The British Jesuit Archives and the Institute of English Studies (IES) at the University of London have been awarded a Collaborative Doctoral Award and are now recruiting for a PhD student who will reconstruct and recontextualize the Jesuit Antiquarian Book Collection at 114 Mount Street, highlighting its historical, cultural, and global significance. The deadline for applications is Friday, 31 January, at 5PM.

Titled ‘The Mount Street Catalogues: Reconstructing a Nineteenth-Century Jesuit Library’, this Collaborative Doctoral Award offers a unique opportunity for a motivated researcher to reconstruct the scope of the original Mount Street library, which was established by the Jesuits in Britain in the mid-nineteenth century and contained a unique and diverse collection of books, including literature, history and poetry.

Using original catalogues, letters and personal papers provided by the British Jesuit Archives, the successful candidate will track down what the original library contained, including those works that were deaccessioned, and to better understand the evolving nature of Jesuit collection policies in England at that time.

The project will culminate in an academic thesis, but candidates are encouraged to show in their proposals how they can bring their research to life using other approaches and techniques, including physical exhibitions, as well as digital resources.

For more information about this collaborative project and how to apply, click here, or contact Dr Michael Durrant (michael.durrant@sas.ac.uk) and Dr Lucy Vinten (LVinten@jesuit.org.uk).

For those interested in finding out more about the application process, The London Arts and Humanities Partnership will host an information session on Tuesday 14 January 2025 at 12pm which will take place on Zoom. You can find out more about it here.

Photo Credit: Antiquarian books held at the British Jesuit Archives, London. Image courtesy of the British Jesuit Archives.