March has been a super month for the library – we (that is, the librarian and one volunteer) managed to unpack 14 boxes into the Cheshunt Room yesterday alone! Not all days are like this, of course – some books are more delicate than others and require some TLC before being placed on the shelf, which takes longer – but it is a sign of how well we are doing. With the pamphlets already in situ, the Cheshunt Room is now nearly full. Expect to see more posts about the Carrie Room in future…
Speaking of the Carrie Room, we have begun carrying boxes of books up the Tower in preparation to unpack them into their new location. They are not yet on the shelves, but they will be soon. This is very exciting, as the idea of “unpacking into the Carrie Room” has been notional for so long. It’s so pleasing to see the books appearing on the shelves after so long in storage.
Here are a few pictures of books we found interesting this month. One is an unusual book lined in pink silk (absolutely beautiful – the picture doesn’t do it justice!).
The other just goes to show how much former owners did not want their books to go astray. John Coslett was very keen in 1823 to make sure his came back to him: “If this book will go amiss my name will tell you whose Book it ‘tiss [sic] when this you see Remember me an[d] keep me in your mind…” Interestingly, this is a copy of the New Testament in Manx, so we can probably guess where John Coslett lived!
See you next month!
