Library of Libraries

Yesterday afternoon I walked to St Pancras to have a look at the British Library and a few other sights in the area. I left it rather late in the afternoon, so spent most of my time there.  It has the most amazing collection of rare books, some of which you can view for free.  If you’ve ever wanted to see what Jane Austen’s or a Bronte’s handwriting looked like, this is the place.  There were beautiful illuminated manuscripts from many areas of the world and I was able to have a look at the Magna Carta and the Codex Sinaiticus – the oldest version of the Bible (and certainly the New Testament) still around. It was all housed in a low light area to preserve the items on display but if you have a thing for books, you should definitely visit. The rest of the public space was quite airy but like any good library, there were piles of people hidden away in corners (and planted on any other available surface) using the free wifi. I also listened to a multimedia exhibition about the power of public speaking, which was really good.

British Library

massive sculpture in the courtyard

Punch sculpture in terrace courtyard

inside the British Library

interesting book sculpture that doubles as a chair

just so you know where we are

I also wandered down the block to take some photos of the beautiful St Pancras station (and Harry Potter related platform at King’s Cross) but it was not to be. St Pancras is almost completely covered in scaffolding as a result of the apartment/hotel development going on inside the structure and I was so put off by that, that I forgot to walk across the road to King’s Cross and be a nerd there. It’s not too far away though, so I’ll try and go back another day.

Be wary what you use as bookmarks

…or it might just end up on display in a secondhand bookstore. I found this article continuing the books versus ebooks discussion. But I was most interested in the Oxfam shop they found that displays items found in donations in the hopes that someone will claim their belongings.  People use such odd and personal objects as bookmarks, there must be some interesting pictures and letters on display. I’m not convinced that ebook readers such as Kindle are the future because I’ve always valued the very tangible, realness of owning my books and being able to rearrange my bookshelf to suit my current reading preferences. I’ve struggled with electronic format conversions in the past and I’d hate to have a library set up that would one day be inaccessible due to its format or software.  Books may fall apart but they certainly last longer than a software upgrade.

I feel better about my bookshelf now

Having a propensity for ordering my bookshelves according to some sort of hippy type “feeling”, I found this article regarding how other people arrange their bookshelves fascinating.  Maybe it’s because I’m a professional bookshelf arranger and I can be quite picky about how I professionally arrange books but I was surprised (and a little nerdily impressed) people had such well developed systems for book distribution in their own homes.  Myself, I tend to mix genres, fiction with non-fiction.  In fact I arrange the books based entirely on which books I think go well together (which I’m sure makes sense only inside my own head).  Sometimes this is based on type of book, the Penguins do tend to sit together, and the fantasy series have their own corner but my system is almost entirely made up randomly as I put the books back on the shelf after I’ve moved them.  I used wonder if I was putting undue time and effort into rearranging my books till I read the article – it’s always nice to find out that you’re not the only one.

Friday night brief

I’ve been swimming in job applications for the past few days and my brain has turned to mush.  So, I have found a short little video that is lovely to listen to and doesn’t take much brain power.  Click here to listen to Neil Gaiman narrate a promo for the Newberry winning The Graveyard Book.

EDIT: My brain was such mush that I somehow managed to forget to schedule the post, so here it is now. This is not the most stupid thing I’ve done in the last 24 hours

Best idea I’ve read about today

I found it in a quick search through new blog entries about books but it’s fabulous idea.  The blogger who wrote this post was inspired by a Sydney Morning Herald article about A Year With No New Books.  It was important enough to get caps.  As someone with a number of unread books on my bookshelf (although I can think of a family member with more), it’s an idea that is both recession and discovery friendly.  I bought the books for a reason but haven’t read them yet largely due to a proper lack of motivation to sit down with them.  They remain interesting enough not to get rid of and this could be the push to finally read them all.  It could be tough going though, the lure of new books is hard to resist.

Book Fail…

and we wonder that kids don’t know better than to cite, or plagiarise, wikipedia.  A lot of books today are clearly rubbish (and there is a place for some of that) but copying parts of wikipedia and then claiming “Oh I wasn’t sure how to cite it – so I just didn’t bother” is somewhat disingenuous if you want people to take your writing seriously.

Ray Bradbury loves libraries…

and so should you!  It’s nice to hear someone speak so positively about such public places but I’m a bit concerned by the state of funding for libraries in the US.  And just think, next time you see an old man reading in the corner of the libary, it could be a famous author (or maybe not).

Literary action

I found this page on Yahoo answers when catching up with my feed reader yesterday.  Not sure if it’s legit but it would be fantastic if it was.  Banned books rule!

Books that changed your life…

I found this article in the Guardian, where authors (fiction, non-fiction etc) were asked – which book changed your life?  Changed a life.  That’s a pretty big call and I don’t know that I have one myself.  It’s certainly made me wonder.  I’ve come across a few books over the years where the lightbulb has gone on and I’ve thought, this is the book for me.  Or others that I’ve loved so much I’ve read them far too many times.  Maybe I’m just thinking too hard about it.  Anyone out there have one?

By hook or by crook…

… is the name of book about English that I’ve recently finished reading.  Written by linguist and author David Crystal it is a rambling exploration of words, placenames and the ever changing state of English.  Researched during his travels for the BBC series Voices, he examines the languages, accents and places he comes across.  The book is subtitled A journey in search of English, but it possibly should have been subtitled A journey in search of Welsh.  Crystal focuses very much on the Welsh language during his travels through Wales and the surrounding English countryside. 

It’s a good read, full of anecdotes and interesting tidbits, and I learnt more about the Welsh language.  I was interested in the sections relating to Anglo Saxon and Celtic languages and how they have influenced modern English and English placenames.  I’m aware from other books about English I’ve read that the influence of these language diminished somewhat in the face of incoming Germanic influence (which can be seen in the very basis of English as a Germanic language).  I’d like to read more about Anglo Saxon and Celtic loan words in English. David Crystal also has a blog which can be accessed here.