Book of the month

Have you ever wondered why British MPs don’t address each other by name? The answer can be found in Erskine May’s ‘A Treatise upon the law, privileges, proceedings and usage of Parliament’ (1844). April’s Book of the Month blog explores the history of this ‘Bible of parliamentary procedure'.

March’s blog tells the story of Victorian entomologist Eleanor Ormerod. A pioneer in her field, she helped to define agricultural entomology as an academic discipline in Britain, and acted as de facto government entomologist long before the role was officially created.

Have you ever wondered which is the oldest book in the DEI library? February's Book of the Month blog sheds light on our mysterious fifteenth-century fragment, Sermones quadragesimales.

Step away from the darkness of January and into the light! This month's Book of the Month blog explores Friedrich Accum's 'A practical treatise on gas-light', (1815) and the introduction of this new technology to our own library.

Well it's a lot more than just dried fruit! December's Book of the Month blog tells the story behind the illustration chosen for this year's DEI Christmas card.

November's Book of the Month blog celebrates the career of Mary Somerville - a woman whose impact on the world of science was so profound that the word 'scientist' is thought to have been invented just for her.

For October's Book of the Month blog, Jenny Lloyd looks back on her People Talking project, which collected oral histories from working people in Exeter. Her nine published volumes provide a fascinating glimpse of life 100 years ago.

For September's Book of the Month blog, we question why a book in our heritage collection might be missing a number of its illustrations.

For August's Book of the Month blog, work experience student Thomas investigates the Earl of Clarendon's 'History of the rebellion and civil wars in England' (1707), a distinctly biased first-hand account of the English Civil War.