St Bride's Library

Last night's trip to the St Bride's Library was AMAZING! Apparently their librarian is a very good internet stalker, we arrived and were handed red "blood" wine. He had carefully selected a large range of gothic texts for us, a HUGE selection of Victorian broadsheets from murders, to skeleton men, to canibal women victims on a ship wreck! There was also a lovely 4th ed. of Castle of Ottaranto, Faust, a GORGEOUS book about a Mexican artist(J.G. Posada and the book is Posada: messenger of mortality / edited and designed by Julian Rothenstein. - London: Redstone Press, 1989), a book on the flaggelants, fantastic examples of gothic script, and my favorite which was a Breathtakingly beautiful version of Chaucer of William Morris. We spent a good hour sipping our wine and looking at the selection, reading out our favorite passages to each other. All this with Incubus Succubus playing, (as he had discovered they were morbidfrog's favorite band.

After an hour of gazing at the treasures he gave us a short history of the library, the st bride's foundation and their bizarre building. Unfortunately like most charities they seem to be suffering in this climate so I'd really like to encourage you all to go.

Afterwards we were given a tour of the library, we got to play for ages in the room full of antique type and printing machines, (see morbidfrog's journal for pictures. short_mort fell in love and decided she needed to return with a flicker group and her proper camera! Then he took us downstairs and showed us more of their printing presses.

It was only supposed to last 90 minutes but we ended up staying just over 2 hours! It was really Fantastic!!!! beluosus and I already have made plans to return their next wednesday (when they are open till 9p) to read books that we saw in their reading room.

Now I just need to ask my boss if we can do a return visit for them here. :)

http://www.stbride.org/