'Discover' Issue 32, Part One (PDF)
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SECRETS UNCOVERED ARTISTRY IN ARCHITECTURE Finding out about Muriel Spark The genius of Robert Adam on display FREE The magazine of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk Issue 32 Summer 2016 Are we there yet? Our new exhibition will steer you through your place in the world WELCOME SECRETS UNCOVERED ARTISTRY IN ARCHITECTURE Finding out about Muriel Spark The genius of Robert Adam on display FREE Edinburgh has been home to the Library since the The magazine of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk Issue 32 Summer 2016 17th century. Now, for the first time, riches from the national collection will be on show in Glasgow Are we Mapping our there yet? Our new exhibition will steer you through your place in the world past and future DISCOVER This summer is a very special one for the National Library of ISSUE 32 SUMMER 2016 Scotland because it marks the final stage of preparations to CONTACT US open our brand new premises in Glasgow within the iconic We welcome all comments, Kelvin Hall building. This provides a new home for our Moving questions, submissions and subscription enquiries. Please Image Archive as well as giving people in Glasgow and the west write to us at the National Library of Scotland access to extensive digital resources including our of Scotland address below or email [email protected] rapidly growing electronic legal collections. It has been a massive endeavour to make this wealth of FOR THE NATIONAL LIBRARY material available in Glasgow for the first time, and in this EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alexandra Miller issue of Discover we take a tour behind the scenes before the doors open in September. EDITORIAL ADVISER The Library’s map collection is one of the biggest in the Willis Pickard world, and this summer we have a new exhibition, You are Contributors: Bryan Christie, Here, which provides a journey through some of the most Richard Goslan, Nigel Donaldson magnificent maps ever produced. It includes the first map PUBLISHED BY printed of Scotland from 1560, through to the online era of Connect Publications Google Earth. We have also now launched technology that www.connectmedia.cc allows you to bring historic maps to life with an innovative EDITOR 3D viewer. Lauren Campbell Besides that, we are marking the Year of Innovation, [email protected] Architecture and Design 2016 by exploring the work and DESIGN legacy of Robert Adam, one of Scotland’s most celebrated Renny Hutchison [email protected] architects, and we have a fascinating feature revealing the secrets being unearthed from 274 boxes of material belonging to ADVERTISING Dame Muriel Spark, the largest modern literary archive we hold. Alison Fraser [email protected] As always, we’re on a journey of discovery, and I look forward to bringing you along with us. ISSN 1751-5998 (print) ISSN 1751 6005 (online) NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EW TELEPHONE 0131 623 3700 FAX 0131 623 3701 Dr John Scally, EMAIL [email protected] National Librarian The National Library of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity. Scottish Charity No. SC011086 www.nls.uk FIND US ONLINE THE THE ANSWER IS www.nls.uk CLUES IN OUR ARCHIVES Using the images to the @natlibscot left, can you guess which www.facebook.com/ famous scientist we are NationalLibraryOfScotland referring to? www.flickr.com/ Let us know if you photos/nlscotland guess it correctly! www.youtube.com/ Tweet @natlibscot using user/NLofScotland hashtag #natlibquiz SUMMER 2016 | DISCOVER | 3 CONTENTS This image is a detail from the cover of the Christmas 1994 edition of The Spectator 6 NEWS Read about how you can now view historic georeferenced 28 maps in stunning 3D and could you write the next Frankenstein? READ THE You can certainly try by entering TRAGIC TALE this ghost story competition OF THE IOLAIRE DISASTER 13 CELEBRATING ADAM We’re marking the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design with an exhibition in our treasures display on architect Robert Adam 16 SUMMER EXHIBITION Join us on a “walk-through” of your place in the world at our fascinating exhibition - You are Here 21 WELCOME TO GLASGOW The National Library of Scotland is making its debut in Glasgow to showcase riches from the national collection 24 BOX OF TREASURES Our Muriel Spark Curator Colin McIlroy shares some of the fascinating items he’s uncovered in Spark’s vast collections 34 MEMORY LANE It’s time to reminisce with some delightful railway posters from across the years CONTRIBUTORS... Andrew Martin Robert Betteridge Bryan Christie Colin McIlroy Jennifer Giles Curator, Literature Curator, Rare Books, Media and External Muriel Spark Curator, Scottish and the Arts Maps and Music Relations Project Curator Communities & Collections Organisations, This map of Edinburgh from 1817 can now General Collections be viewed in 3D 4 | DISCOVER | SUMMER 2016 NEWS DIGITAL JOURNEY + ILLUSTRATING PHOTOGRAPHY + CURATOR’S CHOICE + TREASURES DISPLAY + SUMMER EXHIBITION Map the past online in stunning 3D Above: Edinburgh as seen in 1817 The National Library of Scotland has In many ways, all these techniques launched a new 3D viewer that allows can be brought together by modern you to explore our georeferenced web-mapping technologies, allowing maps from a bird’s-eye perspective. visualisations of the modern and You can alter your altitude, tilt and historic landscape to be explored orientation to view any one of our 600 historic georeferenced map layers from all perspectives. draped over a 3D landscape. It is also The results are great fun and possible to fade the transparency and informative, as previous patterns of view different modern base maps and land-use or settlement on historic satellite imagery too. maps can be re-interpreted with reference to terrain. Our new 3D For centuries, map-makers have tried viewer also uses the open-source different techniques for showing the Cesium technology, which allows it third dimension (in the form of terrain to run inside any web browser, and or relief) in a two-dimensional map. enhanced with other techniques means it is also widely supported by Pictorial “molehill” symbols of the 17th such as hill-shading (lighting slopes a broad international community. century often gave way to hachures of the map from the north-west) or in the 18th century, with light and layer-colouring. The Edinburgh map- Check out our 3D Viewer dark shades to represent gradual or making firm of Bartholomew excelled directly at http://maps.nls.uk/ steeper slopes. The contour lines we in layer-colouring, using a palette geo/explore/3d/ or through the are familiar with today are a relatively of colour from green at sea level, to 3D tab in the footer of our ‘Explore recent innovation, primarily appearing brown and white at higher altitudes, Georeferenced Maps’ viewer at in the 19th century, and were often to create stunning maps. http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore OVERLAY: OVERLAY: BARTHOLOMEW OS ONE INCH HALF INCH 1955-1961 1897-1907 6 | DISCOVER | SUMMER 2016 NEWS Restored volume of photographs stars in Madrid exhibition The National Library of but its condition was too Scotland holds many fragile for it to be displayed fine examples of early without first being conserved. photography, including A comprehensive programme William Stirling’s Annals of of treatment was therefore the Artists of Spain (1848). undertaken by Claire The Annals comprises Thomson, one of the Library’s three text volumes and a specialist book conservators, fourth volume of Talbotype involving the dismantling, illustrations which is cleaning and re-sewing of generally considered to be the volume. This work was the first photographically recorded and made into a illustrated book about art. short film which is available Only 50 copies of the on YouTube at bit.ly/28Jkys5. Scientific testing at the National Galleries of Scotland (image courtesy of National Galleries Scotland) illustrated volume were A further consideration for produced and the Library’s the display was the exhibition copy has been the subject of lighting. Early photographs a long research collaboration are often extremely light with the University of sensitive and scientific testing Glasgow and National undertaken at the National Museums Scotland. This Galleries of Scotland using a project culminated in an Microfader machine (pictured exhibition about the Annals top left) produced data about which opened in May 2016 at the effects of light upon the the Prado Museum in Madrid. photographs. This allowed The Library’s volume was appropriate lighting to requested for the exhibition be specified. Conservator Claire Thomson with the conserved volume 8 | DISCOVER | SUMMER 2016 of the greatest creations in Gothic literature were born. In the footsteps “That dark and stormy night when Frankenstein and the modern vampire were brought to life has had a huge impact on storytelling across the of Frankenstein world,” said Donald Smith, Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Create a monster of your own by entering this ghost story competition Festival. “We are celebrating the 200th anniversary of this incredible bout of creativity by following Lord A writing challenge issued 200 years time, he challenged his travelling Byron and issuing a challenge to ago which led to the creation of companions to write a ghost story. people today to come up with their Frankenstein and the world’s first Eighteen year old Mary Godwin own ghost story.” vampire story is being used to inspire was there with the man she would The stories should be written to a modern generation of writers. soon marry, the poet Percy Shelley, be heard, rather than for private The National Library of Scotland and Dr John Polidori, Byron’s personal reading. Six winning entries will and the Scottish Storytelling Centre physician and secretary.