#arthurconandoyle — Public Fediverse posts

A Study in Red Sauce

#PizzaMysteryBooks
#HashTagGames
#ArthurConanDoyle

Ma nouvelle #LectureDuMoment est un autre classique : Le chien des Baskerville de #ArthurConanDoyle
J'ai joué à plusieurs jeux #SherlockHolmes et vu plusieurs adaptations, mais je n'en avais jamais lu un seul. Après m'être lancé le #jeuvidéo Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, je me suis dit que c'était l'occasion.
#lecture #bookstodon #livrestodon

Ma nouvelle #LectureDuMoment est un autre classique : Le chien des Baskerville de #ArthurConanDoyle
J'ai joué à plusieurs jeux #SherlockHolmes et vu plusieurs adaptations, mais je n'en avais jamais lu un seul. Après m'être lancé le #jeuvidéo Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, je me suis dit que c'était l'occasion.
#lecture #bookstodon #livrestodon

Ma nouvelle #LectureDuMoment est un autre classique : Le chien des Baskerville de #ArthurConanDoyle
J'ai joué à plusieurs jeux #SherlockHolmes et vu plusieurs adaptations, mais je n'en avais jamais lu un seul. Après m'être lancé le #jeuvidéo Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, je me suis dit que c'était l'occasion.
#lecture #bookstodon #livrestodon

Ma nouvelle #LectureDuMoment est un autre classique : Le chien des Baskerville de #ArthurConanDoyle
J'ai joué à plusieurs jeux #SherlockHolmes et vu plusieurs adaptations, mais je n'en avais jamais lu un seul. Après m'être lancé le #jeuvidéo Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, je me suis dit que c'était l'occasion.
#lecture #bookstodon #livrestodon

Ma nouvelle #LectureDuMoment est un autre classique : Le chien des Baskerville de #ArthurConanDoyle
J'ai joué à plusieurs jeux #SherlockHolmes et vu plusieurs adaptations, mais je n'en avais jamais lu un seul. Après m'être lancé le #jeuvidéo Sherlock Holmes Chapter One, je me suis dit que c'était l'occasion.
#lecture #bookstodon #livrestodon

SIGUE ⬇️

𝘊𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴 (𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦: 𝘈 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺) - 1997
𝘌𝘴 𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰́𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘢 𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰́𝘴𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰.
𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰́𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪́𝘢.
▪️𝘓𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢: 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘢 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘴 (𝘌𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘦 𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴) 𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘪́𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘴.
𝘔𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘰́𝘯 𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘶 𝘩𝘪𝘫𝘰 𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢, 𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘫𝘢 𝘭𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰́𝘯 𝘺 𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘦.
▪️𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴: 𝘊𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭.
𝘌𝘭 𝘪𝘤𝘰́𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘖'𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘢 𝘚𝘪𝘳 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘪 (𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘪́𝘢 𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6XXIQVvHVk

#hadasdecottingley #cottingley #arthurconandoyle #harryhoudini #sherlockholmes #historia #misterio #enigmas #fotografíahistórica #espiritismo #primeraguerramundial #curiosidadeshistóricas #historiasreales #leyendas #culturapopular #historiadelafotografía #francesgriffiths #elsiewright #ecosdelpasado #misteriosdelahistoria

SIGUE ⬇️

𝘊𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴 (𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦: 𝘈 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺) - 1997
𝘌𝘴 𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰́𝘯 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘢 𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰́𝘴𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰.
𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰́𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪́𝘢.
▪️𝘓𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢: 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘢 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘴 (𝘌𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘦 𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴) 𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘪́𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘴.
𝘔𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘰́𝘯 𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘶 𝘩𝘪𝘫𝘰 𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢, 𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘫𝘢 𝘭𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰́𝘯 𝘺 𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘴𝘪𝘦.
▪️𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴: 𝘊𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭.
𝘌𝘭 𝘪𝘤𝘰́𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘖'𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘢 𝘚𝘪𝘳 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘺𝘭𝘦, 𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘦 𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘪 (𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘰𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘪́𝘢 𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6XXIQVvHVk

#hadasdecottingley #cottingley #arthurconandoyle #harryhoudini #sherlockholmes #historia #misterio #enigmas #fotografíahistórica #espiritismo #primeraguerramundial #curiosidadeshistóricas #historiasreales #leyendas #culturapopular #historiadelafotografía #francesgriffiths #elsiewright #ecosdelpasado #misteriosdelahistoria

A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

I’m not going to tell you much more of the case, Doctor. You know a conjurer gets no credit once he has explained his trick; and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 4 [Holmes], Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)

More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlockholmes #holmes #behindthecurtain #conjurer #explanation #falsemodesty #magictrick #magician #mystery #secret #selfdeprecating #selfeffacing

A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

   “You don’t seem to give much thought to the matter in hand,” I said at last, interrupting Holmes’s musical disquisition.
   “No data yet,” he answered. “It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgement.”

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 3, Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)

More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #sherlockholmes #holmes #sherlock #conclusion #consideration #data #evidence #hypothesis #insufficientdata #theory #thought #proof #confirmationbias #prematureconclusion

Plunder, Mystery, and Intrigue: Visiting the British Museum and the British Library

After leaving the Lake District, I traveled to London by train, for the third part of my trip. This was where I saw the most libraries during my trip. On my last day in London, August 3rd, I visited the British Museum, located in London’s West End, which was overcrowded with tourists. This made viewing the so-called “chronicle of Western collection,” which was acquired through extensive plunder and theft, as American tour guide Rick Steves describes the museum, very uncomfortable. Even so, there were two highlights. The first was the stately and round reading room. English writers Virginia Woolf and Beatrix Potter, Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, radical thinkers Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, women’s rights campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst, independence activist Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Irish author Bram Stoker all studied there.

Note: This serves as second part of my series on this blog about my library tourism last year, with the first part, about my attempted and successful library tourism in Edinburgh and Northern England, posted on this blog last week. The series begins, chronologically, with my guest post on Reel Librarians, on February 11th, in a post entitled “Edinburgh and the National Library of Scotland: Library tourism redux.” It will be reposted on here over a month later. There will be one more parts of this series, focusing on my continued library tourism in Belgium coming next week.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, as noted in Doyle’s “The Complete Sherlock Holmes,” studied in the reading room. In the 1893 short story “The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual” (sometimes abbreviated as “The Musgrave Ritual”), he studied “those branches of science which might make me more efficient” in the reading room. He learned other information from the British Museum in chapter 15 of 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles and “The Tiger of San Pedro” chapter, within a 1917 collection entitled His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes (sometimes abbreviated as “His Last Bow”). There are mentions of libraries in the short stories “The Five Orange Pips”, “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb”, and “The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet” in the 1892 short story collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

The same is the case for “The Musgrave Ritual,” “The ‘Gloria Scott’”, and “The Reigate Squires” all within the 1893 short story collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and the stories “The Adventures of the Three Students” and “The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez” in the 1905 short story collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Apart from that, chapter 10 of The Hound of the Baskervilles, chapter 7 of the 1915 novel The Valley of Fear, and the story “The Problem of Thorn Bridge” in the 1927 set of short stories The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes feature libraries as well. Lastly, there’s a mention of a London Library in St. James’s Square and Lomax, who is said to be a “sublibrarian,” in “The Illustrious Client.” This is another short story within The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

In an email communication, Nathalie Belkin, an archivist who works for the London Library, told me that Doyle was a library member, joining in 1896 after his friend, and fellow writer, Arthur Griffith, nominated him. According to Belkin, Doyle was an active library user, even serving on the library’s committee. In fact, it is believed that The Illustrious Client, also entitled The Adventure of the Illustrious Client, was written in the library’s main reading room. While the borrowing history from the time has been lost, he was a “well-known fixture” of the library.

Otherwise, Karl Marx formulated ideas on communism, including within Das Kapital (also known as Capital), in the aforementioned reading room within the British Museum. Displays within the room describe it as a place for diverse thought. Many patrons left behind their mark in the visitors log. It was even one of the first places in London to have electric light (in 1879)! The room could, at maximum, hold 302 readers sitting at 38 tables, sitting across from each other, and was heated from underneath. Readers would consult a catalogue of printed books in the room’s center, then fill out a request form. In some ways, this makes this room similar to the Library of Congress’s Reading Room, since books for the British Library could be accessed there until they were moved to their current location in 1997. In fact, 62,000 people came when this reading room opened in 1857. A sign, when looking into the reading room, tells visitors to be quiet, feeding into the common conception of libraries as quiet places, which is not always the case for all libraries anymore.

What Rick Steves didn’t mention is that the historic reading room only re-opened to the public in 2024 after being closed for eleven years. The room was designed by Sydney Smirke, inspired by Rome’s domed Pantheon, and opened in 1857. It first re-opened to visitors in 2000 (after it stopped being an active reading room in 1997), then closed in 2013, when it was used for archival storage. The room, described by some as “legendary,” “stunning,” and an impressive sight for bibliophiles (protagonist and book-defender Elianna Bernstein of Bibliophile Princess would be right at home there) is not technically a library anymore. You can’t borrow any of the 25,000 books, and photography is now permitted (it wasn’t previously). Even so, it is still a marvel to see. You can even go on a twenty-minute tour there and there is currently a plan to completely transform the galleries and reading room.

The second highlight was the Enlightenment Gallery, formerly known as the King’s Library. It once held the British Library’s treasures when it was founded in 1753. Today it holds objects about the Age of Enlightenment, as Rick Steves notes. A display board, when you enter the room, says that it was developed in partnership with the House of Commons Library and the Natural History Museum. The current books on display are being loaned from the House of Commons Library. The aforementioned display notes that those who lent non-book artifacts to the gallery included the British King, the Science Museum in London, King’s College in London, Wellcome Collection, Society of Antiquities of London, Victor and Albert Museum, the Linnean Society of London, and the Royal Asiatic Society (also in London). Of these institutions, most have their own libraries. In fact, the D. Leonard Corgan Library at Kings College, the college’s main library, served as a location in Dan Brown’s controversial novel The Da Vinci Code. The building’s exterior appeared in the 2020 film Enola Holmes, a mystery film about Sherlock Holmes’ teenage sister.

The room itself was originally created, in 1823, to house King George II’s library, hence the original name. It was designed by architect Robert Smirke, known for the British Museum’s main facade and block, along with various clubs and houses within London. Of these, the Inner Temple, for which he did some work on, has a library, which continues to operate to this day, as did Bickley Hall. Smike also completed building restoration of the Bodleian Library’s Upper Reading room, which is part of the “old library.” As for the Enlightenment Gallery, it has a Greek Revival design, with neoclassical decoration. It’s said to be in keeping with the “styles of libraries in grand houses all over Britain” at the time, with claims it has echoes of “ancient wisdom and learning.” In 1998, the British Library moved to a new location across from the current St. Pancras station. The latter is not to be confused with pancreas or the Japanese anime film which centers on libraries and librarians, entitled I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. It is far too easy to call it “pancreas” by mistake, a name that almost stuck with me.

This gallery is where thousands of objects can be viewed and serves as an introduction to the British Museum’s collections. Even so, for me, I visited it at the end of my time at the overcrowded museum. I was inspired to visit this room by one particular scene in the December 2011 anime film, K-On! the Movie, a spinoff from the 2009-2010 anime series, K-On!. It features two episodes with libraries, including one about studying in the library and featuring a student librarian at an information desk. In fact, I rewatched this film before my trip to London, just for this scene. During the film, Yui Hirasawa, Ritsu Tainaka, Mio Akiyama, Azusa Nakano, and Tsumugi Kotobuki bop around London, visiting many sites, including walking through the strangely empty Great Court of the British Museum. They make their way into the gallery. During a short scene, Azusa points out that the Rosetta Stone (she put it on their itinerary) is also a replica. In fact, they used a replica in a school play as the death stone for a Romeo & Juliet play, because the fake tombstone they wanted to use had been misplaced.

The British Museum also has the actual Rosetta Stone in the Egyptian sculpture room, but like Yui, Ritsu, Mio, Azusa, and Tsumugi, I only looked at and touched the replica. The aforementioned gallery likely would have been overcrowded, as the gallery rooms I visited were extremely overcrowded and not suited for visitors. They had inadequate airflow and no overhead fans. As for the film, there were a few other short library scenes in the private all-girls school the protagonists attend, Sakuragaoka High School.

The same day I visited the British Museum, I visited the British Library. It sits across from St. Pancras station, and would be the last library I visited in the U.K. As Rick Steves put it, the British empire built its “greatest monuments out of paper.” The library holds every publication within the U.K. and Northern Ireland, with over 170 million items, such as sacred texts, maps, the Magna Carta, Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook, plays by William Shakespeare, and lyrics of songs by the Beatles. This library, established by an act of Parliament in July 1972 and opened in July 1973, is one of the biggest in the world. It’s only rivaled by the Library of Congress, Russian State Library in Moscow, or Shanghai Library in China. Many such institutions are the legal deposit libraries for their respective countries. Anyone is open to explore the British Library reading rooms and peruse exhibits. You can get a readers registration pass if you are over 18, allowing you to enter the reading rooms.

When I visited, on August 3rd, the reading rooms for humanities, manuscripts, rare books, music, science, maps, and Asian and African studies, were not open. I even saw rooms reserved for the sole purpose of prayer, and went through the “Treasures of the British Library” exhibit in the St. John Ritblat Gallery. It contained many of the artifacts I noted in the previous paragraph. Perhaps because they have the space, the British Library holds the library collections of the British Museum. Rare books fill the middle of the library in a massive climate-controlled column, allowing the upper floors to only be accessed by stairs or elevators, and affecting the structure of each floor. There was also a fascinating collection of foreign currency, stamps, and other postage from former British colonies, called the Philatelic Collection. It could be easily overlooked, but was fun to look through, especially in the way it was displayed.

Like the British museums I visited during my travels, they asked for a donation, but they were free to enter, without payment or restriction. The number of visitors using the study area made clear that they were open to all, in line with library ethical principles, as did the books in their bookshop, some of which would likely be on banned books lists of in U.S. libraries. In the next part of this series, I’ll talk briefly about the university library I visited in Belgium.

© 2025-2026 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Sources used

• “About this Reading Room,” Library of Congress, 2025.
• “About Us,” British Library, 2025.
• “About us,” House of Commons Library, 2025.
• “About us,” Royal Asiatic Society, 2025.
• “About us,” Wellcome Collection, 2025.
• “Archives,” London Library, 2025.
• Barker, Sam. “The British Museum’s Secretive Round Reading Room Has Reopened To The Public,” Secret London, 4 Jul. 2024.
• “Bickley,” Wikishire, 13 Jul. 2025.
• “D. Leonard Corgan Library,” Kings College, 2025.
• “Dana Research Centre and Library,” Science Museum, 2025.
• “Everything you ever wanted to know about the Rosetta Stone,” British Museum, 2025.
• Fox, Caroline. “Every Enola Holmes Filming Location (And What Every Place Looks Like Now),” ScreenRant, 26 Oct. 2020.
• Funk, Alex. “The British Museum’s mysterious domed Reading Room has officially reopened to the public,” TimeOut, 3 Jul. 2024.
• Hermann, Burkely. “Librarians and libraries in anime,” Pop Culture Library Review, 2025 (orig. 25 Jul. 2020).
• Hermann, Burkely. “More than a coming-of-age drama: The value of libraries and librarians in “I Want To Eat Your Pancreas”,” Pop Culture Library Review, 8 Jan. 2024.
• Hermann, Burkely. “Recently added titles (March 2025),” Pop Culture Library Review, 2 Apr. 2025.
• Hermann, Burkely. “The fictional library and the value of studying redux,” Pop Culture Library Review, 30 Jul. 2024.
• Hickley, Catherine. “British Museum’s historic Reading Room opens to the public after 11 years,” The Art Newspaper, 3 Jul. 2024.
• “History of The London Library,” London Library, 2025.
• “Library,” Linnean Society of London, 2025.
• “Library & Collections,” Society of Antiquities of London, 2024.
• Mathur, Rhea. “The British Museum’s Reading Room: Past and Present,” gowithyamo, 2 Sept. 2024.
• Moran, Sarah. “The British Museum’s Stunning Domed Reading Room Reopens to Public,” Home Journal, 27 Sept. 2024.
• “National Art Library,” Victor and Albert Museum, 2025.
• “Philatelic Collections: Introduction,” British Library, 29 Mar. 2010.
• Hermann, Burkely. “Remembering “Bibliophile Princess” and its significant fictional depiction of libraries,” Pop Culture Library Review, 14 May 2024.
• “Spaces at the Bodleian Old Library,” Bodleian Library, 2025.
• “Spotlight: the Reading Room,” British Museum, 2025.
• Steves, Rick and Openshaw, Gene. London (24th Edition, US: Avalon Travel, Sept. 2022): 212, 214-215, 236, 238, 240, 244-247, 249.
• “Strand Campus: Self-guided tour,” King’s College, 5 Oct. 2014, p. 8.
•  “The British Library Philatelic Collection,” The Royal Philatelic Society London, Nov. 2005.
• “The Present Buildings,” Inner Temple Library, 2025.
• “Treasures of the British Library,” British Library, 2025.
• “Update on progress with the Masterplan,” British Museum, 19 Dec. 2024.

#AncientEgypt #archives #ArthurConanDoyle #artifacts #BeatrixPotter #Belgium #BibliophilePrincess #BlackPatrons #BlackPeople #BramStoker #BritishLibrary #BritishMuseum #China #ChinesePatrons #colonialism #communism #electricity #EnolaHolmes #HouseOfCommonsLibrary #JapanesePatrons #JenniferSnoekBrown #KOn #KOnTheMovie #KarlMarx #LibraryOfCongress #libraryStereotypes #libraryTourism #LondonLibrary #MarcusGarvey #MohandasKGandhi #quiet #railroads #reading #ReelLibrarians #restrictions #RickSteves #RosettaStone #royalLibraries #royalty #Russia #RussianStateLibrary #ShanghaiLibrary #SherlockHolmes #SunYatSen #SylviaPankhurst #TheBeatles #TheDaVinciCode #TheIllustriousClient #trains #VirginiaWoolf #WhiteLibrarians #WhiteMen #WhitePatrons

A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle

   My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it. […] “But the Solar System!” I protested.
   “What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently; “you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.”

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 2, Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)

More about this quote: wist.info/doyle-arthur-conan/8…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arthurconandoyle #ignorance #pertinence #science #sherlockholmes #willfulignorance

Der goldene Klemmer – Arthur Conan Doyle

Bayern 2 – Freitag, 3. Oktober 2025 um 15:04 Uhr – The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez

Auf Yoakesley Old Place ist ein rätselhafter Mord geschehen. Ein invalider Professor wohnt hier zusammen mit zwei Haushälterinnen und einem Sekretär. Und eben dieser Sekretär namens Smith wurde erstochen. Interessant ist der Fund eines Kneifers am Tatort. Sherlock Holmes macht sich sogleich an die Lösung des Falles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6ukNJkPYv8

#ArthurConanDoyle #Bayern2 #DerGoldeneKlemmer #Hörspiel #Krimi #SherlockHolmes

Var der en dansker ombord på Mary Celeste?

Jeg må starte med at sige, jeg har meget ringe slægtsforskning-fu, eller lignende evner som ville klæde mig på til at hige og søge i (digitaliserede) kirkebøger. Det er et meget tålmodigt og tidskrævende detektivarbejde, jeg ikke har følt trang til hvad min egen familie angår, og andre i slægten er desuden allerede langt nede i arkiverne. Næ, for at få mig aktiveret i forhold til en omgang research i historiske dokumenter kræves mere eksotiske tildragelser — for eksempel en velkendt masseforsvinding til søs.

Begyndelsen til myten om Mary Celeste

For et par år siden rodede jeg rundt på nettet for at finde ud af mere om skibet Mary Celeste, som blev fundet forladt og på drift ud for Azorerne i 1872. Der var ingen tegn på at skibet var blevet bordet, eller at de ombordværende havde været nødt til at forlade skibet. De var bare … væk. De mystiske omstændigheder satte selvfølgelig diverse vilde spekulationer igang; var skibet blevet angrebet af en kæmpeblæksprutte, havde alkoholdampe fra lasten drevet besætningen til vildelser og mytteri — eller kunne det være noget overnaturligt?

Det er svært at skelne mellem fakta og opspind; Arthur Conan Doyle skrev en novelle baseret på forsvindingerne, og hans fiktion blandede sig snart med diverse hypoteser og påstande opfundet for at underbygge dem. Og gåden om Mary Celeste inspirerer fortsat både fiktion og mere foliehattepræget spekulation. I den mere superkulturelle ende besøgte Doctor Who skibet i et afsnit fra 1965 (det var selvfølgelig en dalek-patrulje, som skræmte besætning og passagerer til at springe overbord) .

Jeg var selv på udkig efter et frø til at spinde eget arbejde videre fra, men det er ofte sådan, at man leder efter én tråd at hive i, og pludselig trevler man en helt anden trøje op. Med så få reelle kendsgerninger i sagen fik jeg øje på interessante detaljer i det forhåndenværende: Wikipedia og andre onlinekilder opgiver, at selv om Mary Celeste var registreret i Nova Scotia, var flere besætningsmedlemmer fra Nordeuropa. Andenstyrmand Andrew Gilling, skal således være født i New York af dansk afstamning, mens fire lavere rangerende matroser (?) kom fra det frisiske vadehav. Men en bredere internetsøgning gav et lidt andet billede.

Den svageste antydning af metodologi

Jeg må indskyde to bemærkninger her om metode: Først, at jeg har foretaget al research ved hjælp af min browser — men fordi jeg generelt er skeptisk overfor internetbobler og tilpassede søgninger, har jeg som regel søgehistorie og geografisk placering slået fra (og ja, jeg holder mig langt fra Google). Det betyder, at jeg af og til får lidt skæve resultater, for eksempel på andre websites og sprog end jeg ellers ville finde. Det er ofte en bonus, som giver mulighed for flere lykketræf end diverse algoritmer tillader…!

For det andet, som Moliére skal have sagt, “brændestykker og brændestykker er to forskellige ting” — og jeg er så godt som sikker på, at han talte om Wikipedia-sider! I sagens natur er Wikipedias mere end 60 millioner opslag skrevet af brugere fra hele verden, på hver deres sprog, og der kan være stor forskel i både omfang og kilder(s troværdighed) selv imellem opslag på samme emne, men forskellige sprog. Der er en vis indsats for at oversætte og sammenflette data fra sider på forskellige sprog, men fordi det hele er frivilligt men omfattende arbejde virker det ikke som en på nogen måde komplet harmonisering.

Således faldt jeg nærmest tilfældigt over den frisiske version af Wikipedia-opslaget om Mary Celeste, som afviger fra den engelske udgave ved, at den dels angiver mere detaljerede persondata om de menige sømænd fra Nordfrisland, specifikt øerne Før, Amrum og Westerende. Mere spændende for en dansk læser hævder artiklen, at andenstyrmanden Andrew Gilling ikke var andengenerations dansk-amerikaner, men var født “Andres Jensen Gylling” i Kolby, Samsø.

Ned i Samsø (kirkes) kaninhul, og videre

Dette bekræftes i al fald delvist af den online, digitaliserede kirkebog for Kolby sogn 1850, hvor Anders Jensen Gylling, er optegnet som født 30. september 1850 (se ovenstående link under #34–90 i “det almindelige Levns.-Register”), søn af Jens Christensen Gylling og Mette Margrethe Andersdatter. Kolbys kirkebog fortæller også, at Anders Jensen Gylling blev konfirmeret i efteråret 1864, med bemærkningen “Dom for Kundskab og Opførsel: Udmærketgod Forkundskab. Meget god for Opførsel”.

Kirkebogens optegnelser fandt jeg via den frisiske Wikipedia-side, men jeg måtte ud i (for mig) mere esoteriske registre og lister for at spore, om denne Anders på nogen måde kunne forbindes med den “Andrew Gylling”, som angives på Mary Celestes mandskab. Jeg fandt ingen optegnelse i afgangslister 1853-1875, som tyder på at han på egen hånd skulle være flyttet fra Samsø. Omvendt ser han heller ikke ud til at være blevet og have giftet sig i Kolby sogn (før 1891).

Kunne han være udrejst med sine forældre, f eks til USA? Faderens navn er heller ikke optegnet i afgangslisterne som fraflyttet. Iflg Folketælling 1870 boede Anders Jensen Gylling ikke længere på Samsø. Derimod var hans mor (nu Mette Margrethe Gylling) blevet enke siden folketællingen ti år tidligere, og boede alene med sin mor.

Ifølge Københavns politis udvandrerprotokoller er én Anders Gylling udrejst fra Samsø til New York — men i 1889, så dette skulle i så fald være en yngre slægtning. Udvandrerprotokollerne “indeholder det store flertal af udvandrere, som har købt en oversøisk billet af en dansk rejseagent, men ikke de der har købt billet i udlandet, eller slet ikke har købt billet (f.eks. sømænd)” (min fremhævelse). Dette er interessant, fordi en anden, samtidig samsing, Jens Pedersen Gylling (1794-1875) omtales som “skibsejer”. Kunne det tænkes, at vores Anders har fået plads på et atlantergående skib ejet af en fjern onkel, og fra New York er fortsat ombord på Mary Celeste?

Videre spor (og en deus ex machina-afslutning)

Der kan være mere at hente om familierelationer og øens søfartshistorie i “Slægten Gylling fra Samsø” (Nordisk Slægtsforskning, 1975), som tilsyneladende tager udgangspunkt i JP Gyllings liv og familie: Bogen er kun tilgængelig til læsning, ikke udlån fra Det Kgl. Bibliotek, og der satte min lænestolsforskning altså stop. I al fald begynder der at tegne sig et billede af almueliv for 150 år siden på danske småøer, hvor alle mere eller mindre er i familie med hinanden — og hvor livet som sømand på de syv have sikkert har været mere lokkende end at forsøge at dyrke den samme sandjord som ens far og farfar.

Og jeg har indset i den her sporadiske research, at det er en del af fascinationen ved slægtsforskning, selv om det ikke er ens egen. Den er et dyk ned i historien, som ikke har at gøre med kongerække, adel, slag og generaler. Det er ikke de skæbner, vi ser afbildede i storladne oliemalerier fra samtiden, men måske som baggrundsfigurer eller del af brogede mængder i mere ydmyge afbildninger. Den handler om de undersåtter, soldater og sømænd, som kun er navngivne i forbindelse med deres fødsel og kirkehandlinger— med mindre altså de på anden måde væver sig ind i historiske kilder som avisartikler, hvadenten de gør sig uheldigt bemærkede som stratenrøvere eller hekse, eller som her bare forsvinder i den blå luft.

Da jeg nu sad og skrev mine gamle noter sammen, kunne jeg ikke lade være med at søge bare lidt mere på Gyllingerne fra Samsø, og fandt nu Anders Jensen Gylling i den lokalhistoriske slægtsdatabase Samsoe roots. Her er både han og hans bror Christen optegnede som sømænd; Anders til og med som styrmand, hvilket kunne være endnu et anstrengt indicie som lige ved og næsten knytter ham til det mystiske, forladte skib. Men det er som om, jeg taber sporet af Anders allerede før han kan blive til Andrew, og forsvinde mere definitivt sammen med resten af dem, som var ombord på Mary Celeste. Og dog.

Klikker man sig ind på oversigtsiden for Anders Jensen Gylling på Samsoe Roots, står det hele pludselig sort på hvidt: “Sømand Styrmand Anders Jensen Gylling, født 30 sep. 1850, Kolby S Samsø Holbæk, død 1872, Forlist ved Azorene/Atlanterhavet“. I notaterne fremgår det desuden, at “Avisartikler i ‘Der Nordschleswiger’ beretter i mange afsnit om Mary Celeste’s forlis. Andrew Gilling (Anders Gylling) var 2’den styrmand og 25 år gammel da.” Det sidste må være en regnefejl, for Anders var fyldt 22 knap to måneder inden Mary Celestes afsejling fra New York, 7 november 1872 — men nu påpeger jeg kun detaljer af ærgrelse over at andre er kommet mig i forkøbet med at knytte trådene sammen.

Det var også kattens, at jeg som helt uformående amatør ikke kunne redde mig en plads i annalerne for at have genopdaget den danske forbindelse til et af de mere farverige søfartsmysterier! Sådan kan det gå, når man kun halvt interesseret dypper tæerne i andres ekspertområde… hvem havde troet det? 😄 Hvis jeg så endda havde en Wikipedia-konto, kunne jeg indføre Anders Jensen Gylling korrekt i opslagsværkets endnu ikke-eksisterende, danske opslag om Mary Celeste. Også den ære må jeg altså overlade til andre derude.

#1870erne #ArthurConanDoyle #DoctorWho #kirkebøger #lænestolsekspert #MaryCeleste #Samsø #slægtsforskning #søfart #spøgelsesskib #Wikipedia

https://superkultur.dk/2024/08/24/var-der-en-dansker-ombord-paa-mary-celeste/