A new way FORGOTTEN FLYERS to explore Uncover festivals of the past your library

The magazine of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk | Issue 19 | Summer 2011

WHAT was the LIBRARY’s FIRST BOOK? SCOTTISH SHIPYARD FILMS WIN A TRIP to the OPERA inside

The books that get challenged, censored and chopped up

OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER MAGAZINE welcome

A new exhibition and a A NEW WAY FORGOTTEN FLYERS TO EXPLORE Uncover festivals of the past YOUR LIBRARY

The magazine of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk | Issue 19 | Summer 2011 new issue of Discover NLS WHAT WAS THE LIBRARY’S FIRST BOOK? SCOTTISH SHIPYARD FILMS WIN A TRIP TO THE OPERA ummer brings with it the latest exhibition at the INSIDE Library. Of course, all of our exhibitions require great thought and preparation on the part of the A piece of S curators who put them together, but this one is a particularly special case. writing that in

The books that get challenged, its day might censored and chopped up The history of banned books is undoubtedly a fascinating

OF THE YEAR CUSTOMER MAGAZINE 01 NLS-summer_11_PLACEHOLD.indd 1 19/06/2011 12:58 subject – and one that throws up a number of surprises. be considered DISCOVER NLS Issue 19 Summer 2011 Yet it also presents great challenges in terms of walking immoral can

CONTACT US the line of what you do and don’t put on display. Within become widely We welcome all comments, questions, submissions these pages Jan Usher and John Nicklen, the exhibition admired and subscription enquiries. curators, elaborate upon how they pulled it all together, Please write to us at the National Library of Scotland and try to explain how a piece of writing that in its day address below or email [email protected] might be considered immoral can, over time, become not just accepted, but widely admired. FOR NLS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Over the years, festivals have occasionally Alexandra Miller EDITORIAL ADVISER featured productions that have attracted the censors’ ire. Willis Pickard In this issue, we take a look at just a small selection of the EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Ann Fleck many items of ephemera that the Library holds relating to

CONTRIBUTORS our capital city and its long association with productions Sarah Adwick, Karla Baker, (of the controversial and uncontroversial kind). Robert Betteridge, Almut Boehme, Beverley Casebow, Elsewhere, we have the story of what might possibly Jackie Cromarty, Emma Faragher, Chris Fleet, Olive be the first book to be acquired by the National Library of Geddes, Malcolm Good, Sally Scotland, and an overview of our newly launched Learning Harrower, Alice Heywood, Andrew Littlefield, Andrew Zone. This online resource is a fabulous tool that makes Martin, John Nicklen, Jane Rose, Nicola Stratton, Michael NLS content available for use in learning environments. Turnbull, Jan Usher, Ruth Washbrook And with not one, but two competitions featured in these pages, I’m particularly delighted to offer you a EDITOR Jack Kibble-White [email protected] warm welcome to our summer issue. Design Matthew Ball Sub-editorS Anne Boyle, Andrew Littlefield, Lou Millward Publisher John Innes Martyn Wade [email protected] ADVERTISING Alison Fraser National Librarian and Chief Executive

, MALCOLM COCHRANE alison.fraser@thinkpublishing. co.uk 0141 946 8708 page

this PUBLISHED by Think Scotland Woodside House Three popular NLS videos on YouTube 20-23 Woodside Place Glasgow G3 7QF 0141 582 1280 1 2 3 ISSN 1751-5998 (print) ISSN 1751 6005 (online) FIRST DAY AT GLASGOW’S GAS MASK DRILL National Library of Scotland SCHOOL MOSSHEIGHT AT GLASGOW George IV Bridge A short clip FLATS PRIMARY Edinburgh EH1 1EW from the Mungo’s Medal In a film from 1940, Telephone 0131 623 3700 educational film (1961) shows a children in a Fax 0131 623 3701 Our Three R’s Glasgow family primary school Email [email protected] (1961) depicts being rehoused class are shown a young boy’s first to their new home how to fit their gas The National Library of day at a Scottish in a high rise masks in the event Scotland is a registered primary school multi-storey. of an air raid. Scottish charity. Scottish http://tinyurl. http://tinyurl. http://tinyurl.

FRONT COVER: BANNED BOOKS EXHIBITION, SHUTTERSTOCK. Charity No. SC011086 com/3pd5dla com/3tsg7fo com/67o7oly

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 3 contents

Advertising for an Edinburgh Festival production of Lauder

6 USING NLS

9 NEWS The latest news and comment, including the Darien Scheme in the Treasures space, the Bartholomew archive, a competition from Scottish Opera and all of the Library’s summer events

16 A FESTIVAL OF EPHEMERA A visual reflection on Edinburgh’s long and proud association with arts festivals Yesterday’s 18 EVIL LITERATURE disreputable texts AND FREEDOM can be today’s OF SPEECH canonical works Lifting the lid on the Page 18 Library’s new Banned Books exhibition

23 JUST THREE QUESTIONS 24 NEW LEARNING Contributors to this issue include WITH NLS We take a look at a new educational NLS online resource

26 FIRST ON THE SHELF Might Clarinda’s copy of the 2nd edition of Burns’ Poems have been the first book to be acquired Ruth Washbrook Robert Betteridge John Nicklen Jan Usher by the National Library Ruth has recently A curator in NLS’ Co-curator of the Jan is NLS’ of Scotland? been appointed Rare Book Collections, Banned Books Head of Official Senior Curator Robert represents exhibition, John is also Publications, and cochrane 29 MY NLS at the Library’s NLS at meetings of Curator of Modern is co-curator Scottish Screen the National Burns British Collections of the Banned malcolm 30 LAST WORD Archive Collection at the Library Books exhibition

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 5 Using the National Inside Library of NLS Scotland With a collection of over 14 million printed items, two million maps, 32,000 films, three miles of manuscripts, plus thousands of photos, getting around NLS requires a little navigation

How to join of identity and confirmation of To use NLS’ Reading Rooms your address, bring one or more and order up items from the documents that include your The Library’s collections, you need to hold name and address, supported George IV Bridge a library card number. This can by a signature or photograph. building be obtained by completing the online form at https://auth.nls. Viewing uk/registration. Simply follow Requests can be made in via the online catalogue on the steps on the website. material person, by telephone on our website. On your first visit to the If you know what you are 0131 623 3700, or by email: More information about Library, you should go to looking for, we recommend [email protected] pre-ordering is available at Registration where staff will making your request for the In addition, if you have a www.nls.uk/using-the- take your photo and produce required material in advance library card number, books library/reading-rooms/ a library card for you. For proof of your visit to the Library. can be ordered in advance general/preorders

Government ✱ India, Raj & Empire; ✱ Digital resources and official Sabin Americana, 1500- With over 300 million items, of which 85% A wealth of political 1926; ✱ The Making of the information can be viewed Modern World; ✱ Times are available remotely, NLS’ licensed digital online, including 18th Century Digital Archive; ✱ Waterloo collections are a superb research tool Official Parliamentary Directory of English Publications Portal 1688- Newspapers and Periodicals Art and literature Archive; Factiva; FAME – 1834; ✱ House of Commons 1800-1900, a bibliography of The Library’s digital information on over 2.4 million Parliamentary Papers; ✱ publications, personal collections relating to art of the largest UK and Irish Public Information Online and names, issuing bodies and and literature include companies; ✱ Frost & ✱ The Making of Modern Law subjects; ✱ The Scotsman ✱ 19th Century UK Periodicals Sullivan; ✱ Global Reference – Legal Treatises 1800-1926. Digital Archive 1817-1950 Part 1. Women’s, Children’s, Solution; Key Note Market and ✱ Who’s Who (and Humour and Leisure/Sport; Research Reports; product History, biography, Who Was Who). ✱ British Literary Manuscripts and services database genealogy Online c.1660-1900; Naxos Kompass Database; Market You can access ✱ 17th & 18th Reference works Music Library; ✱ Oxford Music Research Monitor and Mintel Century Burney Newspaper and catalogues Online; ✱ Perdita Manuscripts Market Research Reports. Collection; ✱ 19th Century ✱ Credo Reference gives – Women Writers, 1500-1700; British Library Newspapers; you access to 400 high- ✱ RILM Abstracts of Music Education, science ✱ 19th Century UK Periodicals quality reference books Literature; Scottish Women and social science Part 2. Empire: Travel and from the world’s leading Poets of the Romantic Period; Educational resources include Anthropology, Economics, publishers. Other online SCRAN Digital Materials; ✱ ALPSP Learned Journals Missionary and Colonial; ✱ Times Literary Supplement Science Collection; Blackwell British and Irish Women’s Historical Archive and Compass Journals; Letters and Diaries; ✱ Celtic ✱ SUR Digital Archive. ✱ Electronic Enlightenment; Culture – A Historical ✱ Environment Complete; Encyclopedia (via NetLibrary); For more Business ✱ GreenFILE; ✱ JSTOR; ✱ InfoTrac Custom information Online resources for ✱ MLA International Newspapers; ✱ John Johnson visit: businesses, including Bibliography; ✱ Oxford Collection: an archive of https://auth. Business Insights (Reuters); Journals Online; ✱ Science printed ephemera – digitised ✱ COBRA – The Complete Full Text Select; ✱ Standards images from the Bodleian nls.uk/ldc Business Reference Adviser; Infobase and ✱ Web Library; ✱ Oxford Dictionary ✱ Economist Historical of Knowledge. of National Biography (ODNB);

6 | discover nls | Summer 2011 www.nls.uk Online NLS locations NLS has a vast range of electronic resources, Films including digital versions of Scottish Screen Archive reference works, massive 39-41 Montrose Avenue full-text facsimiles and Hillington Park business databases Glasgow G52 4LA (see below for a list). Many Tel 0845 366 4600 of these resources are Email [email protected] available over the internet to readers living in Scotland, Maps although restrictions do apply Causewayside Building to some of the collections, in 159 Causewayside line with licence agreements. Edinburgh EH9 1PH Your first port of call to Tel 0131 623 3970 access the Library’s licensed Email [email protected] digital collections is Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm https://auth.nls.uk/ldc (Wed 10am-5pm), Sat 9.30am-1pm Visitor Centre The Visitor Centre at NLS’ Other collections George IV Bridge was George IV Bridge opened in 2009. It features Edinburgh EH1 1EW an exhibition space, a shop Tel 0131 623 3700 selling books, stationery Email [email protected] and gift items, a café and Mon-Fri 9.30am- PC terminals with access 8.30pm to NLS catalogues and (Wed 10am-8.30pm), other digital facilities. Sat 9.30am-1pm

Alexander Graham Bell can be called up in the Science Information Service Collection

FOCUS ON The Science Information Service Collection The principal source for scientific and technical information within the National Library of Scotland, the Science Information Service contains one of the largest collections of scientific publications in Scotland. Holding over 5,000 current scientific and With the Times Digital Archive you can view issues of technical journals, and extensive historical runs the newspaper dating from 1785 to 1985 of UK journals, the Library also allows networked access to online databases via dedicated reference works available All collections can workstations in our George IV Bridge building. ✱ via NLS include: Early ✱ be accessed through The Science Information Service also offers a American Imprints, Series 1 – the electronic resources Evans, 1639-1800; ✱ Early search service at the basic free scientific enquiry service via phone, cochrane

English Books Online 1475- Library. Collections that fax and email. Typical enquiries include checking 1700 (EEBO); and are marked with a ✱ can definitions and translations, biographical details ✱ Eighteenth Century also be accessed outwith

malcolm on scientists and journal references. , Collections Online (ECCO) the Library (although Parts 1 & 2; Oxford English please be aware that For more information and contact details visit evans Dictionary Online and Oxford some require registration www.nls.uk/collections/science-and-

mary Reference Online. for remote access). technology

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 7 news

Decorative scroll of the National Union of Railwaymen, xxx Portobello Branch, 1890 xxxx

From the first minute book of the Company of Scotland, 1696

treasures on display are from the archive collections of both NLS and RBS. They will include the company’s private record books and letters from colonists who travelled to the New World. From September to October, the Treasures space switches focus onto the history of Scottish working people. The Library holds an unrivalled collection of items relating to Scottish labour history and a significant amount of this material has been deposited by the Scottish Labour History Society and the Scottish Working People’s History Trust. The Library pays homage to these organisations’ determination to preserve some of the oldest surviving records of trade unions, co-operative and friendly

societies, educational bodies Treasures of Scottish and activists involved in the Scottish labour movement.

;

ortobello Treasures on show will P nion

U include original letters, and

trading and labour history minute books, cartoons, DISPLAY Scotland’s fateful Darien and consequent financial posters, photographs and ransport

dinburgh Scheme in the 1690s. The losses prompted an economic printed items that tell the T E his summer, NLS’ Company of Scotland’s collapse which forced story of efforts to improve and the Treasures space plan to establish a colony Scotland towards political work and social conditions of T plays host to on the Isthmus of Darien in union with England, in Scotland and beyond. aritime

, M a joint display with Central America was a bid finally enacted in 1707.

ail The Royal Bank of Scotland. for Scotland to establish an The display follows the

R The Darien Scheme display permission y

the The display tells the story of empire for itself. Following inscription of the archives of runs from 1 July to 31 August.

of the Company of Scotland two expeditions to Darien, the Company of Scotland on The Scottish Working People’s Trading to Africa and the in 1698 and 1699, the UNESCO’s new UK Memory History display runs from 2 ranch COMPANY OF SCOTLAND MINUTE BOOK IMAGE ©RBS 2011 B MAIN IMAGE B Indies, the enterprise behind scheme’s catastrophic failure of the World Register and September to 31 October.

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 9 news

Tales from the shipyard FILMS documentary maker John to travel to Southampton to Grierson and directed by begin her life as a Cunard LS’ Scottish Screen a young American man, liner (for more information N Archive has been Hilary Harris. The film was on this film, see page 13 of working in shot in 35mm for a cinema the spring 2011 issue of partnership with the BFI release and is notable for its Discover NLS). National Film Archive dynamic camera angles and The screenings at the on a programme of film sweeping panning shots. Glasgow Film Festival screenings and a DVD The Bowler and the proved to be hugely popular release to celebrate Britain’s Bunnet (1967) is the with local audiences, many shipbuilding film heritage. only film to be directed by of whom were from Govan Three films from the Sir Sean Connery, and shipbuilding families, Library’s vaults were investigates an experiment attending to celebrate the screened during the undertaken by Fairfields might of a once powerful Glasgow Film Festival and Shipyard to employ new industry, as well as throughout the UK as part management techniques. commiserate its loss. of this programme. Queen Mary Leaving the Seawards the Great Ships Clyde (1936) is believed to A DVD containing the from 1960 was the first film be the only colour film Scottish films and other to win Scotland an Oscar. It recording of the Queen material is available from was conceived by pioneering Mary as she left the Clyde www.bfi.org.uk/shipyard

Stills from the Oscar-winning Scottish documentary film Seawards the Great Ships (1960)

Race for the South Pole remembered CENTENARY assistance,’ explains each portrait and, as Malcolm. ‘I was not to be Calum’s work can be ne hundred disappointed. Inspired by produced as a limited O years ago Roald the evocative photographs photographic edition, Amundsen became I saw during my research, I each syndicate member the first person to reach discussed with artist Calum will receive the portrait the Geographic South Pole. Colvin OBE the possibility of their chosen explorer.’ That centenary – and NLS’ of commissioning new The Scott Polar Research Mountaineering and Polar photographic prints to Institute is supporting Collections – has inspired mark the centenary year. the project and offering one reader, Malcolm Good, ‘Between us we drew up its collections as source to combine his interests a proposal to commission material for the portraits. in polar exploration and Calum to produce three photography to create portraits: Roald Amundsen, If you are interested in a unique project. Robert Falcon Scott and finding out more about ‘I wanted to learn more Tom Crean. The proposal is this initiative, then contact about “the race for the pole” that a group of people form Malcolm Good directly at and turned to NLS for a syndicate to commission [email protected] Roald Amundsen

10 | discover nls | Summer 2011 www.nls.uk National Librarian made honorary professor

PEOPLE ‘It is a wonderful honour to be appointed an honorary artyn Wade, the professor at Robert Gordon M National Librarian University,’ says Martyn. ‘The and Chief Executive Department of Information of the National Library Management is very highly New book of Scotland, has been regarded and I am looking on 1806 appointed an honorary forward to working with professor at Robert Gordon colleagues there in the future.’ Inverness University’s Department of The Department of Information Management. Information Management has survey Martyn started his career a strong reputation in both PUBLISHING in Northumberland libraries, teaching and research in where he worked from 1973 library and information n original journal to 1976. He held a variety of management disciplines. In A held at NLS posts in England before the 2008 Research Assessment and written by heading north in 1999 when Exercise, it rated as the top celebrated civil engineer he was appointed Head of performing department in and former Rector of Libraries and Archives in Scotland in the field. Inverness Academy, Glasgow. He moved to the Alexander Nimmo National Library of Scotland (1783-1832), has just in September 2002. been published. The book ‘We are delighted to describes the surveying of have Martyn as one of the the Inverness-shire county department’s honorary boundary in 1806 and professors,’ says Professor contains the account of Peter Reid, Head of the his journey, including Department of Information reproductions of maps. Management at Robert The new book also Gordon University. ‘This includes essays by Noel appointment recognises the Wilkins of the University of The Queen enormous contribution which Galway, Jim Hunter of the Mary in dock he has made in the leadership University of the Highlands of library and information & Islands, Robert Preece, services in Scotland.’ Martyn Wade formerly of Inverness Academy, and Chris Fleet, NLS’ Senior Map Curator.

Alexander Nimmo’s Inverness Survey and Music collections available online Journal, 1806 (£30) is DIGITISATION From the outset it was makes use of standardised published by the Royal clear that some volumes processes to maximise Irish Academy. Go to LS’ mass digitisation wouldn’t be suitable for mass output. At the time of writing ria.ie/publications.aspx N programme has digitisation as they were too 192 volumes of the Glen recently included tightly bound, too fragile Collection were available items held in the Library’s or too large. As the name to view online. Further Music Collections. The suggests, mass digitisation volumes will be added programme’s aim is to make over the coming year. BY THE NUMBERS available digital versions of books and other items from View the digitised the collections. Glen Collection online cochrane

The Glen and Inglis at www.archive.org Collections were chosen (search for ‘nlsmusic’). 490 for digitisation because they Images will be released different languages are malcolm , include major historical with upgraded descriptive represented across the Scottish music publications records via the NLS National Library of evans with a high proportion of digital archive at Scotland’s collections

mary out-of-copyright material. Two digitised pages http://digital.nls.uk

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 11 news

‘The photographs capture the last days of cop per plate’

CURATOR’S CHOICE Machine feeder the middle of the 20th XxxxxxxxxxxxPeggy Lowe century, have proven to Karla Baker, Bartholomew and printer be especially illuminating. Archive Curator, on the John Shiels The photographs trace company photographs of almost every step in the John Bartholomew & Son, Ltd production of a map, beginning with the ingling out just one draughtsmen (and they S item from the archive were always men) leaning of eminent Scottish closely over tables in the cartographic firm John light-filled drawing room. Bartholomew & Son, Ltd. They depict the delicate arts is no easy task. From copper of copper plate engraving plates to rare books, and colouring, the noise and correspondence to proof drama of the print room and maps, the collection is a finally, the finished product veritable feast of materials leaving the premises in and media. As curator, I try to Engraver idiosyncrasies and of course, Bartholomew-liveried vans. understand this material so David Bartholomew was both a But the photographs that I can recreate a sense of Webster cartographer and a printer. also capture the last days what life at the firm was like. This means that any items of copper plate as an It’s not always easy. The that help shine a light into engraving and printing cartographic and printing its dark corners are always medium. By the 1960s, worlds have their own welcome and a set of Bartholomew had moved to language, unwritten rules and photographs, taken around offset-lithography, producing

Curator Karla Baker with some of the Bartholomew company photographs The barber will see you now And the ‘The photographs capture the last days of cop per plate’ winner is...

images onto glass and AWARDS then film, before the digital revolution superseded The winner of the 2011 this technology too. Callum Macdonald They also capture an Memorial industry that surprises me in Award was its openness to women at that announced period of time. From the very at NLS on with skilled colourists, to the 19 May. drying and folding room and ‘Figure in

yprianou even the print floor, women Landscape’ K reproduced were seemingly welcome.

as written by Anna td . T

L When viewed in Crowe (pictured) and conjunction with donated published by Mariscat engraving and lithographic Press claimed first prize, ublishers P tools, and a series of oral WIN A TRIP TO with JoAnne McKay’s artholomew

B history interviews, these ‘Venti’ named runner-up. ollins C photographs help to evoke a Now in its 11th year, the

ollins THE BARBER tangible sense of what it was award encourages poetry arper H like to be an employee of John COMPETITION Figaro, the title character in in pamphlet form. The of Bartholomew & Son, Ltd. The Barber of Seville, pops pamphlet or its publisher Scottish Opera is touring up in several different must have a connection Follow the Bartholomew in October and November operas but which classic with Scotland or permission Archive blog at www.nls.uk/ with The Barber of Seville. UK comic first featured Scottish culture. The 2011 kind MALCOLM COCHRANE, © C blogs/bartholomew The production will the adventures of Figaro, competition attracted run from 21 October an overweight Mexican a record number of until 19 November, and is bandit, back in 1953? entrants, with judges visiting Glasgow, Inverness, praising the variety and Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Post your entry along quality of the submissions. Discover NLS readers with your address to have the opportunity to Discover NLS Opera win a pair of top price tickets competition, Think Scotland, (with interval drinks and 20-23 Woodside Place, Scantastic a programme) for Glasgow, G3 7QF, or a performance at any email discovernls@ news one of the four locations. thinkpublishing.co.uk SERVICES For your chance to win, (with ‘Opera competition’ in you’ll need to consult your the subject line). Closing date A radically improved old comics collection is Friday 23 September. copying service is now to come up with the correct available in the General answer to this question: scottishopera.org.uk Reading Room with the introduction of our new Book2Net scanners. The new scanners replace traditional Digital mapping project live photocopiers. They will enable you to make colour ONLINE with the aid of new digital scans direct to your own technologies, easy tools USB sticks, and thanks to he Library’s for combining historical preservation-friendly T Visualising Urban information with book cradles, have Geographies geo-referenced maps. increased the range of collaborative The website items that can be copied. project with uses Edinburgh Charges (10p per scan Edinburgh as an example for and 20p per paper copy) University has now exploring urban are designed to formally ended, history, with easy- discourage the and a range of new to-use guides, applications environmentally resources have just been and viewers. detrimental practice made available. The of printing. project’s aim was to create, http://geo.nls.uk/urbhist

Summer 2011 | discover nls | 13

events

Summer events at NLS All events take place at the National Library of Scotland, are, and in so doing vividly refused to admit that they George IV Bridge, unless otherwise stated creates a colour DNA map practised censorship, and of Scotland. how artists responded. the Book Festival. The past Booking fee £4 (includes Join us for tales of production nine years have seen political refreshments). bans, legal disputes, figures and commentators There will be a book and concrete poems such as the Right Hon Alex signing after the – glimpses Salmond MSP and Baroness event. of creativity behind Shirley Williams take the the Berlin Wall. stage. Former Lord Advocate, FEE-PAYING Dr Laura Bradley is The Right Honourable SCHOOLS Senior Lecturer in Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC OF EDINBURGH German at the will be giving the 2011 lecture, 20 September, 6pm University of chaired by Brian Taylor, Following the success Edinburgh. Political Editor for of his Crème de la Her latest book is BBC Scotland. Crème: Girls’ Schools of Cooperation and Conflict: GDR A Burns Edinburgh, Alasdair Roberts Theatre Censorship, 1961- performance PIAF has written a parallel 1989 (OUP 2010). 14-20 August, 7pm book on boys’ schools. SCOTTISH PEN Scotland’s Little Sparrow, It is largely historical, IN CONVERSATION ON 28 July 2011, 6pm award-winning Christine covering the High School’s BANNED BOOKS Scottish PEN is proud to Bovill, sings a homage to Edith classical rivalry with the 12 September, 6pm present an event in Piaf, whose life was as dark as Academy, the rise of the Bishop Brian Smith of the celebration of those brave her dress. Christine exposes Merchant Company, and the Scottish Episcopal Church, writers who carry on though the colour and hope in spite separate development of Rabbi David Rose of the their books are banned. The of it all. boarding schools. Edinburgh Hebrew event will be chaired by Fiona PerformingPiaf.co.uk Congregation and Mary Graham and features Lin WRITERS IN Sharpe, Advocate and Anderson and Louisa Waugh ROBERT BURNS: NOT EXILE a researcher in sacred sex will reading from the work of Liu IN MY NAME 27 September, discuss the censorship of Xiaobo, winner of the 2011 4-12 and 24-28 August 6pm books and other media for not Nobel Peace Prize; Nelson Witness Scotland’s Bard Join Amnesty conforming to the political, Mandela; and others. as never seen before. International at religious or moral codes of This multimedia NLS as Liz their day. THE 2011 NLS DONALD presentation is linked by Lochhead and This is a partnership event DEWAR MEMORIAL a sequence of video other Scottish between NLS and The LECTURE narratives and is performed authors stand in Edinburgh Inter-Faith 26 August, 8pm by Edinburgh poet and solidarity with writers who Association The Donald Dewar Memorial iconoclast Kevin Williamson have had their right to Lecture is a highlight of (founder of the legendary freedom of expression Book events online at Rebel Inc publishing house). violated and suffered www.nls.uk/events/booking persecution as a result of or call 0131 623 3918 SCOTLAND: A DNA HISTORY openly sharing their writing, WITH ALISTAIR MOFFAT thoughts and opinions. This 15 September, 6pm event pays tribute to those History has always mattered individuals and everyone to Scots, but did you know around the world who is that an almost limitless defending freedom of archive of our history lies expression in all its forms. hidden inside our bodies? Join Alistair Moffat as he THE SECRET OF EAST explores the history GERMAN CENSORSHIP that is printed on 29 September, 6pm our genes. Using a Censorship was one of East remarkable new Germany’s worst kept approach, he also secrets. Everyone knew that uncovers the the arts were censored, yet

alamy detail of where the word censorship was , we are from taboo. Dr Laura Bradley will piaf and who we explore why the authorities edith

Summer 2011 | discover nls | 15 COLLECTIONS A festival of ephemera Edinburgh’s reputation as Festival City is well deserved. Each year NLS supplements its usual means of collecting by scouring the Royal Mile, and the rest of Edinburgh, to take in samples of show flyers, programmes, playbills and other printed material. The collection is also enriched by the deposited archives of the International and Film Festivals. It makes for a colourful story

LOGAN’s RUN Programme from the Edinburgh BIENNIAL International Festival, 1986, BOOK EVENTS featuring the Scottish star Programmes and Jimmy Logan in his own leaflets from one-man show based on the life the Edinburgh of the Portobello-born Book Festival entertainer, Sir Harry Lauder. which started as a biennial event in 1983. Plus a Book Festival ticket from the pre- computerised days of 1991.

FRINGE 2007 A selection of typical handbills collected from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2007, including new Scottish writing at the Traverse Theatre and just a small sample of the various stand-up comedians.

FESTIVAL FINDERS A 1974 map issued by the Edinburgh ARTISTS IN International EDINBURGH Festival. A selection of Right A handy catalogues for Festival map the art exhibitions featuring featured during various theatres the Festival, and concert halls including Diaghilev presented to from 1954, the customers by Richard Demarco Edinburgh-based Gallery in 1975, department store Christian Dior in Jenners in 1948. 1997, and Elizabeth Blackadder in 1998.

16 | discover nls | Summer 2011 what the papers say There are over 100 volumes of carefully kept press-cuttings in the Edinburgh edinburgh festivals : Festival archive. This 1948 review is a brief history of Medea featuring Eileen Herlie. . festival

film

The first Edinburgh International Festival took place in 1947. The Edinburgh Festival international PAL Fringe was born that year, when theatre rena groups that weren’t part of the programme / A decided they would stage their own edinbrugh

arda star attractions performances, regardless. B and Clockwise from top: Sir Ian McKellen The Edinburgh International Film Festival live

C appeared in The Wood Demon, 1973, started in the same year, with the Military by

festival Maria Callas sang in La Sonnambula in Tattoo following in 1950. In 1978 came the 1957 and Marlene Dietrich had Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival,and in one-woman shows in 1964 and 1965. 1983, the first International Book Festival. mckellen

ian The Edinburgh International Science , international Festival was founded in 1988, while The Imaginate Festival and Scottish International Storytelling Festival both piccagliani

edinburgh began in 1990. In 1994, came the first of erio A FESTIVAL OF FILMS official Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. by The Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh Mela Festival started the allas

courtesy programme for 1957 with Ian Carmichael following year and the Edinburgh Art

in the film version of Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Festival opened its doors for the first time ARIA C m images Jim which was the opening gala event. in 2004. It’s certainly the Festival City!

Summer 2011 | discover nls | 17 literature exhibition, collectionsfor a thought-provoking new A waysthat books have been challenged, ndrewLittlefield Delvinginto a large number of NLS censoredand even chopped up and freedom of speech Jan Evil U sher through the different and JohnNicklen

guide

malcolm cochrane exhibition

he passage of time, and withNLS it shifts has in in its collection a fine etching long thought common values and standards, frequently transforms yesterday’s disreputableto be by text an into unknown artist. As he explains, it took a today’s canonical work. Booksholiday that were in onceCopenhagen for Dr Iain Gordon Brown to prosecuted for moral, religious or political reasons are now freely available online,work or in out libraries who and had made this evocative work bookshops, and are studied in schools and colleges around the world. In the 21st century, the vast majority of banned or challenged books – the subject of a new and wide-ranging exhibition at the National Library of Scotland – can be viewed by web-connected readers in the West within a matter of seconds. Just over 50 years ago, it wasn’t nearly so easy. By way of illustration, let us briefly imagine a traveller from the UK Tin that pivotal year, 1959. We are, almost certainly, talking about a white middle-class gentleman of a certain age, someone able to afford foreign travel but also someone eager to read, and have an opinion on, the most scandalous, outlawed works of 20th-century English language literature. Returning to his censorious homeland from, say, a visit to more broad-minded , his suitcase could well be used to transport across the border otherwise banned, expurgated or simply impossible to acquire works. Amongst this avid littérateur’s haul might be such enduring modern classics as D H Lawrence’s notoriously explicit Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928); Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (first issued in two olive green paperback volumes by the Parisian publishers Olympia Press in 1955); the unashamedly erotic fiction of the American writer Henry Miller, unavailable in Britain and the USA; or, hot off the presses, the experimental novel The Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs. This transgressive and still controversial book was first published by Olympia as number 76 in their nudge-nudge, wink-wink ‘Traveller’s Companion’ series. Passing through customs, our own traveller’s chief companion at this moment is a growing feeling of anxiety. After all, if his suitcase is searched, at the very least the precious contraband inside will be confiscated and destroyed by Customs and Excise officials.

Above Johan Christian Dahl’s painting of Piazza di San Pietro in Rome Left The etching of the same location, long unattributed exhibition

Nobody expects the Spanish ink edition

Pick on a penguin: America’s most challenged book

Help for our culturally deprived – or depraved, depending upon your point of view – traveller was soon to be on hand in the unlikely form of the Obscene Publications Act. Newly revised in 1959, the act was first introduced in 1857 in England and Wales and is still notionally in force today. (Scotland’s obscenity laws are currently covered under the Civic Government Act 1982, while I cannot resist mentioning that censorship of printed matter in the Irish Free State was once controlled by the wonderfully named Committee on Evil Literature). As before, the 1959 act classed as obscene any work that ‘tends to deprave and corrupt.’ But for the first time it also allowed the question of literary merit to enter into the equation.

An obscene act This significant change emboldened Penguin Books to test the boundaries by at last issuing in Britain an inexpensive mass paperback edition of the full text of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, first published of a large section on Sex curated by John Nicklen. privately in Florence but until then only available Here, an undisputed classic of 19th-century realist in Britain and the United States in an expurgated literature, Émile Zola’s Nana (1880), rubs shoulders version. The subsequent acquittal of the book at with, arguably, a work of literary demerit, Inside trial in 1960 marked, in the words of noted human Linda Lovelace (1974), allegedly a memoir by the rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC, ‘a crucial star of the pornographic film Deep Throat (1972). step towards the freedom of the written word’. On the former, John explains that ‘the publisher Last year, publicity surrounding the 50th Henry Vizetelly was prosecuted in 1888 for anniversary of the Lady Chatterley Trial helped publishing the works of Zola in translation. It to inspire Jan Usher, Head of Official Publications, was deemed perfectly acceptable to read Zola in Kevin Halliwell, Senior Curator, US & D H Lawrence the original French because the people who would Commonwealth Collections and John Nicklen, disowned read it were educated people and they wouldn’t be Curator of Modern British Collections, to start corrupted. But the Education Act of 1870 taught drawing together their own banned books shoddy the working classes how to read, thereby making exhibition for the Library. Jan says ‘being a legal pirated reading for leisure available to all. The powers-that- deposit library we’ve got a lot of controversial be felt that working people would be more liable to volumes that have been banned or challenged. copies of Lady be corrupted by things like Zola, and there was a lot When we looked through our collections we had Chatterley’s of concern generally about English translations of a lot of items that had a unique history attached to Lover (1928) foreign works.’ why we had them, and sometimes why we restricted As for Inside Linda Lovelace, it is a fine example access to them. So we thought the time was right in an essay of a work held by the Library that is interesting for putting on an exhibition. A lot of libraries in entitled mainly for its sociological and historical import. America especially have a Banned Books week ‘My Skirmish John comments that when this paperback was also every year, and the American Library Association found not guilty of obscenity by an English jury in (ALA) fights hard for freedom of expression, With Jolly 1976, ‘the Metropolitan Police then decided that if partly because it’s challenged so often there, Roger’ this wasn’t obscene then nothing was! After that, especially in school libraries.’ prosecution of literary works virtually disappeared.’ In the exhibition Lady Chatterley’s Lover is If, so far, we’ve concentrated on the more represented by several different editions, the earliest predictably contentious banned books, Jan Usher an unexpurgated French printing from 1929, as part points out that offence can often be given by far

20 | discover nls | Summer 2011 The Banned Books exhibition ranges across high and low culture more unexpected items. She has selected for the against censorship. Last year the Chinese writer Liu exhibition an American children’s book entitled Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. And Tango Makes Three (2005), written by Peter He wasn’t there to collect it because he’s still Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by imprisoned in China, so there was just an empty Henry Cole. Jan again provides the context for its chair in his place. Scottish PEN, the writers inclusion: ‘And Tango Makes Three tells the true association, also has an empty chair to symbolise story of two penguins in the New York City Zoo. A his plight, and we’re hoping to get a version of keeper noticed that two male penguins had formed the chair for the exhibition.’ an attachment to each other and they tried to hatch The Living With Censorship section is even broad a stone. Another penguin had produced more than enough to consider the question of self-censorship, one egg and could only deal with one chick at a Henry Miller’s drawing on actual correspondence between Byron time, so the keeper gave the male penguins novel Tropic and his publisher John Murray over a contemptuous the egg to hatch and they hatched it, a chick – and anonymous – dedication to the Poet Laureate called Tango. It’s really sweet but there was of Cancer Robert Southey. Byron had the passage removed on this huge outcry about it, because it’s depicting (1934) was the grounds that ‘I won’t attack the dog in the dark’. homosexuality as normal and loving and secure. one of many It was actually removed from a library in Bristol Religious censorship on the same grounds.’ sexually It may come as no great surprise that religious When the ALA recently released a list of the ten explicit objections lie behind many recent challenges most challenged books in America in 2010, And to books. The exhibition’s section on Religious Tango Makes Three made the number one spot, works first Censorship reaches back to the 16th century, with above Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley published one particularly striking and unique item taking (challenged for ‘insensitivity, offensive language, uncensored centre stage. The Library’s copy of Republicas del racism, sexual explicitness’) and Twilight (2005) by Mundo, written by Jerónimo Roman y Zamora and Stephenie Meyer (‘religious viewpoint, violence’). in Paris published in 1575, was once suppressed on grounds In response to such pressure, a section of the of heresy by the Spanish Inquisition and subjected to exhibition entitled Living With Censorship severe mutilation. Whole chapters have been hacked ‘deals with how society has fought back against out, while other passages have been struck through censorship’, according to Jan, ‘and how various with violent pen lines by the Inquisitor, who signed organisations have been involved with campaigning the volumes in authorisation. As a visceral

Summer 2011 | discover nls | 21 exhibition

bestseller and cause célèbre – a frequent, unintended consequence of censorship now commonly known as ‘The Spycatcher Effect’. If the whole Spycatcher affair already appears to belong to a vanished age when western governments believed it was possible to control the flow of information, Jan cautions against complacency. Part of the exhibition considers the way that ‘The Nanny State’ – the whole apparatus of governmental protection for its supposedly vulnerable citizens – can still be brought to bear on the written word. ‘I feature a couple of books on euthanasia which the Australian Government has tried to use their powers of legislation to ban,’ Jan continues. ‘Euthanasia is against the law in Scotland, but the books aren’t banned, which is an interesting distinction.’ At the end of my conversation with the two curators I’m left feeling that this exhibition will certainly fulfil Jan’s expressed hope of starting a healthy debate on the subject. John believes that, ‘As a National Library, benefitting from legal deposit, we shouldn’t allow our personal views to influence what we collect. Views change over time. Things that were considered obscene in the past are no longer considered obscene, anyone can read them. It’s important, because we’re responsible for collecting our cultural heritage, that we demonstration of bibliophobia it’s matched only by the Top: Zola’s Nana do keep this material, we do collect it.’ And Jan act of book burning, a practice common to both the Far left: Byron’s concludes: ‘We just hope that people will come in and Inquisition and to the Nazis in 20th-century Germany, self-censoring see this as a taster for what else we’ve got in the and a topic also covered in the exhibition. letter to publisher Library, that we’re not a stuffy old institution.’ The Library’s copy of the last published edition of John Murray the Index Librorum Prohibitorum is another star item Centre: A banned Banned Books runs from 24 June until in the Religious Censorship section. John reveals that book on 30 October at the National Library of the Index ‘was first issued by the Vatican in 1559. It euthanasia Scotland, George IV Bridge building. was intended to protect the Roman Catholic faithful Right: Spycatcher Items on display will be available for consultation in against theologically questionable works.’ The early in full effect the usual way once the exhibition has finished. editions of the Index include items by Galileo and Hume, meaning that, according to The Vatican, you weren’t allowed to read them. The last edition was published in 1948, and includes all the works of Jean- shooting down sputnik Paul Sartre, as well as works by André Gide and Simone de Beauvoir. NLS also has a copy of Voltaire’s Dr Laura Bradley looks at German censorship of a Soviet magazine Dictionnaire philosophique, which was published in The National Library of Scotland’s which he circulated amongst his 1765. This copy comes from St Benedict’s Abbey at holdings include Sputnik, a monthly friends in secret. The first was Fort Augustus in Scotland and there are warnings digest of news from the Soviet ingeniously designed to look like pasted on it, in effect saying ‘This is in the Index, Union published from 1967 until a Stasi officer shouting through read at your peril.’ 1991. In 1988, this magazine was a megaphone. Another poem suddenly banned in East Germany, reworked the text of the official Political censorship a state that prided itself on being announcement that Sputnik had Another banned item with a Scottish connection – the Soviet Union’s closest ally. been ‘cancelled’. It declared that Peter Wright’s Spycatcher (1987) – just had to be The authorities were opposed to the authorities had cancelled the included in the section of the exhibition concerned Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of dot on the letter ‘i’, and the dot was with political censorship. This indiscreet biography glasnost and perestroika, and they indeed crossed out in the poem. by the former Assistant Director of MI5 ‘was censored refused to let his ideas circulate in But the letter ‘s’ was missing on the grounds of national security and banned in the GDR. For years, East Germans entirely, pointing to the acts of England, but not in Scotland’, Jan Usher says. had been prevented from reading censorship that went unspoken. ‘We’ve actually got a copy with a lot of interesting books by such Western These poems correspondence from the Library to their lawyers, writers as Jean-Paul demonstrate how an asking “Can we show this? We know that it’s not Sartre and Samuel arbitrary act of censorship banned in Scotland, but we don’t really want a lot Beckett; now even stimulated political of people racing up from England to see it.” There was the Soviet press subversion and quite a lot of worry about exposing it to public view. was off limits. artistic creativity. There’s always a lot of little nuances around the The GDR writer Dr Laura Bradley will banning and suppression of books.’ In confirmation Kito Lorenc wrote give a lecture on GDR of this last point, the Spycatcher ban immediately a cycle of poems in censorship at NLS on transformed a rather dry memoir into a worldwide response to the ban, 29 September at 6pm

22 | discover nls | Summer 2011 any answers

Just three questions There is a lot to learn about NLS, but we’re getting there – one question at a time Can you give me an example of 1 a surprising correspondence held in the John Murray Archive? There is a letter from the Victorian mountaineer Edward Whymper to his father. In August 1862, Whymper was trying to make the first ascent of the Matterhorn - he failed after a fall that he vividly describes in the letter. ‘I fell… more than 200 feet,’ he writes, ‘down which I went literally flying head over heels, struck my head four times against the rocks… had I gone 10 feet further I should have shot over a precipice of 800 feet and must have been smashed to atoms.’ The description immediately engaged my Edward Whymper returning from the Matterhorn's summit imagination. What was it like being an early business relationships - and I wondered, and Victorian mountaineer, and how would his still do, how this personal note from father to father have reacted to this letter, hundreds son came to be held in the archive. of miles away at home? I knew that both Emma Faragher, former JMA Education men had worked for Murray; but these were Officer (now Events Programmer)

What’s the most Is there an forces. It depicts a network 2 unexpected item 3 acquisition made of new roads and forts you have found in by the Library that looking rather vulnerable, the Library’s collection? particularly excited you? surrounded by hostile The Lee Penny Guide and Clement Lempriere’s Jacobite forces in red and an Visitors’ Book for 1825-1868 A Description of the ominous rolling green sea of is an exotic curiosity among Highlands of Scotland mountains. The depiction of the routine records (1731) was purchased in Roman camps and the of estate business in the 1994 – my first year Antonine Wall betray Lockhart of Lee archive. The Lee Penny visitors' book in the Library – and the influence on The Lee Penny or Lee was exciting in this map of the Stone is a charm said to had long been attracting every way. An Roman conquest have miraculous healing visitors when the book was impressive size of Scotland. powers. Tradition has it published in 1825, Scott’s (130 x 93 cm), Within 15 years that the small triangular novel undoubtedly interesting detail, the Jacobite clans red stone, set in a silver increased its fame. attractive colouring, would rise up against coin, came to Scotland after The book has no space and uniqueness as a these forces, resulting in it was given to Sir Simon for comments and the manuscript map were new maps, depicting a very Lockhart in 1320 as the motive in compiling it must all apparent. different Scotland. ransom for a Saracen have been to record the Of even greater interest Chris Fleet, Prince. Its story was the number of visitors and was its striking insight into Senior Map Curator inspiration for Sir Walter where they came from. 18th-century politics, and View the map at: Scott’s The Talisman. Olive Geddes, Senior the conquest of Highland http://maps.nls.uk/joins/ Although the Lee Penny Manuscripts Curator Scotland by British military lemp1731.html bridgeman

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 23 RESOURCE

New learning with NLS

The Learning Zone is a new part of the NLS website that provides an array of learning resources. NLS’ Education Officers Beverley Casebow and Alice Heywood explain

LS collections span a wide new, tailored learning resources and features,’ adds variety of media – including Education Officer Beverley Casebow. Although the printed books, maps, digital Learning Zone has much to offer everyone, there is resources, moving image and a particular link to the Scottish curriculum. archives – and a vast range of ‘Within our learning strategy, we’ve identified different subject areas. The The a number of key audiences for learning at the collections are also growing at a Learning Library,’ says Beverley, ‘and the Learning Zone steady rate every year. This can be a little daunting has a particular relevance for those groups, Nfor anyone who wants to find out about a Zone particularly teachers and school pupils, and particular area of interest, or for those wanting to is an self-directed learners who want to find a way know what the Library holds on a general topic. in to researching a particular topic.’ With over 14 million printed items, where do you opportunity Recognising that there is much in the Library’s start looking? to arrange collections that would stimulate and inform Exhibitions, conferences, public events and and display learners is just part of the process. For the Learning publications – such as this magazine – are all Zone to be truly effective, it must contain useful effective ways of informing people about the varied items from information, constructed in a way that will collections in the Library. The Learning Zone is the Library’s encourage people to explore and discover things another way of shining a light on a range of themes for themselves. and topics which you can explore at NLS. The collections ‘We spent a lot of time looking at other cultural NLS Education Team, in collaboration with staff in a and heritage institutions to learn the best ways to from across the Library, has been developing the different organise and communicate information online,’ Learning Zone since last summer. says Alice. ‘We knew we wanted the Learning ‘We developed a new learning strategy at the way Zone to be visually engaging, but we didn’t want beginning of last year, and the Learning Zone was it to be twee.’ The end result, while visually a big part of our aim of making our collections as arresting, certainly won’t turn off those users accessible as possible,’ explains Education Officer who care little for fancy images and just want Alice Heywood. to get straight to the content. ‘The process of creating the Learning Zone has ‘The Learning Zone is an opportunity for people required us to draw together material that already to engage with the collections, and to find existed on the NLS website, as well as creating information, in a different way,’ says Beverley. mcgowan

edward

24 | discover nls | Summer 2011 ‘We’ve gone for a thematic approach.’ This means items from disparate collections – that are nonetheless connected by a particular person, In the Zone moment in history, or big idea – sit alongside Here are a few of the many things to discover in the Learning Zone each other. The Learning Zone is divided into six main Literature and Politics and topics: literature and language; creativity; science Language society and technology; history; politics and society; and The Ideas Factory An opportunity to geography and exploration, but that unifying is an interactive explore the history structure is just a starting point. online workshop of women’s suffrage To help you along, and to contextualise some of designed to support in the early 20th the material, there are short films which offer creative writing. century (pictured personal responses and introductions to the It shows you how left) through NLS’ collections. They also encourage learners and stories are put Science and collections. Find out general users not simply to digest the information together and takes technology out how and why that is before them, but to evaluate it and to add you through the An introduction to women campaigned their own knowledge and opinions. ‘The Learning writing process the ten greatest for the right to vote. Zone is not just about facts, it’s also about step-by-step. Scottish scientists as developing critical skills’, explains Beverley. chosen by the public. Geography and Alice concurs. ‘If a library isn’t about learning, Creativity exploration what is it about? We feel this is central to our Learn about the History Learn about overall mission statement. We want to give people creative processes Explore the spirit of Handbook for the tools to learn, analyse and evaluate, and used by Scottish enquiry, debate, and Travellers to perhaps even go off and create their own content. novelist, playwright, improvement that Scotland (one of the ‘The Learning Zone is an organic process. We poet, painter and characterised the first examples of a will respond to what our users tell us. What you illustrator Alasdair Scottish travel guidebook see today is just the starting point.’ Gray, using material Enlightenment at ever produced), and from the National Northern Lights: discover tours of Mull Visit The Learning Zone at Library of Scotland’s The Scottish created by primary www.nls.uk/learning-zone vast collections. Enlightenment school students

Summer 2011 | discover nls | 25 ROBERT BURNS First on the shelf Is Clarinda’s copy of the 2nd Edinburgh edition of Burns’ Poems the first book to be acquired by the National Library of Scotland? Rare Books Curator Robert Betteridge investigates

n a library containing millions Maclehose’s failed reconciliation of items it is interesting to with her husband in Jamaica, and speculate on what may have Burns’ formal marriage to Jean been its very first acquisition. Armour and relocation However, the National Library to Dumfries. of Scotland was never an Following William Creech’s empty institution with shelves publication of the 2nd Edinburgh waiting to be filled, having acquired edition of the Poems in February Ithe nucleus of its collection from 1793, Burns wrote to him asking for the Advocates’ Library on its copies: foundation in 1925. Indeed, books stayed on their shelves much as they I understand that my Book is had done until the opening of the published. – I beg that you will, as National Library’s building on soon as possible, send me twenty George IV Bridge in 1956. copies of it. – As I mean to present The passing of the National them among a few Great Folks Library of Scotland Act on 4 August whom I respect, & a few Little Folks 1925 encouraged the donation of whom I love … collections large and small from those wishing to show support for Mrs Maclehose was one of those Scotland’s national library. ‘Little Folks whom I love’ who was Negotiations and agreements for the to receive one of the twenty and donation of some items may have Burns sent the book to her in May taken place informally beforehand, 1793. Though neither volume but NLS’ Corporate Information contains a dedication by Burns, Officer has brought to our attention he more than makes up for it in the minutes of the first meeting of the the letter he sent with the book: Board of Trustees on 26 October 1925. They report the first officially I present you a book: may I hope recorded donation to the Library as you will accept of it. …Shall I hear being from Sir Henry Keith, of Avonholm, Above: The title from you? – But first hear me! – No cold language – Hamilton, a merchant, authority on local page of Burns’ no prudential documents – I despise Advice, & government and former provost of Hamilton: Poems scorn Controul – If you are not to write such Right: Peter Taylor language, such sentiments, as you know I shall Mr Macmillan [Lord Advocate in 1924] stated painted this wish, shall delight to receive; I conjure you, By that he had been desired by Sir Henry Keith to hand half-length wounded Pride! By ruined Peace! By frantic to the Chairman, as a gift to the Library, the copy portrait of Robert disappointed Passion! By all the many ills that of the Poems by Robert Burns (Edinburgh 1793, 2 Burns following constitute that sum of human woes – A BROKEN volumes in one) which had been presented by the their meeting at HEART!… author to ‘Clarinda’ (Mrs Maclehose). The volume a dinner party in was accepted by the Chairman on behalf of the December 1786 here are minor annotations by Burns Library and the Chairman was requested to convey on pages 162, 170 and 241 of volume the thanks of the Board to the donor. 2 and someone (comparison with Mrs Maclehose’s handwriting shows it not A copy of the Poems of Burns, with such an to be her) has written her name on the interesting provenance, is a fitting first for the title page of each volume (it was National Library of Scotland. Clarinda was the bound as one volume at a later date) pen-name that Mrs Agnes Maclehose used for her and ‘a present from the author’ written on the half sentimental correspondence with Burns, which they Ttitle of volume 1. Her name is cropped in volume 1 exchanged following their meeting in Edinburgh in but the volume 2 inscription also includes the date scotland

December 1787. The fact that Mrs Maclehose was ‘June 1802’. of

married, though estranged from her husband, and There is no other provenance on the book, but the bound to contemporary social expectations, meant front pastedown bears the marks of a removed galleries that her relationship with Burns was never able to bookplate. Page 162 of volume 2, with one of Burns’ progress, even if she had wanted it. By 1793, there annotations, shows signs that are consistent with was some distance between them following being on display for a considerable length of time. national

26 | discover nls | Summer 2011 A copy of Poems, with such an interesting provenance, is a fitting first for the National Library of Scotland MY NLS

Michael Turnbull at the Library

Everyday books accessed online

The Edinburgh-based writer The National Library of Scotland’s Licensed Michael Turnbull considers the value Digital Collections are a case in point. A significant part of my book The Edinburgh Book of Days (The of the Library’s digital collection History Press, 2011), which offers an intriguing event or fact for every day of the year, gleaned from here was a time when historic every period of Edinburgh’s history, was sourced newspapers could only be accessed by from Scottish newspapers online at the Library. going to a library and asking for bound NLS sources I found most useful for this project copies of the originals. They would were the 19th Century British Library Newspapers, arrive, man-sized, lifted like garden 18th Century Collections Online and The Scotsman slabs and laid gingerly onto the leather- Digital Archive. Reference works also invaluable topped tables. Then you would have to release the were The Oxford Dictionary of National metalT buckles and woven belts that held the volumes Biography, The New Grove Dictionary of tightly closed, avoiding the buckles’ sharp teeth. Music and The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Once the giant cover had been prised open Online access is almost as good as the real thing, and laid aside, the acid tang of old, printed paper and is an indispensable electronic resource to assailed the nostrils and you could feel the fine authors pushed for time. foosty paper dust begin to clog your breath. The fragile Nonetheless, it was an adventure of discovery For your chance to win a copy of The Edinburgh newspapers that opened windows on forgotten worlds. Book of Days, correctly answer the following Today things are considerably different. question: What decision of the people of are still in The fragile newspapers are still there, in storage, Edinburgh made Andrew Carnegie determined storage, safe safe from the repeated contamination of human that ‘I will make this city reverse that vote’? from the fingers. Some can be accessed on microfilm, Post your entry, with your address, to Discover available for purchase by researchers anywhere NLS competition, Think Scotland, 20-23 repeated in the world. However, historic newspapers Woodside Place, Glasgow G3 7QF, or email

cochrane contamination and books are increasingly attainable online [email protected] (with (in many cases free of charge) and can be ‘Turnbull competition’ in the subject line). of human

malcolm magnified or saved as PDFs. Closing date for entries is Friday 28 October fingers

www.nls.uk Summer 2011 | discover nls | 29 last word

Scottish Colourist JD Fergusson is just one of the many hundreds of thousands of people represented in the Library’s collections

dinburgh-born people he saw around him. His portraits depict strong was a major exponent of the Scottish women with a distinctly art deco air.

Colourists school of painting. His career A leading member of the along ND A L flourished during the latter years of the with Francis Cadell, Samuel Peploe and , T O

1800s and the early decades of the 20th Fergusson returned to his native country at the SC F O century, with his cosmopolitan attitude outbreak of the Second World War. He settled in S

to painting proving to be an enduring influence on Glasgow with his partner, pioneer of modern dance, LLERIE A G

L

Esubsequent Scottish artists. Margaret Morris, and in 1940 founded the New Art A

As well as travelling extensively, visiting Spain and Club. Fergusson remained an influential presence in ION AT Morocco, Fergusson lived for a period in London and the art scene until his death in 1961, never forgetting N n, n, Top Fergusson’s spent a large part of his life in Paris, where he drew to make an annual jaunt back to his beloved France. a portrait of Jean much of his inspiration as a painter. Maconochie, his Enjoying an itinerant lifestyle now standard To find out more about the JD Fergusson Gallery ion/ Bridgem ion/ first regular model among Scottish artists, Fergusson was pioneering visit www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/ at Above a self- in his outlook as well as his technique as a painter. member/fergusson-gallery Found portrait dating Best known for his use of vibrant colours and an t from around 1902 expressive brush stroke, he rejected the academic old Ar old tradition that was common at the time. Discover More f Like the French Impressionists, who were a Read the magazine online at www.nls.uk/about/ considerable influence on the artist, Fergusson discover-nls. Look out for the next issue of

developed a social realist style, painting the ordinary Discover NLS in November Fleming-WyThe

30 | discover nls | Summer 2011 www.nls.uk