This graphic image of the treatment of cargoes of slaves by British merchants was included in a work by the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson. St John's had strong links with this movement, which led to the out-lawing of slavery in British colonies in 1807, as both Clarkson and William Wilberforce, another leading abolitionist, were alumni of the College.

Humphry Repton (1752-1818) succeeded 'Capability' Brown as head gardener at Hampton Court and was the first to assume the title of landscape gardener. His designs were used at Antony House, Bowood, Clumber Park, Hatchlands, Plas Newydd, Sheffield Park, Sheringham Park, Tatton Park, and Wimpole Hall, among other prominent locations.

William Wordsworth is one of St John's College's most famous alumni. He found academic life in Cambridge unstimulating and conservative, and did not strive for anything other than an ordinary degree, which he obtained in 1791.

The first edition of the official description of Cook’s second voyage, and his first as commander of the Resolution (1772-1775). The journey was undertaken in order to further explore the Southern Oceans and ascertain whether there were any further land masses in the southern seas.

Illustrations from a volume by Bernard Lamy (1640-1715), philosopher, theologian and mathematician, which reconstructs various structures from the Old Testament. The illustrations reproduced here show reconstructions of Noah's Ark and the Temple of Solomon. The ark is shown as a rectangular structure with two decks. On the upper deck the crew raise curtains to look out upon the flood.

Throughout the Middle Ages Islam had been the great "other" to European Christianity, as its main, and usually more successful, competitor. The animosity against Islamic civilization was such that even when translations of the Quran began to be printed in Europe by the Protestant Reformers - the first Latin translation appeared in 1543 - they were usually published with a commentary refuting Islamic doctrines.

One of the leading English mathematicians of his age, Brook Taylor was on the panel that adjudicated between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz as to who had invented infinitessimal calculus (1712). He got his doctorate the year before he published this work.

An early engraving of the elaborate funerary ceremonies practised on the island of Formosa, including mourners and elephants in procession. Or not. In reality George Psalmanazar was a Frenchman of unknown name who had certainly never been to Formosa, and had originally attempted to pass himself off as a Japanese convert to Christianity.

Illustrations from the Library's copy of one of the most sought after and attractively illustrated incunabula, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. The work, which is usually, although by no means uncontroversially, attributed to Francesco Colonna, takes the form of a dreamlike quest undertaken by the protagonist, Poliphilo, for his love Polia.

William Caxton established his first press in Bruges, ca. 1474, after learning about printing in Cologne, and in 1475 printed The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, his own translation of a work by Raoul Le Fevre and the first book printed in English. After printing several other works in French and English he moved to Westminster.