Celebrating 100 years of the Brotherton Collection

Join us for a year-long programme of activity to celebrate Lord Brotherton and his extraordinary legacy.

It was 9 February 1922 when Lord Brotherton bought the rare book of poetry that was to become the first volume in the Brotherton Collection. Over the next eight years, he gathered over 35,000 printed books and pamphlets, 30,000 letters and more.

We will be celebrating the Brotherton Collection and the centenary of its foundation throughout 2022, with key items on display in the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery throughout the year.

Join us for the free online launch event, A Library and a Legacy, on Wednesday 9 February, where Professor Michael Brennan, (School of English, University of Leeds), Dr Ruth Burton and Rhiannon Lawrence-Francis (Special Collections & Galleries, Leeds University Libraries) will tell you more about the man behind this exceptional collection and reveal some of its treasures.

Register now and a joining link will be sent to you before the event.

There will also be an online feature telling the Brotherton story and showcasing highlights from the collection launched on 9 February.

The Brotherton Collection of rare books and manuscripts is one of the most important and extensive to be established in England during the first half of the twentieth century.

Lord Brotherton made sure his library contained fine examples of everything from medieval illuminated manuscripts and early printed books to tiny items handwritten by the Brontës. He even achieved the ‘holy grail of book collecting’ - the four seventeenth-century Shakespeare Folios.

Visit the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery to see some of the collection on display.