In July we were joined by work experience students Henry and Wajih, who used our historic newspapers to research ‘fake news’ in the nineteenth century, in line with our groundbreaking #TurningthePageProject. 📚🔍 Read their thoughts in August’s Book of the Month blog, now live on our website.

Happy National Marine Week! Here are some illustrations of algae from Robert Kaye Greville's Algae Brittanicae (1830)

CALL FOR PAPERS We welcome papers which broadly interact with the theme of "Roots and Networks" for our next season of lectures. More information can be found here: devonandexeterinstitution.org/whats-on/tal... Deadline for abstracts (250-300 words): 21st August 2026. #publiclectures #heritage

With all this talk about Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, we thought we'd cast our minds back to another "modern" representation of the epic poem The DEI holds a late eighteenth century reprint of Alexander Pope's translation of Homer's Odyssey in three volumes (1772; originally published 1725-1726)

📣Calling all soon to be University of Exeter graduates. Next Friday, 17th, we are opening the doors to our historic & heritage space to anyone who wishes to have their photo taken by a friend or family member 📸 The £20 donation will go towards our charity.

#DidYouKnow that, although the DEI has long-since transitioned to using a digital catalogue, we still hold all our old index cards? These occasionally prove very useful, particularly when we’re on the hunt for missing books 📚🔍 #specialcollections #historiclibrary #heritagelibrary

Meet the curator! Drop in next Wednesday, 8th July, between 1-3pm, to meet Deborah Ashfield, the curator behind our new display 'The Weather Keepers: 158 Years of Meteorological Observation at the DEI'. devonandexeterinstitution.org/meet-the-cur...

Meet the interns! Over the next fortnight, we are very pleased to have Megan and Immie with us as part of the University of Exeter's Pathways to Arts, Culture and Heritage programme.

Rejoice, for last year’s rescued books have returned and they look absolutely wonderful! Many thanks to all those whose generous donations have made this possible. Keep an eye out for our next round of rescues, which will be announced in January. #specialcollections #historiclibrary #rescueabook

A new Book of the Month blog from our Library Volunteer Edward! This time, Edward is exploring the extraordinary life of chemist and inventor Sir Humphry Davy. devonandexeterinstitution.org/the-davy-wit...

Can you spot the real bee? We’ve picked up a few of these little visitors in the outer library today. This one stopped to admire William Kirby’s 'Monographia apum Angliae' (1802) before we took him into the garden, gave him some sugar water and sent him on his way. Happy #WorldBeeDay!

Join us for our next second-hand book sale! Saturday 30th May, 11am-3pm All books have been donated by our members and all proceeds help to support the Devon and Exeter Institution. All welcome.

Last month we were delighted to take part in the inaugural South West Shakespeare Festival, for which library volunteer Romilly Spaul curated a pop-up display titled ‘Illustrating Shakespeare’. For those who missed it, a new Book of the Month blog showcasing her research is now live on our website.

May is here and so is our monthly programmme! 🌼 Save for your calendars.

We are very pleased to be taking part in the South West Shakespeare Festival! Drop in between 12-2pm on Saturday 25th April to see a pop-up display, 'Illustrating Shakespeare', featuring beautiful illustrations in our Victorian books and periodicals. devonandexeterinstitution.org/south-west-s...

Meet the curator! Drop in between 1-3pm tomorrow to meet Kitty Vega, Isca Photographic Collection Project Officer from the South West Heritage Trust, who will be on hand to discuss the exhibition ‘The Isca Photographic Collection: Exeter Through the Lens’. tinyurl.com/2rahcpve

A new exhibition! Opening next week, we are proud to host 'The Isca Photographic Collection: Exeter Through the Lens', an exhibition showcasing the city’s changing streetscapes, its people, and pivotal moments in history, through the eyes of its photographers. tinyurl.com/5n6zjwru

Thanks to everyone who made it to our 'Librarian's Tour: Women's History Month Special' on Friday, where we shared stories of women working in the field of natural history in the nineteenth century. Our Librarian Sonia was joined by Exeter Heritage Partnership volunteer Amelia - thanks Amelia!

What's on at the DEI this March! 🍂

Today marks the start of #BritishScienceWeek and we'd like to tell you about Eleanor Ormerod (1828-1901). Ormerod was a pioneering entomologist (expert on insects) and helped to define agricultural entomology as an academic discipline in Britain. Read our Book of the Month blog: shorturl.at/Pklbw

Join us for an evening lecture this month with Professor Craig Beall - 26th February!

A date for your diaries! Join us for our next second-hand book sale on Saturday 28th February, 11-3. All books have been donated by our members and all proceeds raise money to support the Institution.

Earlier this week we had the pleasure of welcoming first year history students from the University of Exeter to our Blue Room, visiting as part of their 'Into the archives' programme.

This #LibraryShelfieDay we’re celebrating one of our best-loved sections: South West Heritage. Many of these books were only recently retired from our browsable modern collections. They will be subject to safe handling practices going forwards, helping to preserve them for the future. #ShelfieDay

29 January 2026 | Doors open 6pm | Tickets available via TicketTailor (£10)

Join us for an immersive tour of the Devon and Exeter Institution's historic past. Meet characters from previous centuries who worked around Cathedral Close and have stories to tell!! Tickets are purchased via TicketTailor. Refreshments provided 🍷

What's on at the DEI this December! See our website for further details ☃️🎄

Who is this woman, proudly wielding a Christmas pudding? Find out by reading our Book of the Month blog for December: devonandexeterinstitution.org/whats-in-a-p... You can also pick up Christmas cards featuring this image from our Front Desk.

Looking for a meaningful gift this Christmas? Adopt one of our books for your loved one and treat them to a private tour of our historic library, followed by cream tea for two in the Courtenay Room. Gift adoptions cost £45, and help to fund vital conservation work.

Competition time! For this year's DEI Christmas card, we chose this beautiful wood engraving from the 1867 Christmas supplement to the Illustrated London News, based on a drawing by Wilhelm Kümpel. Can you recreate this image, holding an object of your choice, to win a pack of 10 Christmas cards?