King's College Library, Cambridge

27/08/2026

The most recent post on our Special Collections blog is summer themed. Just in time for the rain!

Having experienced this long hot summer we can be forgiven for developing a sense of nostalgia for times past, when summers were generally more temperate and pleasant and trees and plants could flo…

16/07/2026

Ahead of a Prom next Tuesday featuring two of its songs, a new post on our special collections blog looks at an early 17th-century manuscript lute book containing works by John Dowland in the 400th anniversary year of his death.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of composer and lutenist John Dowland (born ca. 1563) who is widely recognised as the greatest English composer of lute music and lute songs. It g…

07/04/2026

We have now published a second blog post celebrating the Lunar year of the horse. This time, the focus is on myth, legend and fiction. Enjoy!

Welcome to the second instalment of our celebration of the arrival of the Lunar year of the Horse. This time the focus is on depictions of mythological, legendary and fictional horses, of which the…

31/03/2026

Dramatic view from the library office this afternoon!

13/02/2026

To celebrate the impending Lunar New Year of the horse we bring you a new post on our special collections blog, with an equine theme. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Given the importance of horses in human history we were inevitably spoilt for choice when it came to selecting equine-related images to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Horse. What follows, ther…

16/12/2025

Jane Austen was born 250 years ago today. To celebrate her sestercentennial, here's an online version of the exhibition we mounted in September for Open Cambridge. Enjoy!

Today, 16 December 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Events have been held throughout the year to celebrate this occasion. As part of Open Cambridge on 17 September, King’s …

01/12/2025

Why not get December off to the best possible start with Gareth's bumper multimedia blog post looking at Kingsman Orlando Gibbons' music in various items from our Rowe Music Library!

This year at King’s we have been marking the 400th anniversary of the death of the composer Orlando Gibbons. Gibbons was born in Oxford in 1583 to a musical family who moved to Cambridge when…

20/11/2025

We have now published the second of our railway themed blog posts. This focuses mainly on early train travel in the Lake District. Enjoy!

In this second blog post marking 200 years of the modern railway, we focus mainly upon its arrival and early years in the Lake District, with a few other choice items from our collections making an…

13/11/2025

The latest post on our special collections blog looks at the arrival of the railway in Cambridge, 180 years ago this year!

This year marks both 200 years of the modern railway and the 180th anniversary of the opening of Cambridge Station on 29 July 1845. These anniversaries prompted us to search out and share some rai…

29/08/2025

New on our special collections blog is an online version of a recent exhibition on the topic of moon exploration, including library items from the 16th to the 20th century. Features moving wheels, flying chariots and Meg and Mog!

We recently mounted a small exhibition on the subject of moon exploration, using items from our collections. In case you didn’t get to see it, here’s an online version of some of the exhibits. *** …