Discover NLS the Autumn Issue of Discover NLS Celebrates the Official Opening of Our New Visitor Centre in the George IV Bridge Building
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THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR and Scotland’s tireless activists The magazine of the National Library of Scotland | www.nls.uk | Issue 13 Autumn 2009 The origin of Darwin’s greatest work TOP 10 SCOttish Scientists PLUS Conan Doyle and the Afghan connection WELCOME A new Visitor Centre and a new issue of Discover NLS The autumn issue of Discover NLS celebrates the official opening of our new Visitor Centre in the George IV Bridge building. After many T It’s a tale months of work the new facilities opened over the summer to very positive feedback from staff and of women customers. We hope you will have an opportunity to enjoy turning into the new shop and café area, and the general feeling of campaigners, DISCOVER NLS IssUE 13 AUTUMN 2009 welcome that the new facilities have given to the Library. sometimes for CONTACT US Also in this issue of Discover NLS, Daniel Gray has written the first time We welcome all comments, questions, submissions a fascinating piece on the role that Scotswomen played in and subscription enquiries. the Spanish Civil War. It’s a tale of women turning into Please write to us at the National Library of Scotland campaigners, sometimes for the first time in their lives. address below or email [email protected] Elsewhere, we explore a series of links found in the Library’s collections that bring together Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the FOR NLS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF publisher William Blackwood and Sons and Afghanistan. Alexandra Miller MANAGING EDITOR Touching on connections, Conan Doyle was born in 1859, Julian Stone which also happens to be the year that John Murray first Director of DEVELOPment AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS published Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. In this issue, Teri Wishart EDITORIAL ADVISER Rachel Beattie recounts how Darwin came to write this Willis Pickard groundbreaking book, and examines the author’s own CONTRIBUTORS reservations about the publication of this work. Peter Arnott, Rachel Beattie, Bruce Blacklaw, Almut Boehme, Within our news pages we cover the completion of one of Catherine Booth, Dr Iain the Library’s smallest collections and the recent discovery of G Brown, Alison Buckley, Beverley Casebow, Emma footage that sheds light on a great lost Scottish feature film. Faragher, Chris Fleet, Daniel Gray, Andrew Martin, So whether you’re reading this issue in the comfort of our Janet McBain, David McClay, Francine Millard, James Mitchell, new Visitor Centre, or elsewhere, I hope you find much to chrane O Cate Newton, Nick Thorpe C enjoy in this autumn issue of Discover NLS. lm O EDITOR Jack Kibble-White [email protected] malc Design Matthew Ball SUB-editorS Anne Boyle, page Clare Harris, Andrew Littlefield this PUBLisher John Innes Alexandra Miller 18. [email protected] P Director of Customer Services N ADVERTISING Julie Twaddell O 0141 582 1280 PUBLISHED BY article Think Scotland see ). Woodside House S O 20-23 Woodside Place di Three NLS blogs to bookmark U Glasgow G3 7QF st 0141 582 1280 ISSN 1751-5998 (print) 1 2 3 lithic ISSN 1751 6005 (online) O nd NLS OPU BLOG OF THE THE JOHN MURRAY O National Library of Scotland M The blog of the Official DIGITAL NLS ARCHIVE CURATORS’ ( George IV Bridge Publications Unit The Library’s digital BLOG Edinburgh EH1 1EW features updates on the archive is ever expanding, Read correspondence TELEPHONE 0131 623 3700 darwin latest items to come and this blog provides from the vast John FAX 0131 623 3701 into the collection, regular updates on what’s Murray Archive. Email [email protected] ranging from knitwear new, as well as discussion Some letters are charles , for the British Army to on how to make the most written by well-known The National Library of the 2009 influenza of the internet as names, but many are ver Scotland is a registered O pandemic. a research tool. from unknown C Scottish charity. Scottish http://nlsopublog. http://digitalnls. correspondents. nt Charity No. SC011086 O blogspot.com/ wordpress.com/ www.nls.uk/jma/blog/ fr www.nls.uk www.nls.uk Autumn 2009 | DISCOVER NLS | 3 CONTENTS 6 USING NLS Your guide on how to find your way around NLS’ collections and services The cause of the 9 NEWS Spanish Mary Queen of Scots republic struck letter at the new Visitor Centre; SCOTBIS and the a chord with recession; new online Scotswomen resources Page 22 16 TOP SCOT SCIENTISTS Your views on which Scottish scientists have contributed the most to science 18 THE EVOLUTION OF DARWIN’S ORIGIN Rachel Beattie looks at Charles Darwin’s life and times and, with the help of documents held in the John Murray Archive, pieces together the controversy created by the publication of On the Origin of Species 22 SCOTLAND’S FOREIGN WAR Daniel Gray explores the role of Scotswomen in the Spanish Civil War 28 maKING CONNECTIONS: CONAN DOYLE, BLACKWOOD’S AND TWO afghaN DISASTERS What links the creator of Holmes and Watson, Conan Doyle’s might- have-been first publisher and military conflicts Contributors to this issue include in Afghanistan? 32 MY NLS Writer Nick Thorpe reflects on the way the Library has helped him in his quest for a balanced life 33 PROFESSIONAL Rachel Beattie Dr Iain Gordon Brown Daniel Gray James Mitchell PRACTICE Rachel works on Principal Curator Daniel is a JMA James is a Curator Cate Newton talks the John Murray in the Manuscripts Cataloguer and in the Rare Book about NLS’ Gaelic Archive project Division, Iain is author of Homage Collections Division digitisation project in her role as the working on a book to Caledonia: with responsibility Assistant Curator about the Library’s Scotland and the for cataloguing NLS’ 34 LIBRARY LINKS of this collection collections Spanish Civil War pre-1901 acquisitions www.nls.uk Autumn 2009 | DISCOVER NLS | 5 Using the National Library of Inside Scotland NLS With a collection of around 14 million printed items, two million maps, 32,000 films, three miles of manuscripts, plus thousands of photos and journals, getting around NLS requires a little navigation How to join valid) and a recent utilities bill. To use the Library’s reading Photos, for identification rooms and order up items purposes, can be taken at Visitors to from the collections, you Readers’ Registration. the Library need to hold a Reader’s Card. An application form can be picked up at George IV Bridge Viewing made in person, by telephone Online or the Causewayside Building, on 0131 623 3700, by email: NLS has a vast range or downloaded from material [email protected], or through of electronic resources, www.nls.uk. With a Reader’s Card you the Library website at including digital versions To complete your gain access to the reading www.nls.uk. If you know of reference works, massive application you will need rooms, from where you can what you’re looking for, full-text facsimiles and proof of identity (a view material held in we recommend you make business databases driving licence, passport the Library’s collections. your request in advance (see below for a list). or matriculation card are all Requests for items can be of your visit to the Library. Many of these resources Digital resources Education, Government From articles on sport, to the full text science and and official of Parliamentary Papers from 1821, social science ➽ 8th Century Official NLS’ licensed digital collections are a Parliamentary Publications ➽ ALPSP Learned Journals Portal 1688-1834 Over superb research tool Collection From the one million pages drawn Poetry from 1789 to 1832 Association of Learned from 1,400 volumes of Art and ➽ SCRAN Digital Materials and Professional Society The18th Causewayside century official building Images, films and sounds Publishers parliamentary publications literature relevant to Scotland ➽ Blackwell Compass ✱ Early English Books Online ✱ 19th Century UK Journals History, literature (EEBO): Full-text of some Periodicals Part 1. Women’s, Business and philosophy articles 100,000 books printed in Children’s, Humour and ✱ COBRA: The Complete ➽ Electronic Enlightenment England, Ireland, Scotland, Leisure/Sport Early lifestyle Business Reference Adviser Correspondence between Wales, and British North publishing in Britain Business resource writers of the 18th century. America from 1473 to 1700 ➽ Naxos Music Library ➽ Factiva Global news and Contains over 53,000 letters ➽ House of Commons Classical music collection business search service and documents from over Parliamentary Papers ➽ Oxford Music Online ✱ Global Reference Solution 6,000 correspondents Consists of over 9.4 million Major music reference works Company information ➽ JSTOR Leading academic pages and 180,000 papers ➽ Perdita Manuscripts; ➽ Kompass Database journals and bills Women Writers, 1500-1700 More than 23 million ➽ Oxford Journals Online ➽ Public Information Online Manuscripts from British products and services Life sciences, medicine, Papers from Westminster, women authors ➽ Market Research Monitor humanities and law Holyrood and Stormont ➽ RILM Abstracts of Music Research reports from ➽ Science Full Text Select ✱ Making of Modern Law: Literature Bibliography more than 50 countries Titles from Wilson Web Legal Treatises 1800-1926 of writings on music ➽ Mintel Market Leisure, ➽ Web of Knowledge Provides access to over ➽ Scottish Women Poets market, retail and financial Links to the Web of Science 22,000 legal treatises on of the Romantic Period intelligence and Journal Citation Reports US and British law The Visitor Centre at George IV Bridge NLS locations FILMS Scottish Screen Archive 39-41 Montrose Avenue Hillington Park, Glasgow G52 4LA Tel 0845 366 4600 Email [email protected] ‘A Favourite Song In Comus’ - from NLS’ collection of English and Scottish songs MAPS Causewayside Building FOCUS ON 33 Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SL MUSIC COLLECTIONS Tel 0131 623 3970 The National Library of Scotland acquires music through Email [email protected] its legal deposit privilege, as well as through bequests, Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm (Wed donations and purchases.