Discover the hidden stories of the women who shaped Trinity Hall’s historic law collections with our latest blog post: “Women Behind the Law Books in Trinity Hall’s Old Library.” 👉 oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/w... #WomenInHistory #TrinityHall #OldLibrary #WomenInLaw

Happy World Book Day! Find our more about our latest student book curation project on Sikhi, which is now in the library: www.instagram.com/reel/DVgID5q...

To celebrate Valentine’s Day and Love Your Library Week, we’re repeating our much‑loved Blind Date with a Book! There's a diverse range of titles so their should be something for everyone. We’ve even added some sweet treats to make your date extra special!

Our first student curation project of the academic year is from Tiffany Apaa on "African Women in Literature". You can see the selected books on Tiffany's display in the Library entrance hall and in the accompanying LibGuide: libguides.cam.ac.uk/trinityhall/...

Books of the year in 2025 📖 Congratulations to Fellow Professor Clare Jackson, whose most recent publication, 'The Mirror of Great Britain', has been featured in The Financial Times, The Times and History Today, as one of the best history books of 2025.

We enjoyed welcoming members of Trinity Hall this week to explore one of Britain’s few remaining chained libraries. These visits are a special opportunity, as the Old Library does not have regular opening hours. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped bring this historic space to life!

We were delighted to welcome Ligia and Adam for a special visit to the Old Library on their wedding day! ❤️ Wishing them a lifetime of love, laughter, and library visits!

Call for Papers — "Hall Histories: A Trinity Hall Journal" is accepting submissions for our new scholarly journal! We're looking for original work that explores Trinity Hall’s history and material culture. 📩 Send your proposals or questions to: [email protected]

Congratulations to all our graduands! It was lovely to welcome over 200 visitors to the Old Library on their graduation day.

👑🦴 Poisoned Kings & Crook Backs? Dive into the world of 16th-century scandal, rumour, and royal reputation with our latest blog post! 📜✨ We’re taking a closer look Trinity Hall’s fascinating armorial manuscript: oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2025/06/20/p...

Relaxing after your exams? Don't be Silly and forget to return all your library books! 🎓 Graduands! A quick reminder to return all library books by Tuesday 17th June. Avoid any last-minute stress before graduation—check your shelves and return your books on time! 📚✨

While we wait for the white smoke that signals the election of the new pope, why not read our latest blog post? It looks at a fascinating 18th century book in our collection: "The Life of Pope Sixtus the Fifth" by Gregorio Leti which describes the drama of the conclave!

Behind the Smoke: A Glimpse into a Papal Election from the Past As I write, the world awaits the moment when white smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel—a centuries-old signal that a new pope has been elected. The papal conclave remains one of the most secretive and ritualised…

Our final student curator is Saffron Willett (MPhil Korean Studies). Her project "Korea in Print" highlights Korea’s cultural rise, inspired by Han Kang’s Nobel win. Check out the book display and books in the library or online libguides.cam.ac.uk/trinityhall/... #StudentCurator #KoreanLiterature

Congratulations to Trinity Hall Architecture student Sam Elbahja on the publication of her first book of poetry, "Naked Pen" (New Generation Publishing, 2025). It will soon be available to borrow from the Jerwood 🎉

This image from an early 15th-century manuscript (Trinity Hall, MS12) depicts Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, a scene from the Christian tradition often celebrated on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter).

Yaning Wu (a PhD student in public health and primary care) is our next student curator! Texts in her book display “Arts in health” may be of special interest to students of health and healthcare & anyone who is curious about improving their wellbeing using tools outside of traditional medical.

Ahead of last night’s incredible talk on the music virtuoso George Bridgtower (1778-1860) and his Cambridge connections, we welcomed the co-presenters and performers to the Old Library for a special visit! They explored our book of music sonatas once owned by Charles Hague (1769–1821)

The first Trinity Hall student curation project is now live in the Jerwood! We were lucky to have final-year Politics and Anthropology student, Jack (seen here with his display) 'The Blue Continent'. An accompanying webpage links to all the curated resources: libguides.cam.ac.uk/trinityhall/...

Happy World Book Day! Why not read some of the great books nominated by the Trinity Hall community?

The Old Library at Trinity Hall contains some of the oldest library furniture in Cambridge, dating to the 1580s. Each bookcase has a pair of lecterns, with a sloping shelf on which to read the book. Law Professor Campbell McLachlan is shown trying out one of the lecterns on his visit today.

We want to hear from you! Do you have a few minutes to complete our questionnaire about the Jerwood Library? You’ll also be in with a chance to win a £30 Amazon voucher! Check your email for the survey link, or scan the QR code on one of our posters. The closing date is Sunday 9th March

The votes are in and Trinity Hall's favourite book is Jane Austen's romantic classic 'Pride and Prejudice'. The runner-up is Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'. Two modern contenders tied for third place: Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' and Sally Rooney's 'Normal People'. #favouritebooks

What have these books all got in common? They were all nominated by members of Trinity Hall as a book they love. Voting has begun for the overall favourite, and the winning book will be announced on Friday!

Love is in the air in our copy of "Rider’s British Merlin for the year of our Lord God 1787". This entry tells of a marriage between Mary Boydell (1747-1820), a renowned beauty, and George Nichol. You can read more about it on our blog: oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/t...

Happy Valentine's/Library Lover's Day! Take a heart and write down one book that you love. ❤️ We'll be buying selected titles for the library, and you can vote next week to decide on Trinity Hall's favourite book. #libraryloversday #valentinesday

Sappho (c. 600 BCE), famed as the "Tenth Muse," wrote lyrical poetry on love, often for women. The word 'lesbian' comes from the name of her home, the island of Lesbos Here is the frontispiece of our 1733 edition of Sappho's poetry by Johann Christian Wolf #LGBTHistoryMonth

You can't miss our new display for LGBT+ History Month! #lgbthistorymonth

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Snake 🐍 so we decided to share a page from Charles Owen's "An Essay towards a Natural History of Serpents" (1742). It includes mythical creatures such as dragons and basilisks as well as more mundane reptiles! #chinesenewyear2025🐍

This is an amazing resource to learn more about the holocaust #holocaustmemorialday

Happy #libraryshelfieday! These shelves are in Trinity Hall's Old Library which was constructed in the 1580s. The furniture is contemporaneous with the library and is some of the oldest in Cambridge

Trinity Hall alumna Katrina Porteous was shortlisted for the 2024 TS Elliot Prize for poetry for her collection "Rhizodont" (Bloodaxe Books, 2024). You can see all the shortlisted entries, as well as the winning collection "Fierce Elegy" by Peter Gizzi, in our entrance hall display now.

William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich died on this day in 1355. He founded Trinity Hall in 1350, and gave the College its first books, some 106 titles of civil and cannon law, and theology. Of these only two books, marked with his crest can be identified.

Happy New Year from the Jerwood Library! We re-opened today and hope you all had a relaxing break. All the best for 2025!

**CHRISTMAS CLOSURE The library will be closed from midnight on Friday 20th December until Wednesday 1st January inclusive. It will re-open 8:00am on Thursday 2nd January. We hope you have a great break and we’ll see you in the new year! 🎅🎄❄️☃️🎁🦌

If you've enjoyed Wolf Hall you might be interested in our (older) blog post on Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and Master of Trinity Hall. The College has his portrait by Holbein: oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/m...

These beautiful annual keepsakes were designed to show off the skill and artistry of the Press, giving each book the format and typography which best suited its contents. Read more about them in our latest blog post: oldlibrarytrinityhall.wordpress.com/2024/12/02/c...

A cry from the lower margin Trinity Hall Library, MS 4; Josephus, Flavius, Historiae Antiquitatis Judaice (The Antiquities of the Jews); 12th century; Herefordshire, England; f.180r @camdiglib.bsky.social

In the colder months, ladybirds are a common sight around and inside the Jerwood! These bugs are harmless, and in many cultures they are thought to bring good luck (especially if they land on you), so the library is a lucky place to be. 🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞

To celebrate Love Your Library Week why not try a ‘blind date’ with a book this week? Your possible ‘dates’ are wrapped in paper with a few words that tell you a little bit of what to expect. Those few words are all you get to decide if you’d like to take the book on a ‘date’ or not.

This Saturday, February 10th, marks the start of the Lunar New Year! 🐉 Get ready for the Year of the Dragon by enjoying this beautiful dragon initial from our 12th century copy of Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews (Trinity Hall MS 4, fol. 147r) 恭喜发财

Join us to celebrate both the 25th Anniversary of the Jerwood Library, and to find out the winner of our creative writing competition. Don't forget to book your place from the link in our recent email.

Can you spot what's missing? It may seem like the Jerwood Library has been here forever, but it was built 25 years ago.