Exhibits

All are welcome to view our rare and special collections through our onsite and digital exhibits.

Onsite Exhibit: The Art of Bookbinding

Come and visit our current exhibit: The Art of Bookbinding: Handpress Era Bindings at the Graham Library.

This exhibit features a range of beautiful European book bindings from the handpress period (ca. 1450 – 1800). At this time, books were generally sold as sheets and then taken to a bindery where they were bound according to the individual purchaser’s tastes and budget. As unique, hand-made objects, bindings from this period reveal much about the histories, uses, and readers of early printed books.

The exhibit runs from January – June 2024. Drop by and view it on the Lower Level whenever the library is open!

Digital Exhibit: Early Printed Treasures at the Graham Library

The Early Treasures of the Graham Library exhibit highlights interesting items in our collection that were printed in Western Europe spanning the 15th to the 18th centuries. Since 1828 when Bishop John Strachan negotiated a donation to purchase books for the future divinity library of King’s College, later University of Toronto, our rare and special collections have been developed over time through the generosity of donors, bequests, acquisitions, and serendipity.

The John W. Graham Library’s rare books and special collections holds around 5000 volumes, and its focus has been primarily works from the Western European printing tradition, with the recognition that other printing technology and knowledge systems arose simultaneously across the globe. This exhibit will highlight some of our earliest printed sacred, literary, and scientific works to provide insight into the history of printing in Western Europe.