On Friday 25 January, Cambridge University Library will be holding its 7th masterclass as part of the Incunabula Project.

The masterclass, entitled “Discovering Provenance in Book History”, will be led by David Pearson, Director of Culture, Heritage & Libraries at the City of London Corporation. David has published and lectured extensively in this area of book history and his books include Provenance Research in Book History (1994) and Books as History (2008); he also teaches a course on Provenance at the University of Virginia Rare Book School.

There is a growing recognition of the value of looking at provenance evidence in early books — the lessons about the social impact of books which can be learnt by looking at the ways they have been owned, marked, read, annotated, mutilated or ignored.  This workshop will explore these themes alongside some practical guidance on identifying the various kinds of evidence that can be found, with the help of examples from the early collections of Cambridge University Library, and the opportunity for hands-on exploration and discussion.

The seminar will be held in the Morison Room at the Library. It will start at 2.30pm and will last approximately 90 minutes, allowing time for questions and discussion. Attendance will be limited in order to allow all attendees a chance to see the books under discussion up close, and to participate in the discussion.

To book your place, please email <incunabula@lib.cam.ac.uk>.