This volume of essays focuses principally on the collection of books of
British and Irish antiquarian scholars held in the Gennadius Library.
Collectively, the essays are the product of two thematically-linked
conferences: the first of these was held in Athens in June 2010, and was
organised by the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, University
College Dublin, in collaboration with the Gennadius Library, and
graciously hosted by the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies; the
second, held in Dublin in June 2011, was organized by the School of Art
History and Cultural Policy, and hosted by the Humanities Institute of
Ireland. The major premise explored in the paper sessions of those
conferences, and in this volume, concerns the work of some of the most
pioneering British and Irish 18th and early 19th century antiquarians,
artists, and architects who voyaged into the Mediterranean. The
publication of their findings in architectural treatises, travelogues
and illustrated books came, in turn, to inform international movements
of art and architecture; specifically, the Neoclassical and Greek
Revival styles. Collectively, these books capture the allure of the
broader Mediterranean world for scholars of antiquity - ever expanding
beyond the well-traveled boundaries enjoyed by Grand Tourists -
exploring issues such as topography, history, cultural mores, dress and,
of course, art and architecture. Print and book culture was at the core
of the early modern period, not least in the world of architecture, and
the conscious effort to gather and disseminate knowledge of the wider
classical world through this medium is remarkable. The significant
contribution of British and Irish scholarship to this broader European
discourse is here viewed through the lens of the extraordinary book
collection held in the Gennadius Library.
