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In this exploration of books in our historic collection, Jonathan Swinton looks at the beauty of science amongst some of the lesser-known books in our collection. From plants to harmony to computing, come and discover the beauty of the books in our collection – even when they are falling apart. Biographer of Alan Turing and historian of science, Jonathan Swinton will be conversation with cultural historian Debbie Challis to explain the importance of these books to understanding science and the history of Manchester.

For example, did you know we have a copy of the 1951 Manchester University Computer Inaugural Conference proceedings? Only two other copies are known. The conference included Alan Turing together with a host of names from GCHQ and, for an engineering meeting of the time. an unusually large number of women, such as the remarkable mathematical pair of Audrey Bates and Cicely Popplewell.

Or on the history of the mathematics of beauty and itself a beautiful book, Hay (1842) The natural principles and analogy of the harmony of form as well as illustrated natural history books from the eighteenth century, such as the Bonnet (1779), Oeuvres d'histoire naturelle et de philosophie. That are listed in our first catalogue.

This ‘in-conversation with books’ is part of our exploration of lesser-known areas of our collection and building that is funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund as part of our Reuniting the Portico project.