Our year at Rooke has been off to a stellar start, with lots of Mrs. Beeton's 'Book of Household Management', as well as first edition works by Ronald Searle, being added to our collection. But without further ado, over to our wackier and wonderful first books of the year...

Thelyphthora; or, A Treatise on Female Ruin

To start us off, we thoroughly enjoyed this rather controversial work. Written by English writer Martin Madan, this work proposes that polygamy is the best way to remedy the evils of society, by making any man who has seduced a woman wed her publicly. This caused outrage upon its publication, with many other contemporaries speaking out against the work, including the author's cousin William Cowper. A fascinating and outspoken work, we sadly only have the third volume, which you can view here.

Collected Works of the Sydenham Society and the New Sydenham Society

Two fascinating medical collections have filled our library to the brim: the collected works of the Sydenham Society, and of the New Sydenham Society. The original Society was founded in the early 1840s, and named after important physician Thomas Sydenham; their mission was one of antiquarian interest, aiming to publish medical writings and history works. With contributions from many recognisable names such as Braxton-Hicks, Ehlers and Hodgkin, some of the first edition volumes were illustrated with colour plates. Covering such a vast array of medical subjects - from childhood illness, skin, diseases of the breast and urine, to the digestive organs and bacteria, this would make a splendid addition to a medical library, examining many subjects for the first time.

Illustrations to the Life and Works of Lord Byron

One of the most popular and iconic figures of the early nineteenth century, Lord Byron's status, personal life and reputation made him the equivalent to a celebrity today. We've recently added a collection of engravings all relating to the life of Byron, including portraits of people such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lady Caroline Lamb and his daughter Ada Lovelace. His personal life was rather tumultuous, and a source of interest for many, with rumours constantly encircling him and his family. His illegitimate daughter Allegra Byron was somewhat neglected by her father, and died at the age of five in an Italian nunnery, having seen neither parent in months; this was the source of a great deal of guilt to Byron. We enjoyed leafing through the engravings and seeing so many places and people with ties to arguably the most famous Romantic poet in British history.

Die Infantile Cerebrallahmung

A first edition of Sigmund Freud's important work on childhood cerebral palsy has been a recent highlight. In the original German language, this is an important early study of the condition, which was then known as cerebral paralysis. Freud went on to become the founder of psychoanalysis, which is at the core of talking therapies and mental health treatments. This early work of Freud's is illustrated with three folding charts, and felt rather special to handle.

A New Treatise on the Use of the Globes