Literary England Round Up

I'm back from my UK trip and have been to some wonderful places! Here is a quick round-up of my impressions and experiences in the hope of inspiring you on your next literary trip! (Literary Venice for New Year I think!)

The Bodleian Library, Oxford

The Rad Cam at the Bodleian was my library but there are lots of different sections and I had never actually done the official Bodleian tour. So I finally visited the Duke Humphrey's Reading Room, one of the oldest in Oxford. It is quite impractical but very beautiful. Most of the tomes are for show only but they resonate with history (it must be the layers of dust and grime from many student fingers!).  They have one chained book there still from the times when readers had to use a lecturn for the huge volumes chained to the shelves. I also didn't know that under Edward VI (16th century) all the books in the library were burned just in case any of them were papist. How devastating that must have been for the librarian at the time!

The Bodleian was designed for all book-lovers, not just for students so you can apply to be a reader there if you have research to be done. I am sorely tempted to return when Bruce Chatwin's diaries are released in 2010. You can also become a Friend of the Bodleian if you would like to give extra support.

I had a marvellous walk around the town on one beautiful day, walked through Christchurch Meadow, visited old literary haunts like the Lamb and Flag (where Tolkien drank) and the Oxford University Press.

At the wedding of 2 dear friends I also popped into my old college library, Mansfield. More Pictures from the Oxford trip are here on Flickr. If you go to Oxford, be sure to visit Blackwells Bookshop which is cavernous and The Covered Markets for lunch.

Oxford students also haven't changed much since I was there – overheard in one cafe “You mean I can't use Wikipedia for my essay?”

The British Library, London

I was stunned by the British Library. I lived in London for 3 years and haven't been before – I definitely missed out!

It sits in an unassuming building next to Kings Cross/St Pancras station and is easy to miss. But definitely a must see for biblioholics in London! In one huge room, they have literary treasures that make your jaw drop.

Important documents like the Magna Carta from 1215,  as well as one of Gutenberg's first printed Bibles. Both volumes of the Codex Sinaiticus were on display and I could actually read it which was brilliant! (I did ancient Greek with theology so it is not so unusual!).

They also had an amazing collection of written diaries and books including Captain James Cook's journal, Virginia Woolf's notebook for Mrs Dalloway, Sylvia Plath's handwritten poems, pages from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebook and even handwritten lyrics from the Beatles – an eclectic mix!

One of my favourite pieces was a handwritten draft from Thomas Hardy. It was heavily edited in his own hand with only a few sentences remaining unchanged. He had also changed the title from “A daughter of the D'Urbevilles” to “Tess of the D'Urbevilles”. If you haven't read Hardy, he is English literature at its finest so highly recommended. This particularly encouraged me as it shows the editing process is something all writers have to do, however great their finished work seems.

They also had a Henry VIII exhibition – for anyone who is enjoying The Tudors it forms a great historical backdrop! I was also quite taken with the Audio archives. You can sit and listen to great voices of history. I heard the voice of Albert Einstein for the first time, and also enjoyed Sigmund Freud, Martin Luther King and JFK's “Ich bin Berliner” speech. Ernest Hemingway in his 1954 Nobel Prize acceptance speech said “A writer..must face eternity – or the lack of it – each day”. I have only just discovered how much I enjoy hearing people's voices in order to connect with them and their work. Listening to these people made me more determined to continue podcasting – and authors, get your voices out there!

In terms of supporting the Library, they have a fantastic Adopt a Book program. A great present for bibliophiles! (and something I am investigating for this blog!)

More pictures from London are here on Flickr.