"Keeps its finger on the pulse of the rare book world" - William Reese

A collection of fine British literary treasures will go on display at the Bodleian Library for the first time ever following a £5m donation from a publishing magnate.

This is the largest single cash donation ever made to a university library in Britain, and will help finance a new hall for the Bodleian Library.

The hall will be named after Julian Blackwell, founder of Blackwell’s bookshops. He commented: “The Bodleian is unique. It not only has the largest and most important university collection in the world, but it is at the cutting edge of academic research.”

The Bodleian has a copy of almost every book printed and each week 5,000 more are added to its catalogue. The library’s treasures include the earliest complete book written in English, Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care, as well as Shakespeare’s First Folio and the original manuscripts of many novels, including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Previously works have been accessible to scholars alone.

http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/bodley