Thursday, November 17, 2005

Online archives - the National Library of Scotland







We were browsing the web, looking for some early English and Scottish poetry, when we stumbled on the National Library of Scotland's Digital Library. If you're the least bit interested in the literature, history and culture of Scotland, this is a must-visit site. Two of our favorite exhibits: The Murthly Hours and Pencils of Light (the albums of the Edinburgh Calotype Club, which was the world's first photographic society). The Murthly Hours are especially enjoyable for the marginal images of animals (fantastic and real) and birds at play and rest. (A blue hare recurs throughout the pages, along with a variety of dragons.)