Arena

Help support vital conservation work in Exeter Library’s Special Collections Archive, protecting Exeter’s heritage for future generations.

Exeter Library’s Special Collections Archive consists of around 6000 items, many of which are rare or even unique. The oldest item in the Archive is an Incunable dating from 1480 and is one of only 80 copies in existence. The other items range in date from 1480 to c.1900 and offer an exceptional record of the printed word through time.

Due to age and normal wear and tear through constant use, some important books in the Archive are becoming difficult to view and enjoy without increased conservation support. From simple repairs to full-scale restoration, many of the items are in need of care and attention from a professional book restorer.

It is vital that our unique Archive is kept in good condition to ensure that people can continue to access it for years to come. By adopting one of our identified priority titles, with just £25.00 you can support the conservation of Exeter Library’s Special Collections Archive, making these irreplaceable books more accessible both now and in the future.

Download our information leaflet and find out how you can Adopt a Book today

Book List

The following 13 titles are books that Exeter Library has identified as being priority items for restoration. Your donation will go directly towards the repair and conservation of your selected book. When the total amount necessary for the restoration of each book has been raised the work required on that item will take place in its entirety.

• The First Folio, facsimile edition of the Chatsworth copy - funding required £350
• A Complete Body of Ancient Geography, by Mons. D'Anville, 1775 - funding required £350
• The Arundel Society Portfolio - funding required £675
• A Natural History of Insects, by Eleazar Albin, 1720 - funding required £170
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, 1898 - funding required £170
• The Child's Guide to Knowledge, by Fanny Umpelby, 1848 - funding required £220
• A New and Accurate Description of all the Direct and Principal Cross Roads in England and Wales, by Daniel Paterson, 1786 - funding required £270
• Microcosm: or, a Picturesque Delineation of the Agriculture, Manufactures &c. of Great Britain, Volume 1, by Pyne and Hill, 1802 - funding required £200
• Phraseologia Generalis: ...A full, large, and general phrase book, 1693 - funding required £280
• The Book of the Dead: the Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum, by E.A. Wallis Budge, 1895 - funding required £200
• The Philosophical Principles of the Science of Brewing, by John Richardson, 1798 - funding required £180
• Theatrum Botanicum, by John Parkinson, 1640 - funding required £280
• Twelve Sermons upon Several Subjects and Occasions: The third volume. Never before printed, by Robert South, 1698 - funding required £250