W.D. Jordan Library

The broken spine of Pastoral Instruction (1823) exposes a hidden layer of history: binders’ waste repurposed from older printed materials. Long before recycling was a buzzword, bookbinders reused discarded pages to reinforce new volumes. ##SpecialCollections

Legendary King Leir, inspiration for Shakespeare’s King Lear, in a 1577 woodcut from Holinshed’s Chronicle—a key source for the Bard. In just days, our new exhibit Books in Shakespeare’s Heart opens, featuring the very editions Shakespeare read! #Shakespeare #TheBard #RareBooks

A feast for the eyes—and the imagination. This engraved title page from Gaspar Schott’s Physica Curiosa (1667) sets the tone for a book packed with wonders, oddities, and natural marvels. Part encyclopedia part cabinet of curiosities, this is early science at its most spectacular

These four leather-bound beauties—Table Book, Year Book, and Every-Day Book (1856–1866)—once belonged to Canadian author Robertson Davies. Part almanac, part miscellany, these volumes collected everything from seasonal lore to historical trivia—perfect for a man of letters.

Join us in Kingston Sept 12–13, for Cultivating Sustainable Collections—a gathering to share ideas, strategies, and actions for building more sustainable collection management and preventive conservation and practices. Let’s grow a greener future together! #SustainableCollections

Meet the good boys from the Cartwright Collection!  These two dapper dogs are captured in a photo album dating back to around 1871. We don’t know their names, but their expressions say it all — loyal, loved, and ready for their close-up. #CartwrightCollection #SpecialCollections

📏 This undated book of rates, tables & imperial standards was made for practical use—but its true story lies in the signature inside: Annie Gee Macaulay, mother of 9. A glimpse into the quiet labour of women balancing households & numbers. #WomenInTheMargins #FromTheStacks

Another scorcher out there? Cool off with the marbled endpapers of The Compleat Angler (1901). Izaak Walton knew the joys of a quiet stream and a good cast — or a good book. #MarbledMonday #SpecialCollections

This striking tree calf binding wraps Les Siècles chrétiens ou histoire (1785), a French devotional history. The “tree” effect was created by applying chemicals to calfskin—a blend of bookish chemistry and craftsmanship. #RareBooks #Bookbinding #TreeCalf

Happy #MarbledMonday! Look at the beautiful marbled fore-edges of The Forms of Water in Clouds & Rivers, Ice and Glaciers (1899). The blue cover echoes the subject matter the book explores.  #MarbledPaper #SpecialCollections #WynneEdwardsCollection #19thCentury

The British edition of Astounding Science Fiction, July 1953, features a vivid green cover featuring a skull and quill—because nothing says speculative fiction like death, ink, and imagination. #AstoundingScienceFiction

Just back from #RBMS25 and a highlight was visiting the iconic @BeineckeLibrary! We were lucky to see the Gutenberg Bible and the stunning Devonshire Chaucer up close. Huge thanks to our hosts for sharing these treasures. #RareBooks #SpecialCollections #JordanLibraryOnTheRoad

This 1650 edition of Dictionarivm historicvm, geographicvm, poeticvm holds more than just its own printed words — peek inside the cover and you’ll find a recycled leaf from a Bible with a rubricated letter! #RareBooks #17thcentury #rubricated #bible

#MarbledMonday meets heat wave in #ygk! This fiery marbled paper from Histoires tragiques (1568) looks as hot as it feels outside. Bonus: a peek at Isidoro Fernandez’s morocco bookplate — bookish style through the centuries! #RareBooks #SpecialCollections

Terentius cum quinque commentis (1508) — Terence’s comedies with 5 Renaissance-era commentaries. A handwritten title is on the foreedge. #RareBooks

Marbled paper from our 1617 Faerie Queene, part of the John Buchan Collection. Buchan’s label is still visible—this item was on display during the recent visit from the John Buchan Society. #RareBooks #JohnBuchan

An elegant ending: this 1743 edition of Remarks on the History of England closes this section with “Finis” above a delicate ornament — a quiet flourish marking the end of the chapter #RareBooks #Typography

Cocker’s Arithmetick (1677), signed nearly a century later: "Joseph Henshale his book, July 6, 1771." A 94-year-old math book still doing its job—proof that good arithmetic (and good penmanship) endures. #RareBooks

On June 10, 1791, the Constitutional Act divided Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada—an early step toward Confederation. It aimed to accommodate 10,000+ Loyalists who fled the U.S. after the Revolution. #cdnhist #OnThisDay

Found in the back of a 19th-century Polyglott Bible: a sketch of a figure and annotations. A glimpse of the reader behind the reading.