Elizabeth Gow

My research focuses on the book collecting of Enriqueta Rylands, founder of the John Rylands Library, between 1889 and 1908 (when she died). Through close scrutiny of both textual records and the material evidence of Rylands’ collecting practice, my PhD revealed Enriqueta Rylands's importance as a Nonconformist bibliophile. Central to the project was an investigation of the relationship between the tastes, interests and practical resources of the individual collector and the ambition to found a major educational and cultural institution.

My PhD was supervised by Dr Emma Martin and Professor Helen Rees Leahy. As a professional archivist and manuscript curator working in the University of Manchester Library, I have curated a number of exhibitions relating to Enriqueta Rylands, the John Rylands Library and religious manuscripts.