The Lit & Phil

@litandphil

Newcastle's independent library, the Lit & Phil, is home to more than 200,000 books and music items, and has a rolling programme of events and activities. www.litandphil.org.uk

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The Lit & Phil@litandphil· 12h

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems. No.437 | THE SUN From ‘The Sun: ruler, fire, light, and life of the planetary system’ by Richard A. Proctor, B.A. F.R.A.S. 1871.

A copy of a book plate showing the Corona of the Eclipsed Sun, 1871

A copy of a book plate showing two images of 'Solar Prominences: FROM THE DRAWINGS PUBLISHED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE HARVARD COLLEGE OBSERVATORY'

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· 15h

The Pudding Chare Festival closes on Saturday 15th at 1pm with works by Bartok, Haydn, Ligeti and Brahms along with a commissioned work by Emily Linane! Tickets: www.puddingcharemusicfestival.co.uk

An image of the Pudding Chare Music Festival 2026 flyer (13th - 15th August). Several heads of composers and performers are sticking out of the roof of the Lit & Phil Library.

The Text reads: The Lit & Phil, Westgate Road, NE1 1SE TICKETS ON SALE NOW.

Bach, Beach, Jacek Brahms, Dvorak, Tabitha Appel, Zany Denyer, Cameron Walls, Sophia Lim, Magdalena Riedl, Matthew Hayes, Seth Collin, Alma Vink, Isobel Neary-Adams, Richard Taylor.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· 1d

Join Pudding Chare Music Festival at the URC Jesmond on Friday 14th August at 7pm for a programme that explores themes and variations in works written 160 years apart. Tickets www.puddingcharemusicfestival.co.uk

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· 5d

As part of the Pudding Chare Festival, we run development workshops with younger musicians which culminates in a free Young Musicians' Showcase concert at 12 noon on Friday 14th August with works by Glazunov, Mozart and Kodály. Tickets www.puddingcharemusicfestival.co.uk

A photo taken within the Lit & Phil venue space showing a pale green painted room with several oil paintings on the walls. 4 musicians are playing a variety of instruments in front of a grand piano.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· 6d

Our opening concert on Thursday, 13th August at 6pm sees works by Beach, Martinů and Janáček as well as the Dvořák's incredible American Quintet. Tickets www.puddingcharemusicfestival.co.uk

A photo of some of the musicians from the Pudding Chare festival posing at the bottom of the main staircase at the entrance to the Lit & Phil Library. They are framed by the stairs and the statue of James Losh looms over them in the background.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· 16d

Thank you to everyone who attended our Open Day on Saturday and made it such a success, and an especial thank you to Michael Turner who again brought his Cabinet of Natural Curiosities to show to visitors!

Photo of a dapper man in waistcoat, tie, moustache and bear standing in a library by a table adorned with all manner of trinkets, baubles, fossils and knick-knacks.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Jul 13

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems. No. 143 'Scarab' Illustration from ‘Description of a rare scarabaeus from Potosi, in South America; with engraved representation of the same, coloured from nature by John Francillon’. 1795.

A scan of a coloured bookplate showing a beetle with very large and powerful back legs, at an angle and on it's side.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Jul 2

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No. 412 | THE CINNABAR MOTH From ‘Butterflies and Moths of the Country Side’ by F. Edward Hulme. c.1903.

A scan of a colour bookplate showing a scientific illustration of the top of a ragwort plant with the different life stages of the Cinnabar Moth including caterpillars, pupa and a colour variant.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Jun 26

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No.437 | THE SUN From ‘The Sun: ruler, fire, light, and life of the planetary system’ by Richard A. Proctor, B.A. F.R.A.S. 1871.

A scan of a bookplate showing, according to the caption 'A PORTION OF THE SUNS DISC as seen in May 1870 by Mr. Browning F.R.A.S. with a 12.5 inch BROWNING WITH REFLECTOR'.

Several dark features are visible on the surface of the Sun.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· May 22

Silence Room Closure 25th May to 5th June 2026 The Silence Room (aka The Reference Room) will be closed due to essential works. (This is the members only room down the back stairs.) We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

A scan of a bookplate showing a man seated by a strange contraption, a 'Book-Wheel', allowing him to look at several open books at once.

Picture Source:

‘Recueil d'ouvrages curieux de mathématique et de mécanique: ou, Description du cabinet de Monsieur Grollier de Servière’. 1719.
Nicolas Grollier de Servière (1596–1689) was a French inventor and ornamental turner who became well known for creating a series of fantastic machines.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Mar 19

Easter Opening Hours We close for Easter at 7pm on Thursday 2nd April We reopen at 9.30am on Tuesday 7th April #Easter

A scan of a novelty postcard by A.G. Steglitz from 1904. It is faded, perhaps originally coloured by hand. A young lady in a rural scene gazes at what appears to be a gigantic egg a metre tall which is cracking, about to hatch.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Mar 12

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No.75 From William Hutton’s 'History of the Roman Wall' describing its appearance in the year 1801. Hutton (1723-1815) is generally held to be the first person in modern times to walk the entire length of Hadrian's Wall.

A scan of a plain, uncoloured illustration showing; 'Part of the Wall near BENWELL HILL, with an Apple Tree growing upon it's Summit.' The portion of the wall is marked as being '36 feet long, 9 wide & 5 high'

Hutton, producing an account of his journey in The History of the Roman Wall. Walking 600 miles from his Birmingham home, along the wall, and back home again, he wrote in the preface, "I have given a short sketch of my approach to this famous Bulwark; have described it as it appears in the present day, and stated my return. Perhaps, I am the first man that ever traveled the whole length of this Wall, and probably the last that will ever attempt it ..."

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Mar 5

We are recruiting! We are seeking a part-time library assistant, working 12 hrs per week The closing date for applications is Monday 23 March Interviews will be held on Tuesday 31 March Contact the library on 0191 232 0192 or library@litandphil.org.uk for more information and an application form

A photograph of a corner bookshelf of the Lit & Phil library, chock full of history books!

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Mar 5

We are delighted to announce that our brand new stairlift is now installed and ready to use!

A colour photograph of a stairlift at the bottom of a flight of stairs, ready for use.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Feb 23

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No.63 Egypt From Volume II of "Travels of Ali Bey in Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria and Turkey between the years 1803 and 1806" 1st English edition, 1816. #oldbooks #libraries

A scan of a small section of an old map of Lower Egypt.

An uncoloured illustration of a view of Belbeis. The town is seen in the distance in an arid landscape with encampments outside the walls with a few palm trees.

Of Belbeis the author says:
“Belbeis is a tolerably large town and has several mosques. The Nile supplies it with water in great abundance by a canal at the time of its increase; this supply maintains the vegetation of a considerable number of palm and other trees. There are also good melons and water melons but no pulse. This town, with its territory, is governed by a Kiaschef or officer of the Pacha of Cairo.”

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Feb 9

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No. 121 ANTARCTIC FLORA From ‘The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror in the years 1839-1843[...]' by Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) #oldbooks #libraries #illustration

A scan of a coloured print illustration of a Coprosma Cuncata(?) plant showing the stages and structure of fruit and seed development.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Feb 9

Replacement Stair Lift News! A new stair lift will be installed on Monday 16th February. There may be some disruption and noise on the day, for which we apologise in advance. Members and visitors may be asked to use an alternative staircase for a short period.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Jan 27

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No. 325 "Man Against Microbe" by Bigger, Joseph W. Imprint: London; The Book Club, 1941. #books #bookcovers #libraries

A stark book cover in black, white and orange for MAN AGAINST MICROBE showing 3 artillery pieces firing, as though at falling microscope slides showing the outline of microbes.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Dec 15

Early Closure Due to the annual members’ gathering on Thursday 18th December, the library will close at 6pm. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

A photo of a small statue of Joseph Swan with a jolly little knitted santa claus in his lap.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Nov 13

Our new Christmas cards are back in stock! Please enjoy ‘The Rein-Deer’ by Thomas Bewick with a festive twist. 6 cards for £8 www.litandphil.org.uk/shop/christm...

A photograph of our new Christmas card for 2025, featuring an old woodcut illustration of a Reindeer with the addition of a shiny red nose.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Sep 19

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No.29 "Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" J.M. Barrie First edition 1911. Illustrated by F.D. Bedford

A scan of the black and white illustration of 'THE NEVER-NEVER LAND', showing Peter Pan playing his pipes surrounded by wild beasts, with the pirate crew marching and singing in the background along the coast to their ship.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Sep 11

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No. 47 "Cook – title page and Zee-Otter" Images from 'Reizen Rondom de Waereld: James Cook’s Voyages', published in Dutch in 13 vols. between 1795-1803. #books #libraries #illustration

A scan of an uncoloured print showing a sea otter at rest on the Canadian coast.

The title page of the multi volume set: "Reizen Rondom de Waereld: James Cook, Vertaald Door J.D. Pasteur Met Kaarten en Plaaten Elfde Deel." Depicting two cherubs uncovering the Earth.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 30

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems. No.71 'The Lobster Moth' From Edward Donovan’s ‘Natural History of British Insects’ Volume V, published in (1796) #antique #books #illustration #libraries

A colour plate depicting the lifecycle of the Lobster Moth. It is shown as an egg, a caterpillar on a leaf, a cocoon and an adult moth.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 29

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems. No.66 "Scotswood Bridge over the Tyne" From ‘Westmorland, Cumberland, Durham and Northumberland, Illustrated from original drawings by Thomas Allom, & c.' (1833) #old #books #illustration

A scanned, uncoloured etching of the Scotswood Bridge surrounded by a bucolic rural idyll.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 21

'A Phoenix as vulgarly painted' Well, everyone's a critic!

A zoomed in shot of the Phoenix plate with, annotated by hand, the comment 'A Phoenix as vulgarly painted'

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 15

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems. No.150 "Fables" by Gay, John, 1685-1732. Imprint: London: Printed for John Stockdale, 1793. #books #fables #libraries #legends #illustration

'Fable of the Elephant and the Bookseller' An illustration of a man in an 18th century bookshop implores an elephant to share his wisdom. The elephant declines.

'Fable of the Court of Death' An illustration of a macabre court with Death sat on his throne with skeletal guards.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 14

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems. No.77 'De Re Metallica Libri XII' by Georgius Agricola. (Basel, 1621) #mining #metallurgy #oldbooks #libraries

A detailed and animated woodcut by Blasius Weffring, showing equipment and procedures explained in the text for mining.

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 14

ClassicsFest lives on! In case you missed our opening event, 'Why Cicero Matters', you can now watch it on our YouTube channel, as well as the fantastic Corruption in the Spotlight: Cicero versus Verres (in two parts)! Watch here 👇 www.youtube.com/channel/UCBi... #classics #cicero #newcastle

A promotional image for ClassicsFest at the Lit & Phil Society, Newcastle. Prof. Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Prof. Vittorio Bufacchi sitting by a 'WHY CICERO MATTERS' banner on a stage in the centre of the Main Library.

Photo Credit: Sound Ideas Media

Two ladies dressed as barristers listen to evidence in front of a wall covered in old photographs in the Common Room, Newcastle. From the Corruption in the Spotlight event.

Photo Credit: Sound Ideas Media

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 8

The Lit & Phil’s collection of books is full of surprises, oddities and gems No.18 'Gemini' for 'Global sleep under the stars night' From 'A Celestial Atlas: comprising a systematic display of the heavens in a series of thirty maps : illus. by scientific description' by Alexander Jamieson. 1822

A scan of a coloured print showing the Gemini constellation beautifully illustrated with the text: 'Published February 1.1822 by G& W.B.Whittaker T. Cadell & N. Hailes, London

The Lit & Phil@litandphil· Aug 8

The first thing that came to mind... #album #covers