Book of the month
Explore highlights from our collections, from the 15th century to the present day.
Benjamin Donn – Putting Devon on the map
In a fine example of competition as the fuel for innovation and scientific advancement, Benjamin Donn[e] produced A map of the county of Devon, with the city and county of […]
A British Science Week Special: Celebrating the Legacy of William Elford Leach
William Elford Leach (1791-1836) was a prominent zoologist, born in the height of the Age of Enlightenment in Plymouth, Devon. From a young age, he began to collect marine specimens […]
An unusual valentine: Jane Austen’s “Love and Freindship”
Donated in 1977 to the Institution as a generous gift from Chawton House, this small volume of Jane Austen's juvenilia has borne witness to a fascinating history of friendship and correspondence.
Annotating Alice: An Exam-Season Special Collection Highlight
January is exam season, and we would like to extend wishes of good luck to our student members, many of whom have been revising and studying here over the last […]
Charlotte Chanter’s “Ferny Combes” and the fashioning of the fern craze in Devon
“My humble effort is designed to lead the youthful and cheer the weary spirit, by leading them, with a woman’s hand, to the Ferny Combes and Dells of Devon.” Beautifully […]
Francis Stevens (1781-1823) and the Devon and Exeter Institution
The South West Collection includes many rare items that shed light on the history of our region. This lovely pocket sketchbook, bound in leather with a brass clasp, contains pencil sketches and notes by the landscape artist, etcher and drawing master, Francis Stevens (1781-1823).
Thomas Young (1773-1829) – ‘The last man who knew everything’
This month’s Book of the Month by Edward Maunder, a Library volunteer, is inspired by two books in our Early Science collection – Thomas Young’s A course of lectures on natural philosophy and the mechanical arts (1807) and George Peacock’s Miscellaneous works of the late Thomas Young (1855).
The Royal Record
Our collections are full of surprises. August's Book of the Month was discovered by one of our volunteers, Tony Rhodes, while working on the heritage collection in the Outer Library.
Weather reporting at the Devon and Exeter Institution
Rain, rain, go away, come again another day ... Are you wondering where summer is? From January 1817, one of the most important tasks of the Librarian at the Devon and Exeter Institution was taking twice-daily readings from the Institution's barometer and thermometer and recording them in a meteorological register.
Out of the woods
Though we are not quite out of the woods yet, we are delighted to welcome back our members and volunteers - and to meet new members. Our summer display in the Outer Library is a selection of poetry inspired by trees and spanning four centuries, from Robert Herrick’s ode to the willow to A. E. Housman’s celebration of the blossoming cherry – the loveliest of trees. Our display is organised in collaboration with Exeter Cathedral Library and Archives to celebrate Love Your Burial Ground Week, 5-13 June 2021.
