The Histori of Bees

Discover the fascinating world of bees, honey, language and books.

This summer, The Histori of Bees exhibition invites you to explore a rare and remarkable treasure from our collection: a book published in 1634 titled The Feminin’ Monarchi’, or The Histori of Bees, written by Englishman Charles Butler (1560–1647).

Step into the fascinating world of bees through stories of language, history, music and books.

• Listen to a madrigal (a piece of music for several singers) inspired by bees.
• See beekeeping tools and items used by beekeepers from the State Library and Archives of Tasmania collection.
• View enlarged pages of the tiny book, and try and read the writing.

Come along to a series of talks and events for The Histori of Bees. Book on Eventbrite.

About the book

Published in England almost 400 years ago, The Histori of Bees was the go-to guide for beekeeping for over two centuries. It’s packed with practical advice on caring for bees and the importance of honey and wax.

It even includes a musical piece – a madrigal – created to mimic the piping sounds of bees about to swarm.

What makes this edition special is the unique spelling system. Butler wrote it in a phonetic version of English, so reading the book aloud is the best way to understand it. There are also tiny handwritten notes in shorthand. Who wrote the notes is still a mystery.

View the book online in the Libraries Tasmania catalogue

The Feminin’ Monarchi’, or The Histori of Bees now lives at the State Library and Archives of Tasmania. The book was a generous donation by the Tulloch, Brock and Lewis family archives in 2022.  This rare book has been digitised for everyone to view online.

• The Feminin’ Monarchi’, or The Histori of Bees (State Library of Tasmania Heritage collections, Tasmaniana) 1634

When you visit

Remember to pick up a brochure for younger visitors – it contains a helpful glossary to help with some of the tricky words in the exhibition.