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Marsh's Library

@marshslibrary.bsky.social
3.5K followers 465 following 460 posts

Beautiful library of the early Enlightenment in central Dublin. Opened in 1707; still welcoming visitors, tourists and scholars. Registered Charity RCN 20000752

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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 22h
Happy #InternationalTranslationDay! To celebrate, we're sharing an image of Brian Walton's Polyglot Bible. The impressive six volume work presents the Old Testament in nine languages: Hebrew, Aramaic (Targum), Samaritan, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Ethiopic, Greek, and Latin.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today is Michaelmas, a quarter day in the Irish calendar, and traditionally when rents were paid & contracts signed. It's also the last day to eat blackberries - after today, they belong to the Devil and will make you sick!
Detail of a page showing text in Spanish and a woodcut of blackberries. From Dioscorides' Materia Medica, 1555
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If you'd like US$2,500 to help with your archival research on 18th-century Ireland, you should apply to the Arch Elias Fellowship. Closing date 15 November: marshlibrary.ie/aceliasfello...
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A quiet corner of Marsh’s Library, full of colour, flowers, and a little bit of calm. Sometimes the most beautiful details are just outside the books. 🌺
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Title page of 'Ichabod: or, Five Groans of the Church', written by Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, in 1663.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wednesdays in the Archive📜 Today, in celebration of our exhibition 'Gulliver 300' opening at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris last Friday, we are sharing correspondence from the last time we our books were exhibited in France.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This fifteenth-century volume gives instructions for the blessing of bells and for exorcising people who have been cursed. The instructions are written in red, with the words to be said in black. The volume will on display for our new exhibition The Medieval Manuscripts of Marsh's Library.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A woodcut initial from a psalter printed 502 years ago in London
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Our busiest ever @culturenightdub.bsky.social saw people queuing around the corner on to Kevin Street and a total of 813 visitors
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In our latest blogpost, recent Maddock Fellow Dr Stewart Duncan discusses anti-Spinoza literature in the Edward Stillingfleet collection. marshlibrary.ie/stillingflee...
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Join us this Friday, 18 September, for a free guided tour of Ireland's oldest public library. Tours run every 15 minutes from 5:30-8:45pm. No booking required. culturenight.ie/event/cultur... #CultureNight2026 #CultureNight #CultureNightDublin
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Wednesdays in the Archive📜 In 1918, Marsh's Library paid £1 17s 6d to repair bullet holes in the doors of the old reading room. Other bullet holes in the books and bookcases were not repaired and can still be seen today. Look out for them when you visit the library!
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Waste not! The blank space at the back of a 13th century Bible provided a perfect place for someone to practice their letters. The text to the left is a transcript of a papal bull granted to Dominican Order in 1227.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
It is beginning to feel autumnal here in Dublin 🍂 The poet Edmund Spenser captures the mood perfectly in The Shepheard's Calender (1579): And nowe the Westerne wind bloweth sore, That nowe is in his chiefe souereigntee, Beating the withered leafe from the tree.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A chart of the seven legendary kings of Rome, beginning with Romulus. From Ortelius's Theatrum orbis terrarum.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) created this great brass globe to record the precise position of over 1000 stars he observed from his observatory at Uraniborg. Kepler used Brahe's observational data in formulating his laws of planetary motion. From Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, 1602.
Engraving showing a globe with a celestial map
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A keening women, or funeral mourner, from 'A week at Killarney' printed in London in 1858. In their description of a keener, authors Anna Maria & Samuel Carter Hall say 'her eyes were deep-set greys, peculiar to the country'.
Page from a 19th century book with text at the top and bottom, wiht an engraving of a woman keener in profile in the centre
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A couple of 17th century limp vellum Spanish bindings. The title in large letters on the spine is typically Iberian. They cover Historica relación del Reyno de Chile, 1648 and Descripcion breve del monasterio de S. Lorenzo el Real del Escorial, 1657.
Photo of two books stacked on top of each other on a desk with other rare books standing on a shelf behind
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Sea monsters in Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum orbis terrarum. Be careful sailing near Tiguex!
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Marsh's Library will be closed to visitors from September 5th-14th as we prepare for our new exhibition. We will reopen on September 15th at 9:30am and look forward to welcoming you back.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We were delighted to welcome Mr Paulo Artur dos Santos de Campos Rangel, Portuguese Minister of State & Foreign Affairs (centre), and His Excellency, João Pedro Fins do Lago, Ambassador of Portugal to Ireland (left) to Marsh's Library.
Two men and a woman in a room with a 18th century book open on display. The woman is talking about the book.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This week is the last chance to see our exhibition 'Gulliver 300', celebrating the 300th anniversary of the publication of Jonathan Swift's masterpiece. Catch it before it closes on Friday 4th September, and sets off on its travels to the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris!
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The beautiful watermark on a letter to our librarian in 1943 tells us the paper was made in Swift Brook paper mills, founded in 1785 in Saggart, Co. Dublin. They produced paper for bank notes, stamps, and also the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, before finally closing in 1972.
Sheet of notepaper showing a watermark of a tower and a hound and text 'Ancient Irish Vellum' [class of paper] and 'Made in Saggart Co Dublin'
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A magnified transection of a thistle stalk by Nehemiah Grew. Grew was one of the first scientists to use a microscope to study the internal structure of plants.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The very lovely Sandi Toksvig visited our library early in the summer, and we're delighted to see the promo video for her forthcoming shows about Irish literature for Britain's Channel 4 on the 3rd and 10th of September. vimeo.com/1210556076?s... #Sandi’sIreland #Corneliastreetproductions #Channel4
vimeo.com
Vimeo
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The names of Robert and Elizabeth Cotton are inscribed at the front of Commentarius brevis rerum in orbe gestaru (1586). Strangely, they appear to be written in a child's hand.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
16th century decorated initials spelling out the name of our founder: Narcissus Marsh
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A glimpse of a fragment of a medieval music manuscript, recycled in a 16th century binding, it's vellum lending strength as a guard. It's only a few notes, but someone might recognise it?
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Paul Geslin left a lovely detailed inscription on this 1599 Heidelberg Bible. He gives us his motto 'With trembling and joy', and tells us he bought the book in December 1618 for 18 lt (I think!). We're not sure about the bookseller if anyone has any ideas?
Detail of a page from a 16th century book with an inscription in ink
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Squish! A mosquito caught between the pages of Isaac Barrow's mathematical lectures, printed in 1684 #WorldMosquitoDay
Bottom corner of a page from a 17th century book. Printed text is in Latin and Greek. There is a squashed mosquito in the margins.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Dutch merchant & spy Jan Huygen van Linschoten from II Par Indiae Orientalis (1599). Van Linschoten copied important Portuguese nautical charts while on assignment in Goa, which opened up the East Indies to Dutch traders.
Page from a 16th century book showing an engraving of a man and text in Latin below.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
A trefoil was one of many ways early readers indicated important sections in their books. This one was left in the works of Nicolas Le Fèvre (Paris, 1614). It belonged to the antiquarian Robert Cotton before it arrived to Marsh's 320 years ago in the collection of Edward Stillingfleet #BookHistory
Detail of a 17th century printed page with text in French and a trefoil, a decorative mark to indicate importance, in the marginTitle page of Nicolas Le Fevre's Opuscula, with the signature 'Robertus Cotton Bruceus' at the bottom of the page
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
A tiny map of the world from 1732 showing California as an island. This fake news started in the 16th century & proved persistent in spite of evidence to the contrary. One of 65 maps from our very rare pirated edition of Herman Moll's Atlas minor, printed in Dublin to avoid English copyright law.
18th century engraving showing a map of the world presented as two globes side by side with a list of the trade winds above and representations of people, including allegorical characters, below
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Personally I'd advise against taking a journey and a laxative together, but I'd be wrong according to the 'Mansions of the moon'! This lunar zodiac can help with any decision from 'when should I cut my hair', to 'is it a good time to marry or take a journey'. From Astrologia restaurata, London, 1653
Part of a page from a Ramsey's Astrologia restaurata; or astrologie restored (London, 1653). It shows the first 17 of 28 'Mansions of the moon' presented in a box with columns titled 'Mansion [number]' 'sign' 'D. M' 'Qualities' and 'Elections'Part of a page from Astrologia restaurata; or astrologie restored titled chapter II 'containing the rules of election in the cutting of hair'
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Happy solar eclipse day! The solar eclipse of the 8th April 1652 as recorded by the great Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in his Selenographia #SolarEclipse
Plate showing observations of the sun during a lunar eclipse
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
An early user of this book of Donato's madrigals found the music incomplete and continued it themselves #rarebooks #music
Page showing the Basso part of Baldessare Donato's setting of Petrarch's Rerum Vulgarium Fragmenta XXII with additional notes added in ink
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Splattered ink across the pages of Nicholas Faber's works, printed in 1614. Pages 118-9 show similar marks, indicating it happened when the sheet was taken off the press. A reminder of the skill involved in printing in the hand-press period & how easily things could go awry! #Printing #Errors
Opening of a book, showing pages 114-115 of 'Opuscula' by Nicholas Faber with ink splattered across the pages.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
No 484 on the left is from the library of Henry VIII, to my eye No 169 looks very similiar - someone more familiar with the royal library might weigh in! 169 is Fox's 'Gravissimae, atque exactissimae illustrissimarum totius Italiae, et Galliae' supporting Henry's annulment from Catherine of Aragon.
Detail from Liber trium virorum, Paris 1513, showing royal library inventory number 484detail from a page of Gravissimae, atq[ue] exactissimae illustrissimaru[m] totius Italiae, et Galliae Academiaru[m] censurae ... 1530, with 'No 169' in the top corner
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I think I can just make out 'socius ... Oxon' in the inscription, but alas our owner remains unknown (to me anyway). From a 1513 Paris printing of John of Salisbury's 'Policratici' #BookHistory #Owners
Corner of a 16th century title page showing the edge of the printed text in red and black with an ownership inscription next to it
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Nothing says fancy like a pineapple! This is a detail from the 16th century binding of 'Liber trium virorum', printed in Paris in 1513. The book is from the library of Henry VIII and has been on our shelves since 1707.
Detail from a binding showing a gold roll in the centre on medium brown leather. The roll includes a pineapple motif among leaves.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The wonderfully elaborate mark of Parisian printer Berthold Rembolt, from the title page of John of Salisbury's Policraticus, printed 513 years ago.
Detail of a printer Berthold Rembolt's mark showing lions rampant on either side of a shield and a vine behind
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Reposted by Marsh's Library
Laura Cleaver @laurajcleaver.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
My copy of Manuscript Studies arrived today 🎉 It contains an essay on how medieval manuscripts ended up in @marshslibrary.bsky.social to accompany our new catalogue. Also available online: muse.jhu.edu/issue/56871
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
In our latest blogpost, recent Maddock Fellow Dr Thomas Matthew Vozar looks at how early readers responded to John Milton’s radical prose writings marshlibrary.ie/encounters-w...
marshlibrary.ie
Encounters with Milton at Marsh’s Library - Marsh's Library
During his recent Maddock Fellowship at Marsh's, Dr Thomas Matthew Vozar looked at how early readers responded to John Milton’s radical prose writings.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The beautiful Indian roller, or 'Indian Jay' as it was called in the 18th century. This beauty was painted on vellum by naturalist Eleazar Albin nearly 300 years ago, as an exemplar for his Natural History of Birds (1731-8) #birds #watercolours
Photo of a page in a bound volume, showing a painting of a colourful bird in profile, perched on a branch.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
A unicorn (sort of?!) watermark from endpapers of Bernard Von Breydenbach's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, printed in 1486 and rebound in the 20th century. The countermark shows the initials JGL #paper #watermark
Endpaper showing unicorn watermarkEndpaper showing initials JGL
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Peek-a-boo! An illuminated miniature marking the beginning of 'Numbers', from our 13th century Bible made in Italy or France #ManuscriptMonday
Detail of a page from from a 13th century Bible showing the text in a gothic hand, with a miniature of the angel appearing to King David (?) on the left
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Word of the day : Sammelband - from German, meaning a volume of separate printed items bound together. This one has two pamphlets that belonged to poet John Donne, both bearing his motto 'Per Rachel ho servito & no per Lea' and his signature.
17th century title page17th century title page
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Don't forget that the closing date for our Maddock Research Fellowships is the close of business next Thursday, 30th July: marshlibrary.ie/about/news-e...
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Shiny! An illuminated initial 'E', with bonus bird, from a 13th century English Bible #Manuscript
Detail of a page of parchment from a 13th century Latin Bible. The text is in ink with an initial illuminated 'E' marking the beginning of the book of Ezequiel ('Et factum est in tresimo anno). A bird stands atop the 'E' and marks the edge of the text.
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Marsh's Library @marshslibrary.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The frontispiece of Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius' 'Machinae coelestis' from 1673 shows his predecessors Hipparchus, Ptolemy, Copernicus & Tycho Brahe who laid the foundations of astronomy.
Engraved frontispiece from Machina Coelestis
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