Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Professor William Whyte takes us on a journey from the earliest libraries (i.e., a box) through to gleaming 21st-century symbols of learning. Along the way, he explains why damp-proofing shouldn't involve sources of ignition and why jealousy may have inspired Europe's great libraries.
With thanks to the Chained Library at Hereford Cathedral.
For more on the architecture of Oxford's libraries, check out Geoffrey Tyack's book, available from Bodleian Library Publishing: bodleianshop.co.uk/products/oxford-libraries-architecture
And William's new book -- The University: A History in Stone, Silk and Blood -- is available for preorder now from Harvard University Press. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674495180
Professor William Whyte takes us on a journey from the earliest libraries (i.e., a box) through to gleaming 21st-century symbols of learning. Along the way, he explains why damp-proofing shouldn't involve sources of ignition and why jealousy may have inspired Europe's great libraries.
With thanks to the Chained Library at Hereford Cathedral.
For more on the architecture of Oxford's libraries, check out Geoffrey Tyack's book, available from Bodleian Library Publishing: bodleianshop.co.uk/products/oxford-libraries-architecture
And William's new book -- The University: A History in Stone, Silk and Blood -- is available for preorder now from Harvard University Press. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674495180
