Heritage et AL

The map below is one of many beautiful and intricate hand-coloured illustrations and maps in Lodovico Guicciardini's book  on the Low Countries.  Sir George Grey Special Collection 's copy is a French edition published in Antwerp in 1567. It was donated to the library by Henry Shaw. The map is of Bolduch ('s-Hertogenbosch or the Duke's Forest) in the southern Netherlands. Iain Sharp notes in  Real Gold  that Guicciardini's book was one of the best sellers of the sixteenth century. Image ref: Map from: Lodovico Guicciardini.  Description de tovt le Païs-Bas, avtrement dict la Germanie inferievre, ov, Basse-Allemaigne. Antwerp: Guillaume Silvius, 1567. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 7-C1964. The two main methods for printing maps in the sixteenth century were relief (usually woodcut) and intaglio (copper engraving or etching). The map pictured is a copperplate engraving. The intaglio technique involves engraving l...

Over the years, many people have claimed to have a copy of the very first New Zealand Herald .   As there are only two known full copies, one with the publishers and the other with the National Library in Wellington, any other copy would be extremely valuable. Ref: excerpt from New Zealand Herald website, 27 February 2015. How then, can they be sure if the copy is indeed an original from 1863?

The Colenso Project is a collaboration between The Colenso Society , Victoria University of Wellington and Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery .  The intent of the project is to ignite public and academic interest in William Colenso’s words - published, unpublished, private letters and journals – both in Māori and English, by sharing  them with the world in digital form. Ref: AWNS-19250402-49-1, Sir George Grey Special Collections

STOP PRESS! BIRKENHEAD LIBRARY 'UPGRADES'! Birkenhead Library's new 'photocopier' has been installed just in time for the Heritage Festival.    Ref: Albion press at Birkenhead Library Birkenhead Library has got ye olde Albion press (made in c1863) up & running and invites people to come and have a go. Typeset your name! Ref: Albion press demonstration, Birkenhead Library Indent paper!  Ref: Albion press demonstration, Birkenhead Library  Make a bookmark!  Ref: Bookmarks made using the Albion Press, Birkenhead Library All welcome. Sessions times at Birkenhead Library are as follows: Sunday 7th October from 2pm-3pm Wednesday 10th October from 3pm-4pm Sunday 14th October from 2pm-3pm. With many thanks to Graham Judd of GTO Printers , Birkenhead, who has lent the press to the library.  You can find out more about letterpress by visiting his blog . For those interested, Andy English's b...