The Portico’s new exhibition explores ‘How To Read A Book’

One of Manchester’s best hidden literary gems, The Portico, has unveiled a brand-new exhibition that is fittingly inspired by the different ways in which we digest language and books.

How To Read A Book has been created by writer and artist Stephen Emmerson. The collection is an exploration of language, writing and memory, and also delves into themes of neurodiversity, including dyslexia, by offering visitors an alternative way of approaching books and text.

Applying methods found in palmistry to lines found on the covers of well-read paperback books, this exhibition stands as an invitation to make art out of the everyday.

Stephen’s work will be on display alongside some of the Portico’s own historic collection, including the beautifully illustrated Paradise Lost (1688) by John Milton and Walter Scott’s Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft (1830), and a selection of images from The universe of books, The book farm, and other works centred around language, the book, and the limits of poetry.

How To Read A Book will be on display at The Portico from Thu 2 Oct – Sat 14 Mar 2026. The exhibition is completely free to visit during the library’s regular opening hours. For more information, head over to The Portico website.