October 2022 marks the centenary of the publication of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. Arguably the most influential poem written in English in the 20th century, it marked a turning point in modernist literature. Although the poem’s origins arose in the desolation of post-World War I Europe, its myriad themes still resonate today through their […]
Author: James Mitchell
Virginia da Vezzo – (more than) the Wife of Simon Vouet
Hello, my name is Nava Rizvi. I’m a postgraduate Intern in Rare Books Collections and undertook this work as part of my MSc. (History of Art, Theory and Display) at the University of Edinburgh. My main task has been to research and catalogue etchings and engravings held within the Newhailes Collection. Most of them date […]
National Library of Scotland and the Edinburgh College of Art: an enduring partnership
Since 2014, the National Library’s Public Programmes team have been regularly working with Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) Illustration tutors and their 1st Year students on an annual collaborative project. Taking inspiration from different aspects of the National Library’s collections, the students have created Riso prints, linocuts, drawings and paper sculptures as part of their […]
Rare and Fascinating Beekeeping Books
In the summer of 2021, a generous donation of beekeeping works was made to the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association (SBA) from the bookseller, John Kinross. After discussions with the librarian of the SBA’s circulating library held at Fountainbridge Public Library, it was decided that twenty-eight of the rarest and most valuable titles would become additions to […]
Lost Piano Concerto Found, and an Unexpected Musical Connection
A year has passed since National Library of Scotland staff began remote working due to the COVID-19 crisis. The adaptability of the Library’s personnel to their new circumstances and the use of Microsoft Teams, Zoom video conferencing, and the accessing of files and databases through a VPN (virtual private network) has enabled the mission, work […]
Bonner and his Bees: Historical Beekeeping in Scotland
In anticipation of Spring’s arrival I’ve recently been doing a little gardening to prepare plants, trees and soil for the coming warmer weather and its promise of rebirth after the dreich Scottish winter. The returning of birdsong and the anticipation of flowers and green leaves made me consider the importance of bees to the wellbeing […]
Robert Louis Stevenson and Switzerland
“A mountain valley has, at the best, a certain prison-like effect on the imagination, but a mountain valley, an Alpine winter, and an invalid’s weakness make up among them a prison of the most effective kind”. December 3, 2019 marks the 125th anniversary of the death of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). As a memorial, the […]
Cross Trust Special Collections Interns 2019
Our names are Jennifer Stewart and Honor Wilson and we have just completed a four-week Special Collections Internship at the National Library of Scotland. We both had backgrounds working within the archival and library sector prior to commencing our internships: Honor had volunteered at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Research Collections and is about […]
Cross Trust Special Collections Interns 2018
Our names are James Fox and Amanda Bowie and we have just completed a four week Special Collections Internship with the National Library of Scotland. Both of us have a background in history: James is about to enter the final year of an MA in History at the University of St Andrews and Amanda has […]
Forty Years Gone: New Wave and Disco in 1978
The year 1978 saw a changing of the guard in popular music. The decade-long dominance of heavy blues-based rock was coming to an end and in its place two new genres, new wave and disco, would rise to attain massive worldwide popularity while at the same time becoming templates for popular music up to the […]