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National Library of Scotland Blog - History
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The many names of Laurence James – National Library of Scotland Blog
The National Library of Scotland is a Legal Deposit library, which means we build our collections by requesting a copy of every book published in the UK and Ireland. Thanks to Legal Deposit the Library is home to probably the largest collection of popular fiction in Scotland. If you are interested i
“Christine Strathern imbues this romantic story with all her own abiding love for her native Scotland” – National Library of Scotland Blog
The Scottish author Nancy Brysson Morrison (1903-1986) is chiefly remembered today for her novel ‘The Gowk Storm’ a story about three daughters of a Scottish church minister. First published in 1933, the book was reissued as part of the Canongate Classics series in 1988. Morrison’s first two books w
Ian Rankin and the Missing Person Case of Jack Harvey – National Library of Scotland Blog
In 1993, the novel ‘Witch Hunt’ appeared in bookshops. But who was the author, Jack Harvey, seemingly a first-time novelist? Given his now familiar status as the biggest-selling contemporary writer of crime fiction in the UK it is hardly a secret. But at the time this was not an easy mystery to solv
100th Anniversary of One of the Greatest Poems of the 20th Century – National Library of Scotland Blog
October 2022 marks the centenary of the publication of T. S. Eliot’sThe Waste Land. Arguably themost influential poemwritten in English in the 20thcentury, it marked a turning point in modernist literature. Although the poem’s origins arose in the desolation of post-World War I Europe, its myriadthe
What about the Workers? Labour History Archive Collections at the Library – National Library of Scotland Blog
If you request an item from the Library’s archive and manuscript collections or stream a film through our website, chances are you’ll come into contact with the history of Scottish working people.Whether it’s the crafting of materials for medieval manuscript illuminations, ledgers documenting the wo
“Out of obscurity I came – to obscurity I can easily return”: Charlotte Brontë, Currer Bell and Jane Eyre – National Library of Scotland Blog
The use of pseudonyms by the Brontë sisters is perhaps one of the best known examples of the use of pen names in English literature. This post focusses on Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), whose novel ‘Jane Eyre’ was published 175 years ago in October 1847. It was Charlotte who persuaded her sisters to
The life and poetry of Phillis Wheatley Peters – National Library of Scotland Blog
As part of Black History Month the Library has a display in the Special Collections Reading Room (SCRR) celebrating the work of Phillis Wheatley Peters.Peters was a talented poet and believed to be the first Black American to publish a book of poetry. This blog will look at her life and poetry. Born
James Dover Grant becomes bestselling author Lee Child – National Library of Scotland Blog
Lee Child is the author of a series of thrillers about former American military police officer Jack Reacher. who travels around the United States by bus carrying only a toothbrush and a bank card. It has been claimed that a Jack Reacher novel is sold every four seconds, fans of the series include St
George Eliot and the disagreeables of reputation – National Library of Scotland Blog
“Whatever may be the success of my stories, I shall be resolute in preserving my incognito, having observed that a nom de plume secures all the advantages without the disagreeables of reputation.” George EliotThe author Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) is better known as George Eliot. In 2020 when the ‘Re
Salmon in Sápmi: John Francis Campbell’s Scandinavian Journals – National Library of Scotland Blog
From the middle of the nineteenth century, Norway became a popular destination for aristocratic British fishermen. They became known there as “salmon lords”. John Francis Campbell (1821-1885) was one of them but he did more than live a life of leisure. He was a noted linguist and folklorist, collec
Fringe ephemera – National Library of Scotland Blog
It’s August and the Edinburgh festival is upon us back to its raucous self, more or less, following two years of enforced, relative quiet.2022 is the 75thanniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival. It is also seventy-five years since eight theatre groups who were not invited to participate
Eric Blair becomes George Orwell – National Library of Scotland Blog
When we were deciding who to include in the National Library of Scotland’s current exhibition ‘Pen names’ we had to be selective. Many authors have used pen names in the United Kingdom in the period covered by the exhibition, 1800 to the present day, but we could only include forty. We decided on cr
A potted history of pen names – National Library of Scotland Blog
A pen name is a literary alias: a variation of a writer’s birth or married name or a completely invented pseudonym. The Library’s exhibition ‘Pen Names’ takes a thematic approach to the subject, looking at how factors such as privacy, gender, reputation, authenticity, and genre have influenced write
Refugee Week at the National Library — Sound and Voice – National Library of Scotland Blog
Scotland has three official languages, but countless others have echoed through its streets and floated over its airwaves. From poetry to protest chants, the speech and song of the immigrants and refugees who have made their homes in Scotland have enriched the soundtrack of Scottish life.Pause for a
Virginia da Vezzo – (more than) the Wife of Simon Vouet – National Library of Scotland Blog
Hello, my name isNava Rizvi. I’m a postgraduate Intern in Rare Books Collections and undertook this work as part of my MSc. (History of Art, Theory and Display) at theUniversity of Edinburgh. My main task has been to research and catalogue etchings and engravings held within theNewhailes Collection.
Harry Potter and the 80 translations – National Library of Scotland Blog
The National Library of Scotland’s newTreasuresexhibition in Edinburgh includes an array of translations of the first Harry Potter novel. These translations show that the Harry Potter books are a global success, published and read in almost every corner of the the world.“Harry Potter and the Philoso
Rare and Fascinating Beekeeping Books – National Library of Scotland Blog
In the summer of 2021, agenerous donation of beekeeping workswas made to theScottish Beekeepers’ Association(SBA) from the bookseller, John Kinross. After discussions with the librarian of the SBA’s circulating library held at Fountainbridge Public Library, it was decided that twenty-eight of the ra
Changing gender in Metamorphoses – National Library of Scotland Blog
Ovid’s Metamorphoses hasalmost 12,000 lines and covers over two hundred and fifty Greek Myths. As the name suggests each of these myths involves some kind of transformation for the characters within it.Some of these transformations are from mortal to immortal, from human to animal and from human to
A Natural Treasure – National Library of Scotland Blog
Isobel Wylie Hutchison features in our ‘Treasures of the National Library of Scotland’ exhibition. Her diaries, manuscripts, photographs, artwork and film all reveal a woman who loved to travel, but also one whose connection with the outdoors was important:I had heard the call of the wild, on star-l
National Library of Scotland and the Edinburgh College of Art: an enduring partnership – National Library of Scotland Blog
Since 2014, the National Library’sPublic Programmes teamhave been regularly working withEdinburgh College of Art (ECA)Illustration tutors and their 1stYear students on anannual collaborative project. Taking inspiration from different aspects of the National Library’s collections, the students have c
A university placement – National Library of Scotland Blog
Hello, my name is Alex Miller, and I am currently a student at the University of Strathclyde, working on completing a one-year MSc course in Information and Library Science. My time at the National Library has been spent working towards completing a Special Collections project started by a previous
Variations on a Theme: The Court Case of Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie – National Library of Scotland Blog
In 1810 the schoolteachers Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie found their Edinburgh boarding school abandoned after the rapid removal of every single pupil by their parents. The reason for this exodus stemmed from the accusations voiced by their pupil Jane Cumming who informed her grandmother that the tw
The Oscars come to the National Library – National Library of Scotland Blog
Still image from Seawards the Great ShipsWith the94thAcademy Awardsupon us at the end of March, what better time to explore the Library’s film collections and discover a few unexpected connections to the Oscars…A trio of Scottish ‘Best Live Action Shorts’Seawards the Great Ships(1960) was the first
Scottish South Asian Voices in Broadcasting – National Library of Scotland Blog
Over the last six months as an intern at the National Library of Scotland, I have undertaken the project ‘Scottish South Asians in Broadcasting’. This project draws on the Library’s vast collections, particularly the Moving Image Archive and Sound Collections, to identify underrepresented stories re