Places where you can look at really old books

[MinnieMountain]

I'm trying to find places in Europe where it's possible to see really old and important books.

I'm currently in Trier and my absolute favourite thing today was visiting the room with the Codex Egberti in it.

I've tried to find other places with Really Old and Important Books, but the UNESCO world heritage list (which the Codex Egberti is on) seems to list places in wider terms.

Can anyone help? I've seen the Magna Carta in Lincoln and the special books room at the British Library.

Manuscripts: Chester Beatty library Dublin. He was great friends with Caloste Gulbenkian, so worth looking at the Gulbenkian Museum ( cant remember location).

The V&A has a prints room, but am wondering what you could access via V&A Storehouse.

Yes, it does. Treasures of the British Library. They change some of them up from time to tIme but the real stonkers are always there.

Hell yeah to that!

Plus, while you're in Portugal, why not visit this brilliant Lisbon museum: https://gulbenkian.pt/museu/en/gulbenkian-museum-collection/

There's the Armenia(n) collection, "largely composed of illuminated parchments from the 16th and 17th centuries, a clear indication of the collector’s interest in his Armenian origins." Plus some mediaeval illuminated manuscripts...."

Hell yeah to that too!

It is the most wonderful museum, and surprisingly (and undeservedly) little known. A proper cultural, architectural, domestic and artistic time capsule.

The British library has some great special exhibitions as well as the treasures gallery - the new one opening soon is about Agatha Christie so not such old material, but next autumn’s exhibition will be about the Norman Conquest so I can imagine will have some amazing medieval stuff! The one they did on Magna Carta a few years ago was incredible.

Yes! Although accessing all 23 of them might be tricky if you're not an academic/student/SCONUL student.

I like the publicly accessible Weston library with this current exhibition: https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/wonder-of-birds ("Highlights include ... Audubon’s Birds of America")

There's a library you can actually stay in, in Wales!

There's a new Shakespeare library just opened at The Globe on the South Bank. You need to register in advance to visit. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwm24vx00y9ko

Prague has some very old libraries

The old Strahov monastery library - medieval texts, close up displayed copies and lots of digitalised materials
https://www.strahovskyklaster.cz/en/for-visitors/what-you-can-visit/strahov-library

Clementinum - tour through jesuite library, astronomy tower, historical globes
https://prague.eu/en/objevujte/the-clementinum-astronomical-tower-and-baroque-library/
And the temporary exhibitions
https://www.nkp.cz/en/events?daterangefrom=&daterangeto=&text=&sorttype%5B%5D=2

The chained library in Wimborne Minster, Dorset. It's one of the largest in the UK, with manuscripts going back to the 14th century.

Another vote for the John Rylands Library, Manchester. Its also a really interesting gothic style building. The fabulous town hall is also nearby. Well worth a visit.

Durham - university and cathedral has various things, check the exhibitions on at the time but the Cosins library is beautiful. Also, if you put some legwork and contacted people in advance, you might be able to get a behind the scenes tour. It’s worth asking!

Staying at Gladstone’s Library - Gladstone's Library https://share.google/cQZYbTtDJqFIFxlbF

Just to mention, the Chester Beatty in Dublin is closed until end of December due to Ireland's turn at presidency of the EU. CB library is in Dublin Castle grounds where a lot of the EU stuff is happening. Just in case anyone was thinking of visiting it before December!

St Paul’s Cathedral library.

More places :) . That's my holidays sorted for a while.

Bonus points for PP who mentioned Germany and Antwerp as I love Germany and can get to both by train.

I did say in my OP that I've been to the British Library.

Hey on wye. The first ever book town! It’s so beautiful there as well

If you haven’t had enough of Chethams and John Rylands
in Manchester there’s also the Portico library on Mosley St, and Central library down the road in St Peter’s Square.

Thank you for posting. I did know that as am dealing with the curatorial team. But trying to do online, rather than physical as OP. And forgot!!

From trier (if you’re still there) you can easily get to Mainz to see the Gutenberg bible

Klementinum Library in Prague!

😍

What a wonderful thread!

How does one get in the Bodleian?
I could not find a strong enough reason to be allowed in?

3rd for Chester Beatty (after December). Sounds like Dublin has a lot.