About the event
We’re all familiar with the pleasures and complexities of gift-giving, from the dilemmas of choosing a present ourselves, to stories about gifts, exchange and generosity passed down in many cultures.
The Bodleian’s current exhibition Gifts and Books, and its beautiful accompanying book of essays, explore all kinds of giving, ranging across several thousand years and many cultures. They include a magnificent horn given to York Minster a thousand years ago; a book made by Elizabeth I and given to her stepmother Katherine Parr; and a vibrant pop-up created by book artist Paul Johnson this year.
Join curator Nicholas Perkins for an insight into some of the books and objects, the stories that lie behind them – which are explored by leading academics in the exhibition book’s essays – and how they have come together to form a display reaching both deep into the Library’s collections, and out to communities and participants in Oxford and beyond. He’ll also be joined by Madeline Slaven, Head of Public Engagement at the Bodleian, to talk about how a major exhibition like this comes to life.
Speakers
Nicholas Perkins, Professor of Medieval Literature and Tutor in English, St Hugh's College, University of Oxford
Madeline Slaven, Head of Public Engagement, Bodleian Libraries
Friends of the Bodleian
This event is for Friends of the Bodleian members only.
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