First the bad news, then the good news. The bad news: I went on line looking for the British Library to find out whether I could drop in my books there. I have self-published a dozen books, some of which are still in the draft stage, awaiting my approval from the proof copy, which you pay for, from Lulu.com . I had hoped to be able to take my books into the British library and save on the postage. Alas no. You have to post them to somewhere in Yorkshire.
Books used to have a special postal rate. That seems to have disappeared.
I also wanted to discover what you could see and do at the new British Library. In the old days when I was a student at University College, there was such a high demand, that numbers were restricted. You could gain access only if you had a letter from your professor or head of department saying that the book you needed to consult was not available at any of the nearby and large university libraries. University College had a library. So did the university of London.
So I wondered what the restrictions were. Now for the good news.
What I did discover was the the British Library, a kind of museum, has a shop. My experience of museums is that even if you arrive too late in the day for entry to the museum, or entry is timed, you can usually while away some time in the shop, buy some dinky souvenirs, and get a general idea of the highlights of the museum. (At least enough to photograph yourself outside the museum, and talk glibly about both the architecture and contents, as if you have seen the entire place, which would normally require a week.
Now, you don't even need to visit the museum. Some relevant souvenirs would be those displaying the Magna Carta. A useful item would be the map umbrella, but at £45! I would think most souvenir shops could supply a souvenir umbrella at half that price. I shall check out the museum of London next, and the London Transport Museum.
I am not sure why anybody would want some of the objects. Others are not sufficiently described. For example, a pair of ear-rings. No indication whether they are clip on or posts. Since I don't have pierced ears, I shall pass on those.
Some of the items are decidedly odd, in my bemused opinion. Jekyll and Hyde jewellery for men. Dracula items. The sort of thing I thought was edgy when I was a teenager or a new student. Skulls are amusing to teenagers. Less so when you have reached retirement age. A funny gift for a friend. Not for granny.
Frankly, I have found more interesting items, and go anywhere items, (which I chose as my Christmas presents) on literary gifts.com
But there's no accounting for taste. If you look hard enough, a determined shopaholic can always find something they don't need, but want. For example, The Gothic shop has a sign, I'm already disturbed Please come in. £3.50 plus postage.
Websites
British Library Shop
http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/BritishLibrary/_353759/1/Bestsellers
Museum of London Shop
http://www.museumoflondonshop.co.uk/store/
London Transport Museum Shop
http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk
Sherlock Holmes museum shop
Dickens Museum shop
http://www.the-gothic-shop.co.uk/already-disturbed-metal-sign-alchemy-gothic-p-7124.html
Others to check out: Bronte museum shop, Jane Austen house shop, and many more authors' homes and museums have shops.
USA: Edgar Allen Poe, Jack London, Hemingway, Arthur Miller, Webster (wrote the American dictionary and grammar).
Search around the web (and my posts) and you will find you can also buy books and CDs and souvenirs on everybody from rock stars such as Elvis Presley to baseball players such as Babe Ruth and ice skaters such as Torvill and Dean.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer
Books used to have a special postal rate. That seems to have disappeared.
I also wanted to discover what you could see and do at the new British Library. In the old days when I was a student at University College, there was such a high demand, that numbers were restricted. You could gain access only if you had a letter from your professor or head of department saying that the book you needed to consult was not available at any of the nearby and large university libraries. University College had a library. So did the university of London.
So I wondered what the restrictions were. Now for the good news.
What I did discover was the the British Library, a kind of museum, has a shop. My experience of museums is that even if you arrive too late in the day for entry to the museum, or entry is timed, you can usually while away some time in the shop, buy some dinky souvenirs, and get a general idea of the highlights of the museum. (At least enough to photograph yourself outside the museum, and talk glibly about both the architecture and contents, as if you have seen the entire place, which would normally require a week.
Now, you don't even need to visit the museum. Some relevant souvenirs would be those displaying the Magna Carta. A useful item would be the map umbrella, but at £45! I would think most souvenir shops could supply a souvenir umbrella at half that price. I shall check out the museum of London next, and the London Transport Museum.
I am not sure why anybody would want some of the objects. Others are not sufficiently described. For example, a pair of ear-rings. No indication whether they are clip on or posts. Since I don't have pierced ears, I shall pass on those.
Some of the items are decidedly odd, in my bemused opinion. Jekyll and Hyde jewellery for men. Dracula items. The sort of thing I thought was edgy when I was a teenager or a new student. Skulls are amusing to teenagers. Less so when you have reached retirement age. A funny gift for a friend. Not for granny.
Frankly, I have found more interesting items, and go anywhere items, (which I chose as my Christmas presents) on literary gifts.com
But there's no accounting for taste. If you look hard enough, a determined shopaholic can always find something they don't need, but want. For example, The Gothic shop has a sign, I'm already disturbed Please come in. £3.50 plus postage.
Websites
British Library Shop
http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/BritishLibrary/_353759/1/Bestsellers
Museum of London Shop
http://www.museumoflondonshop.co.uk/store/
London Transport Museum Shop
http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk
Sherlock Holmes museum shop
Dickens Museum shop
http://www.the-gothic-shop.co.uk/already-disturbed-metal-sign-alchemy-gothic-p-7124.html
Others to check out: Bronte museum shop, Jane Austen house shop, and many more authors' homes and museums have shops.
USA: Edgar Allen Poe, Jack London, Hemingway, Arthur Miller, Webster (wrote the American dictionary and grammar).
Search around the web (and my posts) and you will find you can also buy books and CDs and souvenirs on everybody from rock stars such as Elvis Presley to baseball players such as Babe Ruth and ice skaters such as Torvill and Dean.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer
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