Recommended Reading: 84 Charing Cross Road

I just finished a book that was recommended for my class: 84 Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff. It is a slim book, a collection of letters between Helene Hanff and a bookseller in London called Marks & Co., Booksellers. The bookstore is no longer there, but this book is airy and delightful.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"A newspaper man I know, who was stationed in London during the war, says tourists go to England with preconceived notions, so they always find exactly what they go looking for. I told him I'd go looking for the England of English literature, and he said: 'Then it's there.'"


"Thank you again for the beautiful book, I shall try very hard not to get gin and ashes all over it, it's really much to fine for the likes of me."


"I go through life watching the english language being raped before me face. like miniver cheevy**, i was born too late. and like miniver cheevy i cough and call it fate and go on drinking."


Ah, to love books. To stay up until 1 in the morning finishing the best of them.

**Miniver Cheevy

Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.

Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of a warrior bold
Would send him dancing.

Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
And Priam's neighbors.

Miniver mourned the ripe renown
That made so many a name so fragrant;
He mourned Romance, now on the town,
And Art, a vagrant.

Miniver loved the Medici,
Albeit he had never seen one;
He would have sinned incessantly
Could he have been one.

Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing:
He missed the medieval grace
Of iron clothing.

Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.

Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.

-- Edwin Arlington Robinson

What will Mandy be Doing?

I thought I would share with you all my tentative itinerary during my 4 weeks in London. This is what's planned as far as "sights" go, and I'm assuming the lectures will be in conjunction with whatever we're seeing at that time. I can't believe that i'm going to get to see all of this, and earn 6 credit hours at the same time. Unbelievable! I'll try to keep up on here, promise.

"Scholarly and enriching activities are scheduled most mornings, while afternoons are free for you to pursue your own individual research. There will be two full-day trips--one to Stratford and one to Oxford**."

** A family of Brits came into the library yesterday and I mentioned my upcoming trip and studies. The father told me I MUST go to Oxford, that I would love it, assuming I loved books-- particularly first editions. He raved about it, so I'm thrilled it's worked into my schedule already.**

Course Schedule (tentative)

Friday 6 July Depart US
Saturday 7 Arrive London
Sunday 8 St. Paul’s (optional) - 9:00 a.m. http://www.stpauls.co.uk/
Orientation - 2:00 p.m.
Monday 9 Introductory Lecture - 9:00 a.m.
London Alive, p.m.
Tuesday 10 Day Trip to Stratford-on-Avon http://www.stratford.co.uk/
London Eye – 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday 11 Royal Geographic Society in a.m. http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Collections/Collections.htm
Reception – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 12 British Library in a.m. http://www.bl.uk/
7:00 p.m. Party at Stamford Arms
Friday 13 Houses of Parliament in a.m. http://www.parliament.uk/
Saturday 14 NON-ACADEMIC DAY - Canterbury/Dover (optional)
Sunday 15 NON-ACADEMIC DAY - Salisbury/Stonehenge (optional)
Monday 16 Museum of London in a.m. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/
Tuesday 17
Wednesday 18 Victorian & Albert Museum & National Art Library in a.m. http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/index.htmlhttp://www.vam.ac.uk/nal/index.html
Thursday 19 Day Trip to Oxford and Bodleian
Library http://www.ox.ac.uk/museums/http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/
Friday 20 Lecture
Saturday 21
Sunday 22 Depart London for EdinburghMonday 23 National Library of Scotland in a.m. http://www.nls.uk/
Tuesday 24 National Archives of Scotland in a.m. http://www.nas.gov.uk/
Wednesday 25 Writers’ Museum in a.m. http://www.cac.org.uk/venues/writers_museum.htm
Thursday 26 Mini-Break
Friday 27 Mini-Break
Saturday 28 Mini-Break
Sunday 29 Mini-Break
Monday 30 Mini-Break
Tuesday 31 St. Paul’s Cathedral Library in a.m. http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerID=27433oOH1QXTGfJUU5XiLE4TBvERKbu0
Wednesday 1 Aug Greenwich National Maritime Museum & Collections in a.m.Royal Observatory in p.m. http://www.nmm.ac.uk/http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/nav.005002
Thursday 2 ACADEMIC DAY/PRACTICUM AND SYMPOSIUM
Friday 3 Maps and Clockmakers Guildhall Library in a.m. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/city_london_libraries/guildhall_lib.htm

Saturday 4 FINAL EXAM (MORNING)

Sunday 5 DEPARTURE DAY

Preliminary Posting

This is the new "travel blog" that people OTHER than my myspace friends will be able to read. Basically I wanted to create a place where people can catch up with me while I'm in London- see what I'm seeing, comment on things, etc. I'm hoping that posting pictures will be easier here than embedding them in myspace blogs. I'll still be keeping up my myspace blog, but this is more of a public place- a place to chronicle my journey as...."Mandy Does London".

P.S. I can't take credit for the witty title- a fellow librarian where I work made it up and I just had to take it.

P.S.S. Now let's just hope my passport gets here in time...

And now to practice photo-sharing..