 1658 ‘History of four-footed beasts…’ has illustrations of animals we recognise, as well as monsters. Although he writes about manticores, dragons and sea-serpents, even Topsell starts to question unicorns! [Cole 004Q]

On International Women’s day, we’re celebrating Dr Nellie Eales. Thanks to her, we have treasures like this 1420’s ‘Book of Hours’, and our Cole collection. [MS 2087]

Not all big stories are in big books. This children’s book from 1740 may be about giants, but it’s only 7cm tall! [CC 942 BOR]

At 78cm tall, this 1770 edition of Giovanni Piranesi’s ‘Colonna di Trajano e di Antonio Pio’ is one of the largest books in our collection. It is full of beautiful engravings, as well as a fold out illustration of Trajan’s column that’s over 2m long! [Overstone L 1H/01]

On the subject of beautiful miniature books…

Not sure we can beat a thumbnail sized, tin dwelling Galileo, but we will take the bonus points for the hedgehog regardless!

To keep fragile or small items protected, some of our material is stored in boxes like these. This tiny ‘Book of Nouns’ from 1800 may seem normal size on the shelf, but in reality it’s only 6cm tall! [C.C. 423 BOO]

Hi Bluesky! We're the University of Reading's Special Collections, based at the MERL. Follow us for stories and highlights from our collections, including the world's largest collection of Samuel Beckett, the Archive of British Printing and Publishing, plus over 80,000 volumes of rare books.