Reading the past

    I had never heard of The Library of Innerpeffray until recently, but it is the oldest free, public lending library in Scotland, having been founded (by David Drummond, 3rd. Lord Madertie) around 1680.

It is in the depths of the country, not far from Crieff in Perthshire, and is housed in a charming Georgian building adjoining an early 16th. century chapel, and overlooking the River Earn. Although the library ceased to lend its books in 1968, all are available for visitors to handle and read in situ, and among its many treasures are volumes dating back to 1476*.

    You can also see the Borrowers' Registers which provide a fascinating account of what the local people were reading at any time; click on the picture above to enlarge it and have a look. I hope James Hunter, a farmer, enjoyed The Love Letters of Prince Bismarck, and Ann Hunter got on well with Louis Pasteur - Life and Work.

    I bought a set of postcards of illustrations from some of the library's books to give away to anyone who loves old books and curiosities, and to enter the draw, all you have to do is leave a comment here telling us about your favourite library - real or fictional, personal, public or private.

    The draw is open to all (there's a cookery-themed one on Cornflower which you're welcome to enter, too), so please do throw your name into the hat, and if you're ever in the Crieff area, then make a beeline for Innerpeffray which, though very much off the beaten track, is well worth a special trip.

 

*Questiones in quattuor libros Sententiarum, part IV of Opus Oxoniense, John Duns Scotus, written 1298-9.

Comments

[Sharon M]

Oh good heavens. I have water spaniels and know a lot of their histories...but I've never seen that book. Did you keep notes? Can you tell me th book? Author? Date?

[Sharon M]

My favorite library was the one next to my grammar school where the librarians believed that all
children deserved access to all books. I learned freedom thereof.

[Claire]

I'm ashamed to say that I live about 20 minutes drive away from Innerpeffray and I've not visited it, I've resolved now to remedy that next spring. The library belonging to my late Mother is my favourite - luckily still intact as one of my sisters houses it. Many memories are there.

[Dark Puss]

Fictional? I would absolutely have loved to spend time in the library rather transiently visited by William of Baskerville; provided of course I could get safely past Jorge of Burgos!

Real? For a whole variety of reasons, including the architecture, probably the recently, fabulously restored University of Edinburgh Main Library in George Square.

[Freda]

The iconic Charles Rennie Mackintosh library in the Glasgow School Of Art. Now a museum, we were lucky enough to use it on a daily basis. Magical. I also loved the municipal Victorian library of my childhood with it's order, discipline and strictly enforced silence.

[Erika]

I yearned to visit Samuel Pepys library after reading his diaries and seeing the illustration of the room, set up with his new book cases. Every time he somewhat disgusted me I would remind myself of what a book lover he was.

[Cornflower]

Happily, I can, Sharon!
The book is Topsell's Historie of Foure-Footed Beasts, 1607. There's a little about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Topsell and more here: http://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll18

[Cornflower]

Oh, Claire, you must go to Innerpeffray - i t's charming and so full of interest, despite being tiny!

[Roxane Stoner]

All libraries are a source of wonder to me but after seeing the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, it took the number one place. The building itself is a piece of art. the amount of information under one roof is astonishing. They even have a room dedicated to the Library of Thomas Jefferson which was bought by the United States' Congress in 1815 directly from TJ who desperately needed money. You can view each volume digitaly on computers installed around the circular shelf arrangement.

[Thomas Ogilvie]

My favourite library would have to be the fictional library in the children's book The Adventures of Endill Swift by Stuart McDonald, in which the titular protagonist is sent to the vast Epitaph School and has a miserable time until he discovers the huge library with its shelves so tall that you need climbing gear to climb them and that is home to the mysterious Bookman, who Endill befriends. It's quite magical and I must go and read it again.

[Mr Cornflower]

I don't qualify for the draw, but I would like to pay tribute to that most civilised of worlds, the old reading room of the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, where I spent a couple of happy years, breaking off from work to amuse myself by browsing through the great monuments of French culinary literature like Ali Bab's Gastronomie Pratique.
http://a142.idata.over-blog.com/5/64/47/37/Narbonnais/anime/bibli-5bis-.jpg

[Dorothy]

My favourite library is in Castle Douglas; it was where I got my first library card and what a world it opened up for this country child!

It's still there and i drop in when I am home, mainly to go to art exhibitions.

[Elizabeth]

I spent many a day walking to the library in our little town. It had two rooms and I was so proud when the librarian gave me permission to enter the second room containing adult books! I also loved the bookmobile that would come around to our elementary school. It was such a joy to take books home but I lived in dread if my brother read any of my books as he would peel the tape off the book jackets! I love the memories of that library and the devouring of books during those early years.

[Ros]

I am rather fond of the fictional Grand Library in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. It contains all the books that have been written and all the books that ever will be written. And it is overseen by the Cheshire Cat, now properly known as the Unitary Authority of Warrington Cat.

For real libraries, I don't think I can pick a favourite. So long as they have books in them, I'm happy.

[Nonnativereader.wordpress.com]

My favorite library is my local one, the Tallinn Central Library. The reason is that there has been so much improvement since I started to use it in 1988.

In 1988 the foreign language books department was closed for repairs and one was able to borrow only 5 books at a time. But, as it was before internet, a wily reader was able to get around that rule by borrowing 5 books from EACH of the branches of the library.

Now a reader can take out 30 books, search and browse books online, use the library bus named Katariina Jee, return books to any branch of the library.

And there are quite many books in English available, unlike the time I started out.

Still - the very first book I managed to read thorough in English was also borrowed from the Tallinn Central Library, so I will always be grateful for the library for helping to widen my world by making it possible for me to get comfortable in written English.