There are over twenty categories of books inside the Portico Library’s nineteenth-century collection. Some are stored on the highest shelf, four meters above the ground. The titles that are visible on the spines invite you to open them and to read what people read 200 years ago… They include intriguing titles like Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling or curious ones such as Things not generally known.
Volunteers help us take care of our historic books and introduce them to our visitors. We cannot look after this collection without the support of our volunteers; they are the people closest to our books. Some of them know a shelf so well it is like the back of their hand.
Many of our volunteers are students in arts, literature, conservation, and library management. We also have people who work in different fields, whose everyday roles are a contrast to their passion for books, reading and history. We want to celebrate the support from our volunteers and introduce their knowledge about our books as both a thank you and a way into understanding our collection.
This exhibition gathers together stories written, interpreted, and shared by our volunteers about what captivates them in the collection. From barely touched books at the top of the shelf to the irreplaceable Portico Archive, a wide range of interests are shared and explained in this display.
Read, feel, and see. We invite everyone to explore these stories and join our volunteers as they share their passion for the books inside these historic walls.
THE BOOKS
Each volunteer was tasked with exploring one book each from every category we offer in the Portico’s collection. You will see a versatile range of rare books, such as a 1st edition of Shirley (Charlotte Brontë) on display, alongside books from twenty different categories; Curious myths of the Middle Ages from Mythology; Woodland, Moor and Stream from Natural History; The Laws of Harmonious Colouring in Fine Arts; Queer Things about Japan from Voyages and Travel; Contributions to Solar Physics in Science; ‘The Stranger’s Book’ from the Portico Archive and many more.
THE EXHIBITION
There is a wide range of historic books on show with views and suggestions from more than twenty volunteers. There will also be a Reading Area where everyone can read a selection of nineteenth century books in a dedicated space. At the centre of the exhibition, is a colourful illustration centrepiece reproduced from images and titles in the Library collection. There will also be an area to learn about the Library’s mission to restore and conserve historic books and how people can take part in this process.
FEATURED EVENT
Shirley – Charlotte Brontë and The Industrial Novel online Reading Group. A partnership event with Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, the Brontë Parsonage Museum, The Portico and Manchester Metropolitan University Part of the Mary Barton season of events at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.
More information on the event is on the Portico website: www.theportico.org.uk/event-
