Sandars Readership in Bibliography
The Sandars Readership in Bibliography is one of the most prestigious honorary posts to which book historians, librarians and researchers can be appointed.
The Sandars Readership in Bibliography was instituted in 1895 with a bequest of £2000 left to the University by Mr Samuel Sandars of Trinity College (1837-1894), and continues today in the annual series of Sandars Lectures. Read more about the duties of the Reader here.
Sandars Lectures 2023-24
"Resistance to Bibliography"
Looking closely at examples of books that resist inquiry from readers, scholars, cataloguers, and historians, the lectures will use “resistance” as a method to question the status of bibliography in current practice.
From undated children’s books to Tarnschriften (clandestine anti-Nazi literature), the lectures will discuss books that deflect, deceive, and deny, arguing that there is much to learn from categories of books that do not readily reveal their identities.
Lecture 1: Isness and Aboutness
Tuesday 19 November 2024, 5-6pm
Do we trust books to be truthful in regard to their Isness and their Aboutness? The first lecture on Resistance to Bibliography is a meditation on how bibliography functions and how we think about the practice today. With a focus on the work of interrogating books to discern what they are meant to do in the world, this discursive talk aims to expand bibliography beyond the steadfastly descriptive and analytical to the ludic - an approach that engages with books that deceive slyly, lie boldly, and subvert our expectations.
Lecture 2: “Speak, Lytell Boke”: An Inquiry into Publication Dates of Books for Juveniles in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 19th Century
Wednesday 20 November 2024, 5-6pm
The second lecture on Resistance to Bibliography arrives freighted with the intent to answer a puzzling phenomenon: why do children’s books gradually seem to lose their publication dates as the 19th century progresses? Is this true? How do we build a workable inquiry and gather data? If the data supports this proposition, why did this happen? Answers (of some form) are promised - and contrary conjecture is welcomed.
About the speaker
Timothy Young has been the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts for the Yale Center for British Art since July 2023.
He previously worked as the Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in Yale University from 2002 to 2023. He holds a MLIS degree from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Texas at Austin, Texas.
His publications include The Great Mirror of Folly: The History of a Book and Proceedings from a conference (2013), The Uncollected David Rakoff (2015), Story Time: Essays on the Betsy Beinecke Shirley Collection of American Children's Literature (2017), zines 10 Reasons Books Matter (2017) and 10 Reasons Libraries Matter (2021); he was also a regular contributor to the Yale Review, focusing on “Recordings in Review” and “Fiction in Review” (2005 – 2019).
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