Magdalen Libraries & Archives

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Happy Christmas from the Library and Archives Team. We hope you're enjoying the food, drink, and time spent with family and friends this festive period. 🎄🦃🎁 #WeeklyWildeWitticism

Last but (we hope you agree) certainly not least, behind our final #Magdvent window is … the Library and Archives Team! We spend our days helping Magdalen students, staff, and researchers access the material they need and making the library a great place to be!

Merry Xmas from the Library and Archives team… and Roy! This Postcard of Magdalen tower, sent across the pond to the Catskill mountains, eventually made it back to our #Archives. From the postmark, we can see that the card dates back nearly 120 years- 12th Dec 1905. #Magdvent

Behind today’s #Magdvent window is… A timely reminder, this festive season, from the great Oscar Wilde, that it’s the thought that counts! #WeeklyWildeWitticism

Behind today's #Magdvent window we have... a photo #FromTheArchives of the College choir singing in Hall, dating from the 1950s. What is your favourite Christmas carol?

We don’t know how Magdalen acquired a copy of the sermon, but we’re sure Ofspring would be pleased to hear it’s still available in the Old Library for anyone who needs sobering up! #Magdvent 🧵3/3

He was concerned that Christmas had become ‘an occasion of much Sin’, with parishioners too focussed on ‘Musick, and Noise, and Merry-making’, and ‘good Eating and Drinking’ to remember the original meaning of the festival. #Magdvent 🧵2/3

If you were a parishioner at St. Dunstan in the West in 1704, you probably should have gone easy on the Christmas pudding. The intriguingly named Ofspring Blackall, vicar of this beautiful Fleet Street church, gave a stern sermon on Christmas Day. #Magdvent 🧵1/3

Think Christmas is for relaxing? Think again! Here we have the Magdalen College Boat Club training programme for the Christmas vac, 1996 #FromTheArchives Rowers are told to aim for 6 training sessions a week! But are reminded that it's FUN to work hard and race well #Magdvent

Behind today’s window is… a 1st edition of ‘A House of Pomegranates’ – a collection of tales by Oscar Wilde, published in 1891. This book, and many others, are on display in Magdalen’s Wilde: an exhibition in the Old Library. Open TODAY 2-4:30pm #Magdvent

Edward went on to enjoy distinguished careers both as a politician and as a children’s author. His book, 'Crackers for Christmas', a collection of eight original fairy stories, is full of ‘repulsive’ ogres and sneaky witches to frighten you on a winter’s evening #Magdvent 🧵2/2

Did you know that one of Jane Austen’s great-nephews studied at Magdalen? We were excited to discover that Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen, son of Austen’s favourite niece Fanny Knight, resided here as a “gentleman commoner” (self-funded scholar) between 1847 and 1851. #Magdvent 🧵1/2

Jane Austen was born #OnThisDay in 1775. We think this joke is worthy of a Christmas cracker! #Magdvent

Behind today’s #Magdvent window is… a quote from our favourite alum, Oscar Wilde. We’re very glad we haven’t got Oscar in Secret Santa! #WeeklyWildeWitticism

Behind today's #Magdvent window is... a Christmas Reading List. Put together by our lovely Assistant Librarian, Abby, there's poetry, ghost stories, mysteries, and romance – something for everybody. What are you reading during this festive period?

Behind today’s #Magdvent window is… The White Witch from Narnia. We know the witch is evil because she ‘made it always winter and never Christmas.’ You can find out more about the magical world of Narnia, and the man who created it, here: cslewiswordsandworlds.magd.ox.ac.uk

Behind today’s window is… a snowy Longwall Library! The Longwall is the College's main library and it has roughly 100,000 books in circulation. It's always a hive of activity for Magdalen students & staff – definitely worthy of a spot in our #Magdvent calendar.

Behind today’s #Magdvent window is… another window! This window is from Oscar Wilde's student rooms. On it, he scratched a drawing of his friend, William Ward, who he nicknamed “Little Mr Bouncer.” See it in Magdalen's Wilde, an exhibition in our Old Library open TODAY 2-4:30pm.

But it’s always exciting to discover a female name in the mostly male history of book ownership. The Bible was bequeathed to Magdalen by alumnus Robert Hall. We are very grateful to Robert and to all the donors who have so kindly helped to build our libraries. #Magdvent 🧵3/3