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For the Love of Old Books

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I like many things, but there are not many things that I love. I definitely love incunabula (books printed between 1455 and 1500) and early modern period printed books. Yesterday I went to Edinburgh to look at some very old printed books from Scotland. I was not disappointed. I have long been interested in and worked on the shift from (handwritten) manuscripts to the (printed) books. The shift is not as abrupt and clear as many people assume; post-Gutenberg handwritten manuscripts were still produced and printers arguably sought to make their product look as much like handwritten manuscripts as possible. Although The Scottish National Library do not hold any incunabula (as far as I know), I was pleased to see some early 16th century books which still displayed evidence of this urge to mimic handwritten manuscripts: typefaces designed to resemble handwriting, woodcuts trying to look like hand-drawn illustrations and rubrication (emphasising parts of the text using red ink). Gorgeous, fascinating stuff.

And Edinburgh was her usual, gloomy, beautiful, fantastical self. I like visiting the city but I couldn't live there, I think.

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Saturday Verbal Rampage

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I managed to spend yesterday afternoon in very pleasant company. Whilst the rainstorm nearly flooded Glasgow, we had hot chocolate, listened to jazz, curled up in chairs and knitted whilst discussing the US presidential election. I appreciated the afternoon all the more because it made me reflect on far I have come this past year. It takes time to establish a network in a new town, let alone a new country. 2008 has been a long, strange and very tough year - but I am now able to spend a rainy afternoon in excellent company. Thank you all who have been helping me get to this stage. You know who you are. And speaking of knitting.. I am currently working on a red version of the February Lady Sweater. I keep having to rip back rows for some peculiar reason, so it is fairly slow going. Fortunately I think I have managed to crack a particular design problem, so hopefully I will have it done quite soon. The winter's rapidly approaching and I'm going to need all the woolly bits that I can muster. Or perhaps I should just turn on our central heating?

Finally, a few links seeing as it is Saturday and I'm in a lazy, lazy mood. + I am not envious. I'm slightly overhelmed: welcome to an informed tech geek's library. + Today is the 'official' Dogs Rule Day (although, as TangledFrog sez: "Every Day is Dogs Rule Day"). + Related: Could I possibly interest you in photos of people wearing clothes knitted from their dogs' fur? It's slightly freaky but I couldn't tell you why. + So, you want the best 150 online flash games sorted by type and each given a mini-review? You got it.

It's almost time for crap TV, so have yourself a great weekend.

Nobel Prize '08

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio? I feel so insular (and Anglophone/-phile) but I had to go look him up. Lengthy discussion on why the US hasn't received a Nobel Prize in Literature for some time (parts of the discussion isn't terribly well-informed but some people do make great points). The Literary Saloon weighs in with a very, very authoritative voice and they should also be your one-stop read for reactions to Le Clezio's win.

Break

Some days there are too many things I want to write about: the Othering of Barack Obama by the GOP and whether it is an entirely successful discursive strategy, the idea of knitting as a subversive feminist activity, the question of identity and the Self in blogging (I touched upon it yesterday but I have mulled over it some more) and some random stuff about 19th C engineering achievements in Glasgow and how they are being recontextualised in the 21st century. But, you know, it is sunny outside and I have done a few hours' worth of paperwork, so I think it's time for a walk.