This year saw the 550th anniversary of the death of Johannes Gutenberg and to mark the occasion, the National Library of Scotland used Book Week as an opportunity to display its copy of the famous Gutenberg Bible. Printed around 1455 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg’s bible was the first book in Europe to be printed with movable…
Surprising literary references #2: Robert Louis Stevenson
Today (November 13) is the 168th anniversary of author Robert Louis Stevenson’s birth so I was intrigued to find this unusual reference to him on a recent visit to Stirling. The owner of this car might not be paying tribute to a much-loved author, he or she might simply have a name with the same…
The “learning how to schedule a post” post
As a new blogger, I thought I was getting the hang of things by drafting a post about Hallowe’en in advance of the day and scheduling it to post on October 31. But my post didn’t appear on the appointed day so clearly I haven’t learned that lesson yet. It seems I got the scheduling…
Books, art and Hallowe’en: Share your world #5
This week’s questions in the #SYW challenge. Name two books that have influenced you and share how. I’m sure I have been influenced in some way by every book I’ve read, even if it is only to decide that a certain style, topic, setting or author is not to my taste. It’s therefore difficult to…
Surprising literary references #1: The Thirty-Nine steps
I was reminded unexpectedly of John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps on recent a visit to Glasgow. Credited by some as the forerunner of the modern thriller, The Thirty-Nine Steps is probably Buchan’s most well-known work and since its first publication in 1915, film and theatre adaptations have expanded its reach considerably. In the light of its reputation, I perhaps shouldn’t have…