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The Bodleian Libraries (BODcasts)

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The Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford is the largest university library system in the United Kingdom. It includes the principal University library - the Bodleian Library - which has been a legal deposit library for 400 years; as well as 28 other libraries across Oxford including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 12 million printed items, over 80,000 e-journals and outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera. Members of the public can explore the collections via the Bodleian’s online image portal at digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk or by visiting the exhibition galleries in the Bodleian's Weston Library. For more information, visit www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

# Episode Title Description People Date
101 Creative Commons Dickens' Railways Professor Stphen Gill, Lincoln College, gives a talk about the influence the Railways had on Charles Dickens' literature. Stephen Gill 26 Oct 2012
102 Scritture umanistiche elementari (in Italian) Teresa De Robertis (Florence), gives a talk for The unskilled scribe: Elementary hands and their place in the history of handwriting, a seminar held on 30th September 2016. Teresa De Robertis 14 Oct 2016
103 Creative Commons The Romance of the Middle Ages Dr Nicholas Perkins talks about how romance functions as a genre in the middle ages, especially about how gifts and tokens were exchanged as signs of fidelity, specifically in Sir Orfeo, Sir Gawain, and King Horn. Nicholas Perkins 21 Jun 2012
104 Hands turned to stone: some unconventional attempts at inscriptional lettering Marc Smith (Paris), gives a talk for The unskilled scribe: Elementary hands and their place in the history of handwriting, a seminar held on 30th September 2016. Marc Smith 14 Oct 2016
105 Creative Commons Jane Austen's Manuscripts Explored Professor Kathyrn Sutherland from the University of Oxford talks around the manuscripts of Jane Austen, what we can learn from them about her family life but also her writing style and techniques. Kathryn Sutherland 08 Jun 2012
106 Introduction to the unskilled scribe Irene Ceccherini (Oxford) gives a talk for the unskilled scribe: Elementary hands and their place in the history of handwriting, a seminar held on 30th September 2016. Irene Ceccherini 14 Oct 2016
107 Creative Commons The Watsons: Jane Austen Practising Professor Kathryn Sutherland from the University of Oxford talks about some of Jane Austen's manuscripts from the novel "The Watsons" and what we can learn about her from these. Kathryn Sutherland 08 Jun 2012
108 Elementary cursive handwriting in English and Scottish Charters, 1150-1250 Teresa Webber (Cambridge), gives a talk in the the unskilled scribe: Elementary hands and their place in the history of handwriting, held on September 30th 2016. Teresa Webber 14 Oct 2016
109 Creative Commons Wireless Communications during the Titanic Disaster Michael Hughes (Bodleian Libraries) gives a talk about the final wireless communications from the Titanic. Michael Hughes 22 May 2012
110 Elite Folktales: An Exquisite Sixteenth-Century Persian Illustrated Manuscript in the Bodleian Library's Ouseley Collection A conversation with Dr Nasrin Askari, Bahari Visiting Fellow in the Persian Arts of the Book 2016 and Alasdair Watson, Bahari Curator of Persian Collections, Bodleian Library Nasrin Askari, Alasdair Watson 02 Aug 2016
111 Creative Commons The Bodleian Library and the Scientific Revolution Dr Poole presents the Bodleian and the seventeenth-century Scientific Revolution in terms of its contributions to Oxford and to British science in the period. William Poole 08 May 2012
112 Launch of the 15th Century Booktrade Cristina Dondi and her colleagues launch the 15th Century Booktrade. Cristina Dondi, Kristian Jensen, Geri Della Rocca de Candal, Simon Walton 21 Jul 2016
113 Creative Commons Shakespeare and Medieval Romance Professor Helen Cooper, University of Cambridge, speaks about the continuities between the Romance of the middle ages and Shakespeare's plays. She looks at textual features from his plays (including King Lear) which may indicate his influences. Helen Cooper 12 Apr 2012
114 Brown's landscapes in the twenty-first century Join the head gardeners of Stowe and Compton Verney to explore the challenges, changes and rewards of protecting and preserving Capability Brown's landscapes in his tercentenary year. Barry Smith, Gary Webb 21 Jul 2016
115 Creative Commons The Birth of Romance in England Dr Laura Ashe delivers a lecture on the birth of romance in England in the 12th Century, part of a series of lectures to accompany The Romance of the Middle Ages exhibition at the Bodleian Library. Laura Ashe 23 Feb 2012
116 Life, death and astrology in Shakespeare's England Lauren Kassell (Reader in the History of Science and Medicine, Cambridge) gives a talk for the Bodleian libraries. Lauren Kassell 30 Jun 2016
117 Creative Commons The Role of Open Access in Maximising The Impact of Biomedical Research Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, gives a lecture on scholarship, publishing and the dissemination of research designed to stimulate debate in Oxford on the issues surrounding changes in scholarly communications. Sir Mark Walport 26 Apr 2011
118 Eloquence vault mieulx que force Vernacular Translations of Plutarch and Political Argument in Renaissance France Rebecca Kingston 30 Jun 2016
119 Creative Commons Brought to Book: Book History and the Idea of Literature Professor Paul Eggert, University of New South Wales, gives the 17th Annual D.F. McKenzie lecture on the subject of books and gives a case study of Henry Lawson, Australian author of Where the Billy Boils. Paul Eggert 09 Mar 2011
120 Memorialising Shakespeare: The First Folio and other elegies Emma Smith (Professor of English Literature, Oxford), gives a talk on Shakespeare memorials. Emma Smith 02 Jun 2016
121 Creative Commons Mary Shelley - Journal of Sorrow Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. In the months immediately following Shelley's death Mary lived at Albaro on the outskirts of Genoa. Her only regular companions were her young son, Percy Florence, and the journal she began on 2 October 1822. Nouran Koriem 02 Dec 2010
122 Venus and Adonis Professor Katherine Duncan Jones, Senior Research Fellow, Somerville College, gives a talk on Shakespeare's poem, Venus and Adonis. Katherine Duncan-Jones 20 May 2016
123 Creative Commons William Godwin- Letter to Mary Shelley Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. This is the letter Godwin wrote to Mary after hearing of Shelley's death. Hoare Nairne 02 Dec 2010
124 Donne to Death Peter McCullough, Professor of English, University of Oxford, gives a talk on John Donne. Peter McCullough 13 May 2016
125 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley - Letter to Mary Shelley Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. 'Everybody is in despair and every thing in confusion' writes Shelley in his last letter to Mary. He was in Pisa to discuss a new journal, The Liberal, with Leigh Hunt and Lord Byron. Henry Cockburn 02 Dec 2010
126 Everyday death in Shakespeare's England This podcast talks about accidental deaths and the hazards of everyday life in Shakespeare's day Steven Gunn 05 May 2016
127 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley - Adonais. An Elegy on the Death of John Keats Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. This great elegy was prompted by the news of the death of John Keats in Rome, and by Shelley's belief that Keats's illness was caused by the hostile notices his work had been given in the Quarterly Review. Jordan Saxby 02 Dec 2010
128 The Magic of Shakespeare This lecture will celebrate Shakespeare's immortality on the exact 400th anniversary of his burial. It will begin from Theseus' famous speech in A Midsummer Night's Dream about the magical, transformative power of poetry. Jonathan Bate 03 May 2016
129 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley - Opening lines of 'The Triumph of Life' Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Shelley worked on 'The Triumph of Life', a dark and visionary poem, while living at the Villa Magni. Hoare Nairne 02 Dec 2010
130 Books for mind and community in 12th-century Oxford and Cirencester In this talk Andrew Dunning (Royal Bank of Canada Foundation Fellow) traces the development of the work of Alexander Neckam, one of the earliest known lecturers in Oxford, through manuscripts housed at the Bodleian. Andrew Dunning 04 Apr 2016
131 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley - Dedication fair copy of 'With a guitar. To Jane' Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Shelley presented this light-hearted poem, copied out in his best hand, with the guitar he gave to Jane Williams in 1822. Jordan Saxby 02 Dec 2010
132 1594: Shakespeare's most important year In the summer of 1594 William Shakespeare decided to invest around 50 Pounds to become a shareholder in a newly formed acting company: Lord Chamberlain's Men. This lecture examines the consequences of this decision, unique in English theatrical history. Bart van Es 02 Mar 2016
133 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley - Fair copy of Ode to the West Wind Part of the Shelly's Ghost Exhibition. Shelley's best-known poem was written in Florence in late 1819. Christopher Adams 02 Dec 2010
134 The Prayer-Book of Abbess Odilia Abbess Baerbel Goercke, Mariensee, delivers a talk for the Medingen Manuscripts Masterclass. Bärbel Görcke 22 Feb 2016
135 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley - Draft of 'Ozymandias' Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. 'Ozymandias' is the Greek name for Ramses II, who ruled Egypt for sixty-seven years from 1279 to 1213 BC. Christopher Adams 02 Dec 2010
136 Musical Notation Ulrike Hascher-Burger, Utrecht University, delivers a talk for the Medingen Manuscripts Masterclass. Ulrike Hascher-Burger 22 Feb 2016
137 Creative Commons Mary Shelley (with Percy Bysshe Shelley) - Draft of Frankenstein Mary Shelley drafted Frankenstein in two tall notebooks. The first notebook was probably purchased in Geneva, the second several months later in England. Christopher Adams 02 Dec 2010
138 The Incunable Traces Alan Coates, Rare Books Assistant Librarian, Bodleain, delivers a talk for the Medingen Manuscripts Masterclass. Alan Coates 22 Feb 2016
139 Creative Commons Harriet Shelley - Letter to Eliza Westbrook, Shelley and her parents Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Harriet Shelley drowned herself in December 1816, aged twenty-one. Her body was recovered from the Serpentine on 10 December, and an inquest into the death of one 'Harriet Smith' was held the following day. Hannah Morrell 02 Dec 2010
140 Cistercian Punctuation Nigel F. Palmer, Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford, delivers a talk for the Medingen Manuscripts Masterclass. Nigel Palmer 22 Feb 2016
141 Creative Commons Mary Shelley - Letter to Percy Bysshe Shelley Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Shelley and Mary arrived back in London to face the almost universal disapproval of family and friends, and severe money problems. Nouran Koriem 02 Dec 2010
142 The Plaque in the Psalter and the Bindings Andrew Honey, Book Conservator (Research and Teaching), University of Oxford, delivers a talk for the Medingen Manuscripts Masterclass. Andrew Honey 04 Feb 2016
143 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley - Joint journal entry Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Shelley and Mary eloped at 4.15 am on 28 July 1814, accompanied by Mary's step-sister Jane Clairmont. Henry Cockburn 02 Dec 2010
144 Masterclass: Medingen Manuscripts - Introduction Introduction to the Masterclass by Professor Henrike Laehnemann, Chair of Medieval German Literature and Linguistics, University of Oxford. Henrike Lähnemann 04 Feb 2016
145 Creative Commons Percy Bysshe Shelley: Letter to William Godwin Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Using false names, Shelley sent copies of The Necessity of the Atheism to 'men of thought and learning', including bishops and clergymen. Henry Cockburn 02 Dec 2010
146 200 years of fun and games Richard Ballam talks about the rich collections of games and pastimes he has recently donated to the Bodleian, the subject of the display Playing with History. Richard Ballam 29 Jan 2016
147 Creative Commons William Godwin: Memoirs of the Author of a Vindication of the Rights of Woman Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Godwin's memoir of Mary Wollstonecraft has been called the first modern biography. At the time, however, its frankness and emotional candour provoked general outrage. Henry Cockburn 02 Dec 2010
148 Creative Commons The Future of Research Libraries A talk delivered by Andrew Green at the Anybook Oxford Libraries Conference 2015 - Adapting for the Future: Developing Our Professions and Services, 21st July 2015. Andrew Green 15 Sep 2015
149 Creative Commons Mary Wollstonecraft Three notes to William Godwin Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. Even after their marriage Godwin and Wollstonecraft preferred to live independently during the day, and communicate by correspondence. Hannah Morrell 02 Dec 2010
150 Creative Commons Leadership and Embedding a Culture of Innovation at the University of Manchester A talk delivered by Jan Wilkinson at the Anybook Oxford Libraries Conference 2015 - Adapting for the Future: Developing Our Professions and Services, 21st July 2015. Jan Wilkinson 15 Sep 2015
151 Creative Commons Mary Wollstonecraft - A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Part of the Shelley's Ghost Exhibition. In her most famous work Mary Wollstonecraft argued that if women were educated in the same way as men they would perform as well. Annabell James 02 Dec 2010
152 The State of the Archives in the UK and the Challenges Ahead A talk delivered by Clem Brohier at the Anybook Oxford Libraries Conference 2015 - Adapting for the Future: Developing Our Professions and Services, 21st July 2015. Clem Brohier 15 Sep 2015
153 Creative Commons Oxford Literary Festival 2010 Pieces of Places Discussion The Weirdstone of Brisingamen Alan Garner, Mark Edmonds and Robert Powell take part in a discussion on the subject of pieces of places, objects and artefacts found and what they mean for writing fiction and for archeology in general. Alan Garner, Mark Edmonds, Robert Powell 21 Jun 2010
154 Creative Commons Evidence-Based Decision Making for Collection Management A talk delivered by Paul Cavanagh and James Kay at the Anybook Oxford Libraries Conference 2015 - Adapting for the Future: Developing Our Professions and Services, 21st July 2015. Paul Cavanagh, James Kay 15 Sep 2015
155 Creative Commons Oxford Literary Festival 2010 Pieces of Places - Reading of Alan Garner's Work The 50th anniversary of the publication of Alan Garner's first novel, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. A talk examining the importance of place in Alan Garner's work. Robert Powell gives a reading of The Stone Book, from The Stone Book Quartet. Robert Powell, Alan Garner 21 Jun 2010
156 Malone's Chronologizing of Aubrey's Lives (putt in writing... tumultuarily) Keynote lecture by Margreta de Grazia, (Emerita Sheli Z. and Burton X. Rosenberg Professor of the Humanities, University of Pennsylvania) for the Marginal Malone conference held in Oxford on June 26th, 2015. Margreta de Grazia 04 Aug 2015
157 Creative Commons Oxford Literary Festival 2010 By Seven Firs and Goldenstone - An account of the Legend of Alderley Alan Garner gives an illustrated lecture on the Legend of Alderley. This version of the myth of the Sleeping Hero is rooted to places on Alderley Edge in Cheshire, where Alan Garner grew up. Alan Garner 21 Jun 2010
158 Distinguishing Marks of Genius What do geniuses have in common, across the arts and sciences? And how do we distinguish genius from talent? Andrew Robinson, author of Genius: A Very Short Introduction, considers (a little of) the evidence. Andrew Robinson 15 Jul 2015
159 Pre-1500 Printed Books The earliest printers spread from Mainz in Germany where Gutenberg first had his printing house to Venice, Rome, Paris, and the Netherlands. Examples from all of these centres of 15th-century printing are found in Bodleian collections. Paul Nash 05 Mar 2010
160 Pieces of the jigsaw: history through the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera A lunchtime lecture by Julie-Anne Lambert accompanying the exhibition Marks of Genius: Masterpieces from the Collections of the Bodleian Libraries. Julie-Anne Lambert 10 Jul 2015
161 BODcast: P.D. James in conversation with Colin Dexter (short) Special footage celebrating the launch of Talking about Detective Fiction by PD James, the latest Bodleian Library publication. PD James is donating all royalties from the hardback edition to the Bodleian and hopes it will encourage further philanthropy. P. D. James, Colin Dexter 30 Sep 2009
162 The Savile Library Lunchtime lecture by Will Poole accompanying the exhibition Marks of Genius: Masterpieces from the Collections of the Bodleian Libraries. Will Poole 09 Jul 2015
163 BODcast: P.D. James in conversation with Colin Dexter (long) Special footage celebrating the launch of Talking about Detective Fiction by PD James, the latest Bodleian Library publication. PD James is donating all royalties from the hardback edition to the Bodleian and hopes it will encourage further philanthropy. P. D. James, Colin Dexter 30 Sep 2009
164 Magna Carta and Wind In The Willows A short history of how the Bodleian library stores original copies of the Magna Carta and the original Wind in the Willows letters. Bodleian Library 11 Sep 2008
165 Reading at the 'Archipelago Poetry Evening' Reading at the 'Archipelago Poetry Evening'. Bernard O'Donoghue 30 Apr 2008
166 The Anglo-Saxon poem 'The Wanderer' Reading from his translation of the Anglo-Saxon poem 'The Wanderer'. Greg Delanty 30 Apr 2008
167 A poem by Osip Mandelshtam (read in Russian) An introduction and excerpts from a poem by Osip Mandelshtam (read in Russian). Andrew Kahn 30 Apr 2008
168 Reading of a poem in Scottish Gaelic Reading of a poem in Scottish Gaelic. Mark Williams 30 Apr 2008
169 Reading from his poem 'Flood' Reading from his poem 'Flood'. Paul Abbot 30 Apr 2008
170 Reading from his poem 'Muck' Reading from his poem 'Muck'. Mick Imlah 30 Apr 2008
171 The origins of 'Archipelago' The origins of 'Archipelago'. Andrew McNeillie 29 Apr 2008
172 Introduction to the Archipelago Poetry Evening Introduction to the Archipelago Poetry Evening. Chris Fletcher 29 Apr 2008
173 Seamus Heaney reading two contributions Two contributions to the first issue of "Archipelago". Seamus Heaney 29 Apr 2008
174 Paradise Lost Book One: Milton's ambitions Milton’s ambitions as a poet. Sam Dastor 29 Apr 2008
175 Paradise Lost Book Four Satan first spies Adam and Eve. Sam Dastor 29 Apr 2008
176 Paradise Lost Book One: Satan's first speech Satan’s first speech. Sam Dastor 29 Apr 2008
177 Samson Agonistes The Biblical hero Samson bewailing his political and personal state. Sam Dastor 29 Apr 2008
178 Aeropagitica Milton’s defense of the freedom of the press written to Parliament. Sam Dastor 29 Apr 2008