A damned serious business: Waterloo 1815, the battle and its books
Fri 1 May 2015 - Wed 16 September 2015
University Library
It has been a damned serious business… the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life. (The Duke of Wellington, quoted by Thomas Creevey)
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, the climactic engagement of a campaign that pitted a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte against a combined force of Allied troops commanded by the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army led by Prince Blu?cher. The French were routed, and the warfare that had plagued Europe for more than two decades was definitively ended. The battle’s importance was fully recognised by the generations which came after it. Victor Hugo called it ‘the hinge of the nineteenth century’: ‘On that day, the perspective of the human race was changed’. Through its impact on the politics and power-relationships of a Europe approaching the height of its worldwide influence, the outcome at Waterloo remains significant to this day.
‘A Damned Serious Business’ draws on the rich and varied collections of Cambridge University Library to highlight written records, maps and book arts relating to the Battle of Waterloo and the era in which it played so decisive a part. Political broadsheets, military drill-books, manuscript letters, hand-coloured engravings, printed mementos, early historical accounts and tourist reminiscences, comic and elegiac poems, and a volume from Napoleon’s library in exile on St Helena are brought together to commemorate the most famous battle in European history.
Cost: Admission free
Enquiries and booking
No need to book.
Guided tours of the exhibition by curator John Wells are available to be booked free of charge on selected dates during the exhibition. For full details, visit http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/rarebooks/exhibitiontours.html
Enquiries: John Wells Website Email: exhibitions@lib.cam.ac.uk
Timing
9:00am-6:00pm on weekdays from Friday 1 May 2015 until Wednesday 16 September 2015 (except on Bank Holidays)
9:00am-4:30pm Saturday every week from Saturday 2 May 2015 until Wednesday 16 September 2015 (except on Bank Holidays)
All times
Fri 1 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 2 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Tue 5 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 6 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 7 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 8 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 9 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 11 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 12 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 13 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 14 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 15 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 16 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 18 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 19 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 20 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 21 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 22 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 23 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Tue 26 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 27 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 28 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 29 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 30 May 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 1 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 2 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 3 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 4 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 5 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 6 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 8 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 9 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 10 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 11 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 12 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 13 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 15 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 16 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 17 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 18 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 19 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 20 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 22 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 23 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 24 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 25 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 26 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 27 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 29 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 30 June 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 1 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 2 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 3 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 4 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 6 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 7 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 8 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 9 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 10 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 11 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 13 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 14 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 15 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 16 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 17 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 18 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 20 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 21 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 22 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 23 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 24 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 25 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 27 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 28 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 29 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 30 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 31 July 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 1 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 3 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 4 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 5 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 6 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 7 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 8 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 10 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 11 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 12 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 13 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 14 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 15 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 17 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 18 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 19 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 20 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 21 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 22 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 24 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 25 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 26 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 27 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 28 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 29 August 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Tue 1 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 2 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 3 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 4 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 5 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 7 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 8 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 9 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Thu 10 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Fri 11 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Sat 12 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
Mon 14 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Tue 15 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |
Wed 16 September 2015 | 9:00AM - 6:00PM |