Key acquisitions
The Library added a number of key acquisitions to its collections, one of which was J G Ballard archive.
- St Cuthbert Gospel
The Library began an ambitious fundraising campaign to acquire the St Cuthbert Gospel, a 7th century manuscript which is the earliest surviving intact Western book and one of the world’s most significant books.
- Harold Pinter
The collection of awards and honours presented to Harold Pinter during the course of his career includes the writer’s 2005 Nobel Prize medal and diploma. The Library received the collection through the Acceptance In Lieu Scheme. It acquired Pinter’s archive in 2007.
- King Henry VIII prayer roll
The unique medieval prayer roll that once belonged to Henry VIII contains one of only three surviving examples of his handwriting from before his accession in 1509.
- Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath letters
The archive contains 41 letters from Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath to Olwyn Hughes, Ted Hughes’ sister, along with literary papers including early poetry and prose drafts and some previously unpublished material.
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