Archive for the ‘Libraries’ Category
Robertson Davies, again
Posted on: December 16, 2007
- In: Bibliophilia | Classics | Discussion | Essays | Libraries
- 2 Comments
I’m not a hit hound by any means, but I do check them, just to see. And the most popular page on this blog is the space where we were discussing The Fifth Business.
Okay, so it’s not popular by some standards, but on my little blog, it continuously tops my hit chart with between 3 & 29 hits per day. And search terms like:
- essay on the women in fifth business
- fifth business ezboard
- women in fifth business
- fifth business mrs.dempster, paul
- fifth business robertson davies reborn
- Fifth Business devil Liesl
- robertson davies fifth business
- Fifth Business name meanings
- sex love in fifth business essay
- psychology in fifth business
- ramsay guilt fifth business
And those are only today and yesterday.
The frequency started once school started. With all this traffic, I’ve only had 2 of these students stay and comment. (Am I wrong in assuming they’re students?) In my day, I would have been searching card catalogues, and journals, hoping for a tidbit. Now, they comb the Internet for their research. I wonder if any of our comments here have been cited in a paper somewhere?
The mind boggles.
But I was thinking of you all on Friday, when I found a delightful treasure in my local secondhand bookstore: Robertson Davies: An Appreciation
For your delectation then, are some of the ideas thrown out by different commentators as Davies’ books were coming out:
- Dunstan is the Hero
- Dunstan in the Saint, not Mrs. Dempster
- Father Blazon is the Fifth Business
So, reading these essays has been quite fun, and now I have to go back and read the damn books again! Ideas that I want to look into myself.
Okay, so you’re writing an essay and you Google your way to this post. I won’t leave you empty-handed, so here are some things to explore further:
- Pay close attention to the audience in all three books.
- Do some research on St. Dunstan.
- All 3 books begin and end in the same places, geographically. (And one of Davies’ next books is called What’s Bred In the Bone
And do some research in a good library, not looking for the quick answer on the Internet.
Digital Rare Books
Posted on: March 14, 2007
- In: Bibliophilia | Book Links | Classics | E-books | Libraries
- 2 Comments
Wow. A quiet little email from my favourite cousin this morning has sent me over into a bookish heaven.
I’m actually not going to say anything about it right yet. First, I want you to go check it out: this listing of rare book titles, brought to you by Octavo Digital Rare Books.
Go. I’ll wait.
……
Terribly cool, wasn’t it? An early Old Richard’s Almanac? Or Songs of Innocence and Experience?
This is something I like about the digital age, books I’ll never get my grubby hooks into available for us to peruse at our leisure (and up close — don’t forget to try the zoom feature!). The British Library has a collection too — of beautifully illuminated manuscripts at Turning the Pages. (I blogged about that one a while ago.)
Books (& bookmarks) as reference
Posted on: January 21, 2007
- In: Bibliophilia | Book Links | Classics | E-books | Libraries | Ramblings
- 5 Comments
What is the quote I’m looking for? I’m looking for the one about the definition of knowledge is knowing where to find the information you need.
Just this morning, I bookmarked the International Music Score Library Project. Why? I’m not a musician, nor a musicologist, nor… I’m just fascinated that if I wanted a classical score, it’s available.
I also bookmarked Luminarium, an anthology of English literature, from Medieval times to the 18th Century. Again, why? It’s not like I’m ever going to read all of them (or any, even!).
My enormous bookmark list is a testament to my desire to be able to access the information I need, when I need it. [For those with the same mania, you might want to add Refdesk.com to your bookmarks, if you haven’t already. Good for the mundane stuff of life, like currency exchange, etc.]
My husband asked me the other day, “How far are you into your 5-foot shelf?” I didn’t answer, because he wouldn’t understand. I’m glad I have them, because who knows when I’ll feel the urge to browse through Darwin or Plutarch, or pick up Cervantes (I think I have that one)…Okay, I’ll admit, I’m reading the Dante right now (For those of you who are interested in reading Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, I found a brilliant website completely devoted to it — the Princeton Dante Project.) — at least it’s sharing space on my bedside table with a couple others, and gets picked up every 3rd night or so.
Deep down, this is my need to own books. It’s not a competition thing (“The person with the most books wins!”), it’s not a possession thing — it’s a stored knowledge thing. I like being able to refer to a book in my library for (almost any) answers.
I’m assuming I’m not alone in this?
Library News
Posted on: January 8, 2007
- In: Bibliophilia | Book News | Classics | Libraries | Ramblings
- 5 Comments
Two pieces of library news (well, one piece of not-news) came my way this morning, so I thought I’d share them with you.
First off, the news that a man returned a book to the library after 47 years and paid his $171 in fines. Wow.
Secondly, via Nag’s book blog, is a story about librarians’ job to remove books from circulation…and how they’re using computer programs to weed out books not taken out in 24 months or more: Hello, Grisham — So Long, Hemingway?
This, unfortunately, is not a new story. When you stop to think about it, a librarian’s job is difficult. Librarians love books, and it is probably very distressing to delete classics to make shelf space for the latest bit of fluff.
If it makes you angry that Hemingway is making way for Grisham, then do something about it. Go to your local library today, and take out a couple of classics. Next week, borrow a couple more. If they’re circulated, they’ll stay. (The main character in the novel Bellwether by Connie Willis does this as part of her weekly errands…a great idea.)
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