What did Glasgow University's late nineteenth-century Regius Professor of Chemistry do in his spare time? John Ferguson (d.1916) built up one of the finest libraries ever assembled in the fields of alchemy, early chemistry and hermetic philosophy.

This Friday's guest in the Humanities Institute magic seminar will explore the legacy of this world-class obsession, the 7000-volume Ferguson Collection, now in the Special Collections Department of Glasgow University Library.

David Weston, Keeper of Special Collections since 1996, with specialist interests in manuscript studies, Hebrew printing and emblem literature, will take up Ferguson's life, his illustrated manuscripts, and his relation to occult revivals in this week's seminar paper, 'A Magus of the North? - Professor John Ferguson and His Library'.

Friday 31 May, 12.00pm, 7 University Gardens, all welcome, lunch follows.

Those who would like to prepare for the talk may consult:

http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/ferguson/ferguson.html

For further information:

www.gla.ac.uk/ahri

G.Warwick@arts.gla.ac.uk 0141-330-4139

A.Wygant@french.arts.gla.ac.uk 0141-330-4588

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First published: 27 May 2002