Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 10hNot stupid at all! Often the space is left entirely blank; some were filled in, simply or more fully, & some were never decorated at all, but it depended on the £££ of the purchaser. Occasionally there's a little printed letter the same size as the text to remind them what the initial should be. 010
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsFiona Chartres @chartresfi.bsky.social · 10hSuch a beautiful mix of textures. A little bit of everything to be seen looking at the rear wall of Trinity College, Trinity Lane, Cambridge. #WallsonWednesday 07510
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsDeborah @deborahzafer.bsky.social · 13hAmazing news London people Persephone is coming back! 🥳 67019
Reposted by Dr Liam Simssibyllacumae.bsky.social @sibyllacumae.bsky.social · 06/10/2026For every like, I will share a word, phrase or concept I think should be banned from rare book descriptions lmao 3744
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 06/10/2026To my mind ‘unsophisticated’ generally means ‘bashed to hell but unrestored’ 130
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Cool right! Part of the library of John Moore, Bishop of Ely (d. 1714). 010
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsAndy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 06/10/2026✨ It wasn’t until I first saw the Saxon crypt at St Wystan’s, Repton, that I understood John Betjeman’s words: ‘Holy air encased in stone.’ I’ve never felt the past so close, or found such comfort in feeling rooted in a longer story. A real hidden gem, a must see. 415228
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Absolutely LOVE the floral initials in this copy of the works of Apuleius, one of the first books printed at Rome (by Sweynheym & Pannartz) in 1469. The initials apparently added in France, perhaps in the 1480s or 90s. @theulspeccoll.bsky.social Inc.2.B.2.1[1124]. 615733
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Quite like ‘Sir Dugly* Digges’ as a typo! In the auction catalogue of duplicates from John Moore’s library, sold in Cambridge in 1742 @theulspeccoll.bsky.social Cam.d.742.1(2). *Dudley 0141
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsBritish Library @britishlibrary.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Four exciting opportunities to co-supervise a PhD studentship with the Library We’re seeking proposals from academics who can bring their own expertise to four fascinating research projects exploring our collection and programme. Sound like you? Find out more and apply here link.bl.uk/9vj 11818
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsPoor Frank Raw @poorfrankraw.co.uk · 06/10/2026Supplico stet cedula blackletter is on the easel. Quick bit of carving going on here. The letters are cut deep on the sides and left rough in the bottom, then filled with black paste. The rough stone in the cuts gives a good key for the paste to stick to. 4183
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsCatherine Clarke @cathamclarke.bsky.social · 06/10/2026This is either the opening of an M R James story, or something more... X-rated? 3111
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsHarry Spillane @harryspillane.bsky.social · 06/10/2026490 yrs ago today, William Tyndale was strangled and burned, having produced the English New Testament we celebrate 500 yrs of across 2026 His is a story that shows the violence and messiness of the early English Reformation and it opens my own study of how the English Bible became a bestseller 0187
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsFinch Collins @finchinthestacks.bsky.social · 06/10/2026The CFP for *Queer Bibliography: Taking Stock* is now open! Full cfp below and at bit.ly/QB2027CfP (Please feel free to circulate these graphics off Bluesky! They're sized for an IG story.) 02422
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsMatt Shaw @matthewshaw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026today in codicology www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...theguardian.comA medieval manuscript has confounded scholars for centuries. Have they been reading it wrong all this time?Researchers argue incorrect binding of Voynich manuscript radically changes ideas about its drawings and indecipherable text 051
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 05/10/2026“Did Jesus come at you from the side Lola…?” One for @aglmasters.bsky.social 210
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Lovely annual visit to Hereford Cathedral & its stunning library. Great exhibition inspired by the 550th Caxton anniversary, including an incunable (printed in 1473) given to the cathedral in 1478. 36510
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Oh lovely! I’m not a million miles away, in Hereford. 100
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsJens Notroff @jensnotroff.com · 02/10/2026A shame that apparently even a valid museum ticket doesn't guarantee you can see the #BayeuxTapestry, but here's a breathtaking high-resolution resource that lets you get thread-counting close to it from the comfort of your own couch: www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeu...bayeuxmuseum.comExplore the Bayeux Tapestry online - Bayeux MuseumFor the first time, you will be able to freely explore the entire Bayeux Tapestry scene by scene with a never seen quality of images ! 37241
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsAntony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Plurabelle books being moved out of their warehouse - all this lot going for free today (Sunday on Coldham’s Road) before being skipped tomorrow. 😱😭 Don’t know the background other than very short notice to move out 144
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsFiona Chartres @chartresfi.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Medieval fragments gathered together in the window at St Michael's, Cambridge including a rather nice Trinity shield. It was the chapel of Michaelhouse College until dissolved by Henry VIII, its lands went to fund Trinity College. Now in part a cafe with excellent breakfasts! #StainedGlassSunday 0132
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 04/10/2026And now my life is taken over by one particular committee 💀 100
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 04/10/2026And I’m yet to see any material benefit, other than being announced as Dr Sims in the dentist’s waiting room. 110
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Ha. Like, I avoided applying for jobs I’d have killed for because I just couldn’t cope with the thought of moving and PhDing, or taking on committee stuff. 200
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I had a great experience with mine (brill supervisors & enjoyed the subject). But over 6 years PT there were career dev opportunities I avoided cos I was too busy. Mine was also my 3rd try: 1st was my own project (got a place; no funding); 2nd was a CDA that went to someone else. 110
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsDr. Peter Paul Rubens @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Cherries and cheese by a beautiful blue pitcher in 1760 by Luis Egidio Melendez. It's his day. 314825
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Maybe some Christmas presents for yourself, @harryspillane.bsky.social... 110
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The @theul.bsky.social copy came to us under legal deposit in April 1988 - part of the vast collections of UK-published books & ephemera we preserve for posterity. It even comes with its counters & a dice. (2/2) idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/44... 050
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Stopped in my tracks yesterday by ‘Snakes and ladders: a game for learning about AIDS/HIV’ (London, 1988), which a colleague got out for a display. Self-explanatory but brings home the randomness & chance of it all at the time. At least 10,000 men died from HIV/AIDS in the USA in 1987. (1/2) 1196
Reposted by Dr Liam Simslamusee.bsky.social @lamusee.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Cette semaine on s'occupe de sceaux en tout genre, cachets posés sur des lettres ou des papiers On commence avec ce gros point rouge posé dans une annonciation peinte dans le Tyrol A voir par ici 👉 lamusee.fr/painting/3162 1274
Reposted by Dr Liam SimsMary Flannery @15thcgossipgirl.bsky.social · 02/10/2026This week’s Page by Page is in honour of one of the most wonderful colleagues I ever had the pleasure of working with: Julia Boffey (1953-2026). maryflannery.substack.com/p/for-julia-...maryflannery.substack.comFor Julia, with gratitudeRemembering the kindness of a dear colleague 0116
Reposted by Dr Liam Simsmarybeard @wmarybeard.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Why is noone talking about the LATIN of the Bayeux Tapestry. We explain why it is so interesting here on Instant Classics: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...podcasts.apple.comThe Bayeux Tapestry: Britain’s Lost Latin masterpiecePodcast Episode · Instant Classics · 1 October · 56min 39914
Dr Liam Sims @liamsims.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Gorgeous (first) visit to the Fellows’ Library at Clare College today, in the room fitted up for it in the 1720s. Pretty lovely. 0131