Searching for Books in Europe| Bodle Library: Qian Zhongshu's "Full Beetle Building" in the Eyes of Qian Zhongshu

Bodleian Library of Books in Europe (01:06)

In terms of volume, the Bodleian Library at Oxford University is the second largest library in the UK, after the British Library. Qian Zhongshu and Yang Dai had studied hard here, and Qian Zhongshu translated its old museum as "Full Of The Beetle Building". The Duke Humphrey Library on the third floor of the Old Hall is the oldest reading room in the UK and is home to the Harry Potter medieval library at Hogwarts.

With this in mind, The Bodleian Library has rightly become a must-visit on my "Library of England Trip".

The Bodleian Library was an extension of the Humphrey Library, built in the 15th century by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. At that time, the Duke of Humphrey donated 281 manuscripts to Oxford University, including important classical documents, and this library was dedicated to his gifts. The Humphrey Library opened in 1488, but about 60 years after its opening, the library was forced to close due to factors such as the Reformation. By 1556, the collection of books was displaced, desks were sold, and reading rooms were occupied by the medical school.

Diplomat Sir Thomas Bodleian saved the library, and the name of the Bodleian Library was derived. Sir Bodley was an alumnus of Merton College, Oxford, and from 1585 to 1596 he made several trips across Europe, carrying out important diplomatic missions for Queen Elizabeth I. Bodley married a wealthy widow, which is probably one of the reasons why he later had the strength to donate to the library. Sir Bodley retired from public service and devoted himself to the business of building a new library for Oxford students. In 1598, his donation was accepted. The new library was completed and opened on November 8, 1602. In addition to this, in 1610 Sir Bodley signed a contract with the Stationers' Company of London, giving the library access to every book registered and published in the guild. Under Sir Bodley's guidance, the library increasingly became a national library.

There are more and more books, and libraries are dwarfed. Thus, from 1610 to 1612, Sir Bodley, who loved libraries and books, planned and funded the expansion of the library and built the "Art Corner" section. Unfortunately, Sir Bodley died on 28 January 1613. On the second day of his funeral, a project to expand the library into a courtyard began. This grand goal was also the wish of Sir Bodley during his lifetime. The buildings were used to hold lectures and examination halls to replace what Sir Bodley called "those little rooms that were broken", and whose expansion was financed mainly by loans and donations from the population. Sir Bodley specifically instructed in his will to use the money he had left behind to add a three-storey to the library to store more books. Later, these rooms became the birthplace of Britain's first public museum and gallery. In 1619, the courtyard was completed in the Gothic architectural style. Its follow-up work continued until 1624. Today, these rooms are still used as reading rooms and offices.

Entrance to the "Courtyard" of the Bodleian Library

Bodleian Library "Courtyard"

In front of the old building of the Bodley Library stands a bronze statue of William Herbert, Third Earl of Pembroke, who gazes eastward at the courtyard. The Earl was Chancellor of Oxford from 1617 to 1630. At his appeal, Pembroke House was created in 1624, and he also donated many manuscripts to the Bodleian Library. In 1723, the eighth Earl of Pembroke moved the statue of Herbert from his home to the Bodleian Library. Interestingly, many people often think of this as a statue of Oliver Cromwell.

The main entrance to the old Bodleian Library

Statue of Earl William Herbert

Since 1968, one needs to walk from the seminary's vestibule to the old building of the Bodleian Library. The seminary is located just downstairs from the "Arts Corner" of the Bodleian Library. Completed in 1483, this seminary is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and the oldest surviving university building. Anyone who signs up to visit the Humphrey Library will first witness the seminary. The dome of the seminary contains 455 elaborate carved embosses, including letters, heraldic and saintly. If you look closely, you will find interesting stories hidden in these carvings: such as the fox taking away the goose, the little boy encountering a bear in the forest, the little man peeping above the arch, and so on. According to the docent, medieval stonemasons were given a lot of rights, and they could willfully carve what they wanted to carve. Originally used for lectures, oral examinations, and theological discussions, the seminary is no longer available for these purposes, but can be rented for weddings.

Seminary dome carving

The highlight of the Old Bodleian Library building is naturally the Duke Humphrey Library. This quaint library is full of mystery. Historically, 5 kings, more than 40 Nobel laureates, 25 British prime ministers, and writers such as Oscar Wilde and C. S. Lewis have wandered or read hard in this library. Unfortunately, photography was forbidden in the museum, and I could only memorize the beautiful painted beams, portraits of the founders of the university along the walls, and busts of Sir Bodley and Charles I. I saw oxford students coming in and out, and they continued to read and study here, as if they were not at all affected by the tourists who came here. I couldn't help but envy: they sat in the library four or five hundred years ago, opening the ancient books that had been circulated for centuries, as if traveling through time and space, talking to history. Looking for wisdom from history, looking for enlightenment, is there anything happier than that?

Library of the Dukes of Humphrey (Image from the official website)

Don't be discouraged, though, visitors can't freely flip through the shelves of the Duke Humphrey Library, but they can feast their eyes at weston Library, the branch of the Bodleian Library. Exhibitions of ancient books are often held here around a certain theme. According to the docent, the coffee on the first floor of the Weston Library was also very delicious.

The Bodleian Library Branch Library Weston Library is exhibiting ancient books

(Cui Ying: Journalist, documentary filmmaker, columnist, PhD from the University of Edinburgh, loves walking and literature, likes to collect old illustration books from all over the world, and has published books such as "British Illustrators" and "British Illustration Book Collection". ）