In our latest blog post, recent Maddock Fellow Dr Joe Borsato @theecoalchemyst.bsky.social looks at how Indigenous peoples shaped Huguenot colonization in the seventeenth century. marshlibrary.ie/the-indigeno...

The binder used a fragment of printed music to line the spine of the letters of Aldo Manuzio the younger, from 1592. Music was tricky to print & the page may have had an error, or perhaps it didn't sell. Whatever the reason, it ended up in the waste pile #Fragments #Bindings

On Newstalk's Talking History, Marsh's Director Dr Jason McElligott joined Prof Daniel Cook, Prof David Kenny & Dr Clíona Ó Gallchoir to talk about the continuing impact of Gulliver's Travels 300 years after it was published. If you missed it listen back here: www.newstalk.com/podcasts/hig...

A tiny map of Venice from the title page of a pamphlet printed in 1606.

A later owner tried to wash out a scribble on the title page of this Byzantine novel, but still the ownership inscription remains. A good thing too, as it tells us the book belonged to poet & playwright Ben Jonson.

A very relatable look of 'can I just get five minutes peace with my book'. From Le Rommant de la Rose, a hugely popular Medieval poem, printed in Paris, 500 years ago.

A lovely piece about Jonathan Swift in the current issue of The New Yorker. Lots of references to Marsh's Library in it: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Our new exhibition is a must-see.

The printer's mark of Huguenot printer Conrad Badius from 1562 showing a printing press and a quote from Genesis 3:19 reminding us that to labour is the lot of mortal humans: 'by the sweat of your brow you will eat'. A fitting sentiment after the bank holiday!

Happy #MayDay ! Falalas from Thomas Morley's 1595 'Balletts to five voyces'.

Tulips & sea daffodils, with bonus beetle, from Daniel Rabel's 'Theatrum florae' printed in Paris in 1622.

Competitive #manicules! These three pointing fingers, are all indicating important sections in the same book, a French edition of Fasciculus Temporum, a bestselling history of the world, printed in Lyon in 1483. A glimpse of the book's earliest #readers & their (varied) artistic skills #Doodles

In a letter Pádraig Ó Conchubhair recounted a visit to Marsh's in 1924 when he was blocked from entering by a woman cleaning the steps. She took him for a gunman in his fedora and trench coat. #1926Census has possibly given a name to our defender, library caretaker Mary Ann Gwynne #Census1926

Still room left on our #CultureDateWithDublin8 tours! Book here: www.eventbrite.ie/e/1985437713...

We're delighted that the Archive of the Order of the Friendly Brothers was signed over to Marsh's Library on 9th April. Marsh's Governors Archbishop Michael Jackson, Dean William Morton and Ms Patricia Quinn were in attendance, with Mr Roger West & Mr Hamish Logan from the Order.

The fabulous frontispiece of Gaspar Schott's 'Magia Universalis', printed in Bamberg in 1677. Its subject matter includes optics & acoustics, represented by the scattered instruments at the bottom of the page.

A German translation of a fake sequel to Gulliver's Travels, one of the books on display in our current exhibition 'Gulliver 300' celebrating Jonathan Swift's masterpiece. We're open 9.30-5.00pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am-5.00pm on Saturday #Exhibition #GulliversTravels

Delighted to welcome to our Library Xikun Zhu (1st Sec) and Hu Yaodan (2nd Sec.) of the culture section of #Chinese Embassy in Dublin. Pictured from left to right: Ms Yaodan; the Director of Marsh's Jason McElligott; the Assistant Director Amy Boylan; and Ms Zhu. #china

Applications for the inaugural 'Museum Plinth Project' close this Friday 17th April. The residency offers artists a 6-month residency to engage with the collections of Marsh's Library or the National Museum. visualartists.ie/advert/open-...

Tonight the Irish Baroque Orchestra & Choir perform Handel's Messiah in Dublin Castle, for the anniversary of its premiere in Dublin on 13th April 1742. Our manuscript was copied by John Mathews in 1761 & is full of information about variant settings & early performance

Hand-coloured love apples, otherwise known as tomatoes, from 1591

That time of year again! Join us on Saturday 9th May for Culture Date with Dublin 8! We will running guided tours at 11am, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm for €5 per person! Book here: www.eventbrite.ie/e/1985437713... #CultureDate #CultureDateWithDublin8

Our exhibition to mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of Gulliver's Travels is now open to the public. We hope you'll find it an interesting mix of rare first editions, children's books and toys, and a death mask!

On #WorldHealthDay it transpires that we must celebrate the comeback of leeches in modern medicine. The old remedies are the best aren't they?! These delightful mages are from 'De animalibus insectis libri septem' #Aldrovandi (1602)

Marsh's Library will be closed on Good Friday, 3rd April, and will reopen on Saturday 4th from 10am to 5pm.

Commercial plants in 1809: coffee, flax, cinnamon, indigo and tobacco. From John Payne's 'Universal Geography', printed down the road from us in the Coombe.

Lost book, found? This is the lovely title page of a 1506 confessional by Bartolomeo Caimi printed in Rouen. After double-checking the details on the Universal Short Title Catalogue (www.ustc.ac.uk/editions/443...) it may be the only surviving copy of a book thought lost! @apettegree.bsky.social

An impassioned defence of the stage for #WorldTheatreDay : '...in maintaining the cause of the stage I am defending Poetry in general ... pleading for eloquence, for History and philosophy. I am pleading for the reasonable pleasures of mankind ... the nourishments of Youth & the delights of Age'

A *few* books currently in the reading room for cataloguing. They're from the collection of our first librarian, Élie Bouhéreau (1643–1719). Spot the odd one (or two) out!

Maddock Fellow Alexandra Ballová from Masaryk University is Brno is looking at our books about Czech theologian & reformer Jan Hus. Here he is looking serene while being burned at the stake for heresy in 1415.

Beautiful red & green initials decorate our 13th century manuscript of the life of St Kentigern (also known as St Mungo). A reader has also added 'manicules' to indicate important sections #ManiculeMonday #ManuscriptMonday

Written in the stars! The birth chart of the perfect musician. From Marin Mersenne's Les Preludes de l'harmonie universelle, printed in Paris in 1634.

Maps of Scotland, France (well, Gaul), and Ireland for the weekend that's in it! #SixNations

Currently setting up our new exhibition on #Swift and #GulliversTravels to mark 300 years since its publication. We're particularly happy with this staging of A Modest Proposal (1729), for which thanks to Joan Moynihan.

An unusual panel on this 16th century binding, possibly Swiss? It covers Martin Bucer's Du royaume de Jesus Christ nostre saveur printed in Geneva in 1558 #Bindings

Denis the Carthusian hard at work among his books, on the title page of his biography from 1532 #TitlePageTuesday

A blanket of blossom, bird song, & sunshine in the Close; spring has made a welcome return this morning!

Some blingy books for world book day: A mid-15th century manuscript of Caesar's Gallic Wars, written on vellum, and that once belonged to the king of France; and our earliest printed book, the letters of Cicero to his friends printed on paper in 1472. Shiny! #WorldBookDay

An exciting call for artists' residencies at Marsh's Library and National Museum of Ireland: visualartists.ie/advert/open-...

The music to cure 'tarantism', a frenzied state thought to be caused by a tarantula bite. From the third ed. of Magnes, Athanasius Kircher's work on magnetism, printed in 1654

Some delightful snarkiness from 17th century advice column The Athenian Gazette: a reader asks why the authors answer silly questions. Answer: 'everyone who sends any question thinks both himself and his question as wise as he that sent this'

A potted carnation from 1552, printed from woodblock and then hand-coloured.

Our first librarian Élie Bouhéreau added recipes for laudanum to the flyleaf of one of his books on treating disease. The first was from English Physician Thomas Sydenham who popularised the use of the tincture in the late 17th century, followed by another Bouhéreau picked up on his travels in Paris

A very pleasing acanthus border on this title page printed in 1525. Note the sliver of medieval manuscript fragment, used in the binding, peeking out! #TitlePageTuesday #Fragments

A reader added a fetching cuff to their 'manicule', a pointing finger used to indicate an important passage in Justus Jonas' commentaries on the acts of the apostles, printed in Basel 501 years ago #ManiculeMonday #MondayMarginalia

Suggestions for how to stay well & live to 100 from 1683: rinse your mouth out with wine (or cider) to keep your gums healthy, snort powder of rhubarb, because what can't rhubarb cure!

This 1594 edition of the works of Virgil was given to H. Bouhereau in 1613. It was kept in the family & travelled with our first librarian, Élie Bouhéreau (1643-1719) from his native La Rochelle to exile in Dublin, where it has been on the shelves of Marsh's Library since 1707.

Happy Lunar New Year! This beautiful specimen is from our 1668 edition of 'Markham's master-piece ... touching on curing all diseases in horses', a seminal text on horse care #LunarYear #YearOfTheHorse

We are seeking to appoint an Assistant Librarian in Marsh's Library. This will be a great position for an early-career librarian. Further details at: marshlibrary.ie/assistant-li...