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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Our Dissertation Inspiration drop in session is taking place on Tuesday 20th October, 2-4pm! ⭐️

The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Are you a student interested in the history of medicine? 🔎📜Why not drop in to our free Dissertation Inspiration session to learn more about our collection! There are plenty of opportunities to conduct original research here at the DEI! Tuesday 20th October, 2-4pm

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Have you ever wondered what life was like inside Dartmoor Prison? October's Book of the Month blog explores the history of 'Five Years’ Penal Servitude, by One who has endured it' (1878), an anonymous account of a sentence served there in the 1870s. devonandexeterinstitution.org/a-devilish-b...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Calling all university students! Are you looking for some #DissertationInspiration? Join us for a drop in session to view original primary sources, perfect to spark ideas for your historical research. Free and open to all. #archives #primarysources #history #historiclibrary #dissertationideas

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Did you know that DEI members can bid for back issues of our subscription magazines? Get a year's worth of issues at bargain prices, and support the library's vital conservation programme. Bid via our website, or the auction box in the outer library. Bidding closes on Wednesday 30th September.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

In July we were joined by work experience students Henry and Wajih, who used our historic newspapers to research ‘fake news’ in the nineteenth century, in line with our groundbreaking #TurningthePageProject. 📚🔍 Read their thoughts in August’s Book of the Month blog, now live on our website.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Happy National Marine Week! Here are some illustrations of algae from Robert Kaye Greville's Algae Brittanicae (1830)

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

CALL FOR PAPERS We welcome papers which broadly interact with the theme of "Roots and Networks" for our next season of lectures. More information can be found here: devonandexeterinstitution.org/whats-on/tal... Deadline for abstracts (250-300 words): 21st August 2026. #publiclectures #heritage

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

With all this talk about Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, we thought we'd cast our minds back to another "modern" representation of the epic poem The DEI holds a late eighteenth century reprint of Alexander Pope's translation of Homer's Odyssey in three volumes (1772; originally published 1725-1726)

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

📣Calling all soon to be University of Exeter graduates. Next Friday, 17th, we are opening the doors to our historic & heritage space to anyone who wishes to have their photo taken by a friend or family member 📸 The £20 donation will go towards our charity.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

#DidYouKnow that, although the DEI has long-since transitioned to using a digital catalogue, we still hold all our old index cards? These occasionally prove very useful, particularly when we’re on the hunt for missing books 📚🔍 #specialcollections #historiclibrary #heritagelibrary

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Meet the curator! Drop in next Wednesday, 8th July, between 1-3pm, to meet Deborah Ashfield, the curator behind our new display 'The Weather Keepers: 158 Years of Meteorological Observation at the DEI'. devonandexeterinstitution.org/meet-the-cur...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Meet the interns! Over the next fortnight, we are very pleased to have Megan and Immie with us as part of the University of Exeter's Pathways to Arts, Culture and Heritage programme.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Rejoice, for last year’s rescued books have returned and they look absolutely wonderful! Many thanks to all those whose generous donations have made this possible. Keep an eye out for our next round of rescues, which will be announced in January. #specialcollections #historiclibrary #rescueabook

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

A new Book of the Month blog from our Library Volunteer Edward! This time, Edward is exploring the extraordinary life of chemist and inventor Sir Humphry Davy. devonandexeterinstitution.org/the-davy-wit...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Can you spot the real bee? We’ve picked up a few of these little visitors in the outer library today. This one stopped to admire William Kirby’s 'Monographia apum Angliae' (1802) before we took him into the garden, gave him some sugar water and sent him on his way. Happy #WorldBeeDay!

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Join us for our next second-hand book sale! Saturday 30th May, 11am-3pm All books have been donated by our members and all proceeds help to support the Devon and Exeter Institution. All welcome.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Last month we were delighted to take part in the inaugural South West Shakespeare Festival, for which library volunteer Romilly Spaul curated a pop-up display titled ‘Illustrating Shakespeare’. For those who missed it, a new Book of the Month blog showcasing her research is now live on our website.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

May is here and so is our monthly programmme! 🌼 Save for your calendars.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

We are very pleased to be taking part in the South West Shakespeare Festival! Drop in between 12-2pm on Saturday 25th April to see a pop-up display, 'Illustrating Shakespeare', featuring beautiful illustrations in our Victorian books and periodicals. devonandexeterinstitution.org/south-west-s...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Meet the curator! Drop in between 1-3pm tomorrow to meet Kitty Vega, Isca Photographic Collection Project Officer from the South West Heritage Trust, who will be on hand to discuss the exhibition ‘The Isca Photographic Collection: Exeter Through the Lens’. tinyurl.com/2rahcpve

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

A new exhibition! Opening next week, we are proud to host 'The Isca Photographic Collection: Exeter Through the Lens', an exhibition showcasing the city’s changing streetscapes, its people, and pivotal moments in history, through the eyes of its photographers. tinyurl.com/5n6zjwru

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Thanks to everyone who made it to our 'Librarian's Tour: Women's History Month Special' on Friday, where we shared stories of women working in the field of natural history in the nineteenth century. Our Librarian Sonia was joined by Exeter Heritage Partnership volunteer Amelia - thanks Amelia!

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Today marks the start of #BritishScienceWeek and we'd like to tell you about Eleanor Ormerod (1828-1901). Ormerod was a pioneering entomologist (expert on insects) and helped to define agricultural entomology as an academic discipline in Britain. Read our Book of the Month blog: shorturl.at/Pklbw

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Join us for an evening lecture this month with Professor Craig Beall - 26th February!

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

A date for your diaries! Join us for our next second-hand book sale on Saturday 28th February, 11-3. All books have been donated by our members and all proceeds raise money to support the Institution.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Earlier this week we had the pleasure of welcoming first year history students from the University of Exeter to our Blue Room, visiting as part of their 'Into the archives' programme.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

This #LibraryShelfieDay we’re celebrating one of our best-loved sections: South West Heritage. Many of these books were only recently retired from our browsable modern collections. They will be subject to safe handling practices going forwards, helping to preserve them for the future. #ShelfieDay

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

29 January 2026 | Doors open 6pm | Tickets available via TicketTailor (£10)

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Join us for an immersive tour of the Devon and Exeter Institution's historic past. Meet characters from previous centuries who worked around Cathedral Close and have stories to tell!! Tickets are purchased via TicketTailor. Refreshments provided 🍷

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

What's on at the DEI this December! See our website for further details ☃️🎄

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Who is this woman, proudly wielding a Christmas pudding? Find out by reading our Book of the Month blog for December: devonandexeterinstitution.org/whats-in-a-p... You can also pick up Christmas cards featuring this image from our Front Desk.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Looking for a meaningful gift this Christmas? Adopt one of our books for your loved one and treat them to a private tour of our historic library, followed by cream tea for two in the Courtenay Room. Gift adoptions cost £45, and help to fund vital conservation work.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Competition time! For this year's DEI Christmas card, we chose this beautiful wood engraving from the 1867 Christmas supplement to the Illustrated London News, based on a drawing by Wilhelm Kümpel. Can you recreate this image, holding an object of your choice, to win a pack of 10 Christmas cards?

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

On 27th November, Professor Nicola Thomas will discuss the Reinterpretation of the Redvers Buller statue in Exeter. This will be a space for reflection on the presence of the colonial past in contemporary civic life. Tickets can be purchased here: www.tickettailor.com/events/devon...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

These are the words of Mary Somerville, writing in her old age. This pioneering scientist of the nineteenth century is the subject of our Book of the Month blog for November - written and researched by our Library Volunteer Edward Maunder. devonandexeterinstitution.org/mary-somervi...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Ghosts! Spiders! Bats! Surely this is a #Halloween image? Well, it actually comes from the Christmas supplement to the Illustrated London News (1867). During the Victorian era, spooky tales were especially associated with the festive period

An illustration of ghosts, spiders, bats and a number of other creatures

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

How about this schoolmaster's log book as #DissertationInspiration? See this book in person at our Dissertation Inspiration Drop In on Friday 24th October, 2-4pm, or email us to make a research appointment. #primarysources #Victorianschools #Victorianchildren #archives #dissertation

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

What do you call an apple that has fallen off its tree? Well according to this 'Treatise on cyder-making' from 1755 you would call it a 'promiscuous' kind of apple!

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Calling all university students! How about this archaeological manuscript as #DissertationInspiration? See this book and a number of other fascinating archives in person at our Dissertation Inspiration Drop In on Friday 24th October, 2-4pm.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Meet the curator! Wednesday 15th October. Drop in between 1-3pm. Our new book display ‘Travelling through the library: Translated literature in the DEI’ has been curated by Richard Mansell, Senior Lecturer in Translation at the University of Exeter. devonandexeterinstitution.org/meet-the-cur...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Calling all university students! How about this nineteenth-century dramatic photo album as #DissertationInspiration? See this album and a number of other fascinating archives in person at our Dissertation Inspiration Drop In on Friday 24th October, 2-4pm.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Just look at the vibrant colours of these marbled endpapers! They can be found in our copy of ‘Cartas erudítas, y curiosas’ by Benito Jerónimo Feijoo (1777).

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Calling all university students! How about this seventeenth century medical recipe book as #DissertationInspiration? See this recipe book and a number of other fascinating archives in person at our Dissertation Inspiration Drop In on Friday 24th October, 2-4pm.

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

One of the voices preserved in People Talking (1975-9), a collection of working people’s memories of Exeter up to 1945. In October’s blog, Jenny Lloyd reflects on the project, which features in the Exeter events for the Festival of #DevonInThe1920s, running 9-18 October. #exeterhistory #oralhistory

“We had a joint of meat every day. But the family next door … they were really poor. The children sat round the table with an empty plate and tapped the plates to make out they were eating.”

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Calling all university students! Are you looking for some #DissertationInspiration? Join us for a drop in session to view original primary sources, perfect to give you ideas for your historical research. Free and open to all.

Poster for a Dissertation Inspiration drop in at the Devon and Exeter Institution on Friday 24th October from 2pm to 4pm

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

This morning we kicked off our Heritage Open Days with a Librarian's Tour. If you missed out, we have another Librarian's Tour on Thursday at 2pm. Visit our website to see full listings of all the exciting events taking place this week: devonandexeterinstitution.org/heritage-ope...

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Inspired by the Women’s Rugby World Cup, we searched our historic book collections for stories of women in sport, and that’s where we came across ‘a damsel named Margot, who resided at Paris in 1424, and played at hand-tennis with the palm, and also with the back of her hand, better than any man’.

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