Foxcroft Lecture: Books in hand; but whose hands? 17th-century rare books from the Emmerson and Thomason Collections

Historical printed books pass through many and myriad hands. But to whose hands and how? 

For our 2023 Foxcroft Lecture Christian Algar, Curator of Printed Heritage Collections at the British Library, will explore how to demystify rare books, facilitate meaningful access and investigate a library’s role in rare book collecting. 

Against this setting, Christian will consider two major rare books collections: The Thomason Tracts, held at the British Library, and our very own John Emmerson Collection. How can we popularise using rare books? And in what ways can we help convey the messages of past lives to people in the present day?   

Book now to discover the answers.

This event is part of Beyond the Book: Transforming the Early Modern Archive. View the full series of events here.

About Christian Algar 

Christian Algar is a Curator of Printed Heritage Collections at the British Library, currently on secondment there working with Heritage Community Engagements Projects. Christian’s expertise comes from his access over many years to an unrivalled collection of early modern printed materials – physical items which many scholars and experts in their fields often have limited exposure to.  

About the Thomason Tracts 

A vast collection of pamphlets, books, and newspapers, printed between 1640 and 1661, The Thomason Tracts are held in London at the British Library, and were brought together by the London bookseller, George Thomason (c. 1602-66). His collection consists of over 22,000 printed items, bound in 2000 volumes.

About the Foxcroft Lecture  

The annual Foxcroft Lecture honours the pioneering bibliographer Albert Broadbent Foxcroft, who began working at State Library Victoria in 1902 at the age of 17 until his untimely death in 1938. He left an enduring legacy of scholarship and was highly regarded and influential in developing the Library's rare books collection.

About the Emmerson Collection

The Emmerson Collection of rare books is Australia's largest collection of rare British printed works. The collection will be featured feature in State Library Victoria’s latest exhibition, Beyond the Book: A Journey through the Emmerson Collection, which creates a new way to experience rare books and collection data in the digital realm. This project has been developed through a collaborative partnership funded by an ARC Linkage Grant.

Exhibition partners include Australian National University, University of Newcastle, Victoria University of Wellington and State Library Victoria.