Remarkable Books: Heritage Treasures of Bath Record Office

Remarkable Books : Heritage Treasures of Bath Record Office was a 2-day exhibition in the Guildhall on 27 & 28 June 2025 that highlighted some of the treasures that were acquired by the Special Collections of Bath Reference Library over the last century or so. The collection was transferred to the care of the Bath Record Office in 2017.

Books provide a unique link to the people who wrote them, printed them, bound them, traded them, read them, owned them, donated them and cared for them.

A book’s simplicity belies the depth of the historical information it may contain beyond the text. The covering or binding, the doodles and notes in the margins, the bookplates and library stamps, the paper’s watermark, the typeface chosen by the printer, the owner’s signature or mark on the title page, the choice of illustrations… all of this, and more, is material evidence of people and their relationship with books and their production.

The book in its physical form lives on despite the arrival of the digital age. Humans are tactile creatures, and many of us would rather feel the texture of the paper at our fingertips when turning the page of a printed book than click on an impersonal glass screen. Within the cacophony of the digital age in which we live, the physical manifestation of the printed book offers us a physical connection to society and those that went before us unlike any other.

This online exhibition is intended to provide a snapshot of the items that were displayed across the exhibition, not a comprehensive version of every display. Some items cannot be published online due to Copyright restrictions; however, all items remain in the care of the Record Office and are available to view by appointment. Please email for any further information on the collection or the items that were exhibited.

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Remarkable Books: Heritage Treasures of Bath Record Office

Explore Bath's world heritage

Explore Bath's world heritage

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Remarkable Books: Heritage Treasures of Bath Record Office

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