Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Library and Archives

Today we went to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Library and Archives!

The Royal Botanic Gardens were established in 1759 and library collection officially began in 1841. The library and archives boasts an impressive 300,000 books and pamphlets, 5,000 articles and periodicals, and 7,000,000 sheets of paper! The library director describes this site as a "collection-based research organization." As a history major, I was very interested in the possibilities for studying social history, in addition to botanical history, that this collection offers.

The depth of the collection is astonishing. One of the oldest manuscripts in the library dates from 1485, which describes the uses of plants for treating ailments. The oldest printed book in the library is from 1610 and contains sketches from a German garden. Since European printing technology originated in Germany, German books are among the oldest printed works. Horticulture and gardening books were produced immediately after Bibles, as these books contain incredibly useful information. At the Kew library and archives, these items were in excellent condition - an impressive feat for books hundreds of years old!

For more information about the Kew Gardens Library and Archives, see the full website at https://www.kew.org/science/collections/library