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The solar eclipse on the 21 August 2017 was the first of its kind over the United States of America for almost 100 years and a major astronomic event that sparked world-wide interest.
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Travel
Retracing the Footsteps of 19th Century Explorers in Africa
Guest Blog Post by Entomologist Hitoshi Takano The great natural history museum collections have at their foundation, specimens collected by 19th century explorers. To look through these collections is to travel back in time to the heyday of exploration; specimens...
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Travel
Photography: Eternal cities
Incredible photos from over 100 years ago show how much our lives have changed. It is interesting that spectacular advancements have been made in technology, science and architecture but many of our landmarks remain the same, despite the infringing traffic....
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Travel
The Beauty of Maps
A voyage around the history of cartography takes in sea monsters, newly charted territories and allegorical figures from myth & legend, designed for accuracy but often conveying a surprising beauty. It’s a journey that has delighted many collectors over centuries, and even in these days of Google Earth and SatNav, or maybe because of such things, people continue to marvel at antique maps. -
Travel
Turkish Delight: the Ottoman World Observed
Coinciding with the launch of our Ottoman World catalogue, we asked Dr Philip Mansel, a fellow of the Institute of Historical Research, to give a talk at our bookshop. On the evening of 22 February the celebrated author brought to life the wonders of the Ottoman Empire, as seen through the eyes of European travellers, recorded in literature and art.
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Guides
Topical Books to Read (and Collect) in 2017
VisitEngland has declared 2017 the 'Year of Literary Heroes'. See below for the titles and authors charting some of the year's most significant literary moments. All books featured are one-off editions available to purchase through Shapero Rare Books. -
Travel
The Greatest Polar Exploration Adventure
Lines in the Ice: Marginalia My recent talk at Shapero Rare Books gave me the opportunity to spend some time browsing catalogues and, most excitingly, shelves while I waited for guests to arrive. Rare book dealers like Shapero inhabit the...
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Travel
Imperial Mechanisms
The rapid acceleration of China's economy - still on course to overtake the U.S. by 2028 - has prompted us to look back at the initial impressions made of China, and its workforce, when first engaged by English traders. The...
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Travel
Mutiny! The Court-Martial Documents of the Bounty Mutineers
On 28 April 1789, disaffected crewmen took control of the HMS Bounty and cast the captain, Captain Bligh and 18 loyalists adrift in the Pacific Ocean. There had been a mutiny. Miraculously, they managed to survive and navigate 4000 miles...
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Travel
Layard and the Antiquities of Assyria
Today we are all too aware of the appalling damage inflicted by ISIS on the ancient sites of Iraq and Syria – the mindless destruction of the wondrous remains of one of the greatest civilizations of ancient times; a civilization...
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Travel
Napoleon's Description of Egypt
The extraordinary success of a megalomaniac, an uncharted world, and a team of savant explorers. -
Travel
Larger than Life - The Explorer Sir Richard Burton
Frequently described within his own lifetime as the most interesting figures of the nineteenth century, the explorer Sir Richard Burton was one of the greatest to come out of England. -
Travel
Ernest Shackleton, a Tale of the Antarctic
'We had seen God in His splendours, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man.'
– Ernest Shackleton on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.