Alice Wickenden

My research interests lie in the relationship between literature and heritage institutions, the relationship between early modern science and literary metaphors, the material culture of books, and historical and sociological theories of early modern collecting.

My first monograph is titled Library Objects: Hans Sloane and the creation of the British Library. My next project will involve looking at early modern scientific printed letters as a literary form.

I am also interested in early modern botany; I have been involved with researching the history of saffron in Cambridgeshire as part of the CRASSH funded project ‘The History of Saffron' and with the Oak Spring Garden Foundation funded project ‘Picturing the Flora of China: James Cuninghame (1665-1709) and his Plant Illustrations from Amoy’.  

I completed my undergraduate and MPhil degrees at the University of Cambridge before moving to do a collaborative PhD (CDP) between the British Library and Queen Mary, University of London. I then held a position at Durham University before coming to Edinburgh.

Semester 1: My drop-in / office hours are Mondays, 2-4. Please email in advance if possible.