The Taylor Institution (commonly known as the Taylorian) is the
Oxford University library dedicated to the study of the
languages of Europe
Most languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family. Out of a total European population of 744 million as of 2018, some 94% are native speakers of an Indo-European language. Within Indo-European, the three largest phyla are Rom ...
.
Its building also includes lecture rooms used by the
. Since 1889, an
Annual Lecture on a subject of Foreign Literature has been given at the Taylorian Institution.
History
The Taylor Institution was established in 1845, funded largely by a bequest from the estate of the notable
architect Sir Robert Taylor (1714–1788). Modern European languages were not then taught at the University. (Not until 1903 were a
Medieval and Modern Languages Faculty and Honours School instituted in Oxford.) Since the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
lacked space, the Taylorian was initially used to house things as varied as
Stubbs's lectures on English history and the
Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.
As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
collection of butterflies.
Description
The institution and its library are found in the east wing of a
neo-classical building
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
at the southern end of
St Giles'. It was designed by
Charles Cockerell to accommodate the institution and the University Galleries (now the
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...
) and opened in 1845. The building was extended to the north along St Giles' to designs by
T.H. Hughes in 1931 and 1938.
The library serves, for the greater part, those studying for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, for the various
Master's degrees, and for the
D Phil at
Oxford University. The collections include Modern European languages, among them
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
Italian,
Spanish, and
Portuguese languages (including the
South American Spanish language and the
Brazilian Portuguese language) with a total of around five hundred thousand volumes. The Greek and Slavonic collections consist of European languages found further eastward, including the
Greek,
Slavic (including
Russian),
Uralic
The Uralic languages (; sometimes called Uralian languages ) form a language family of 38 languages spoken by approximately 25million people, predominantly in Northern Eurasia. The Uralic languages with the most native speakers are Hungarian (w ...
, and
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
languages.
The library holds many world-class collections.
Its holdings in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
were started by
Max Müller, who brought many publications from Germany, among them many of
Martin Luther's ''Flugschriften'', including the first edition of his ''Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen'', and go up to contemporary
German literature
German literature () comprises those literature, literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy a ...
. Italian works run from
Dante and
Tasso through one of the largest collections of
Giovanni Battista Guarini's seminal ''
Il Pastor fido
''Il pastor fido'' (''The Faithfull Shepherd'' in Richard Fanshawe's 1647 English translation) is a pastoral tragicomedy set in Arcadia by Giovanni Battista Guarini, first published in 1590 in Venice.
Plot summary
To redress an ancient wrong ...
'' to Foscolo and Futurist manifestos. The Spanish and Portuguese collections contain early editions of
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...
,
Camoens,
Cervantes,
Góngora,
Quevedo, and
Calderón
Calderón () is a Spanish and Sefardi occupational surname. It is derived from the Vulgar Latin "''caldaria''" ("cauldron") and refers to the occupation of tinker.
Calderón, or Calderon, may refer to:
* Alberto Calderón, Argentine mathematician ...
. Russian first editions are well represented. The library's greatest strength, however, lies in its French holdings. Its collection of
French Enlightenment authors stars the only complete collection in the world of all the French editions of
Voltaire's ''
Candide
( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...
'' printed in 1759, the year of first publication.
[Barber 1992, p. 13.] The Taylorian also owns one of the only two known copies of the first edition of
Benjamin Constant
Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque (; 25 October 1767 – 8 December 1830), or simply Benjamin Constant, was a French people, Franco-Switzerland, Swiss political thinker, activist and writer on political theory and religion.
A committed repub ...
's ''
Adolphe''. The collections include a lock of
Goethe's hair.
See also
*
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...
*
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
*
Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature
The position of Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature (named after the architect Robert Taylor, whose bequest funded the Taylor Institution) is one of the permanent chairs at the University of Oxford. The position was establish ...
References
External links
Taylor Institution Library
{{Authority control
1845 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in 1845
Libraries established in 1845
Departments of the University of Oxford
Libraries of the University of Oxford
Language education in the United Kingdom
Ashmolean Museum