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The magic of books

Cambridge is a city with an abundance of libraries celebrating the enduring importance and magic of books. Many of these libraries across Cambridge feature in Open Cambridge and there will be plenty of opportunities to explore and visit them in September.

Not only is a library a place to read books, it is a gateway into the past; a book can enchant your imagination and narrate a historic moment in time. Rare medieval books and illuminated manuscripts at The Parker Library give an unrivalled account of Medieval and Renaissance literature and the early printing of books. The Wren Library holds books from Sir Isaac Newton’s personal collection, early Shakespeare editions and A. A Milne’s original manuscripts of Winne the Pooh – giving a remarkable insight into writing across centuries and genres.  As well as these historic collections, the programme will also feature libraries such as the Haddon Library of Archaeology and Anthropology which serves as an impressive source of information on human development across time and place.

Yet libraries can be so much more than just the books they house; in many cases the buildings are a work of art themselves. Take Queens College Old Library for example, which dates back to 1448, and has rows of bookshelves made from medieval lecterns.  Also worth noting is the University Library designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, the famous architect also known for designing the Tate Modern and the iconic red telephone boxes across the nation.

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Image: the Wren Library, Jessica Mercer.