Tuesday after the BL

Just wanted to give a quick follow-up on the rest of my day at the British Library. It turned out that the "Three-Quarter" manuscript, designated "Select" by the library, had been sitting in the service area the entire time. A light at my desk was supposed to alert me to its readiness, but such light never shone. But no damage done. I had the chance to see the manuscript anyway. That was after having an afternoon coffee/tea break with Kimberly. I gave her an update on my travels and we had another good chat. I'm really glad we could get together for a second time before I head back home. She's off giving a lecture tomorrow; I'm sure it will go well for her.

After coffee/tea it was back to the manuscript reading room and a chance to look at the "Missing Three-Quarter" work. As you may have noted from the BL catalog description I posted earlier, it was a joint gift to the library, representing both sides of the Pond. It includes Vincent Starrett's bookplate and autograph along with a separate dedication/gift page from the donors. The binding, in vellum, is similar to other ACD manuscripts that I've seen, including our own "Horror of the Heights." I needed to return the manuscript (and get back my reader's card in exchange) a half-hour before the reading room closed, so I was back to the desk just before 4:30. From there it was back to the locker room to collect the rest of my things and then spend a little time out-of-doors on the plaza before meeting Catherine and Andrew.

The three of us met about an hour later; Andrew treated us to coffee (and me a muffin) from the BL cafe. We found a table (it was quite busy when we arrived) and had a good conversation for almost the next two hours. We talked about my visit to Portsmouth, the upcoming conference at Harvard and other things Holmesian and literary. Andrew gave a talk at the BL about a week ago for the Friends of the British Library. We caught up on other threads and before we knew it the time had flown. My only regret was that I'd forgotten to pack the Norwegian Explorers pin to give to Catherine; it was still back in my room. I'll either drop it off at the library tomorrow or give it to her at Harvard in May.

In some ways its hard to believe that I have just one full day left in London before its time to go home. In other ways I'm ready to pack up, head home and stop living out of a suitcase. I've got a few more sights/sites to check out tomorrow (given to me by friends both before and during the trip) related to Holmes. I'm planning on doing those later in the day; the Tower of London is calling and will most likely be the first thing on the agenda. No pictures today. I'm sure there will be some tomorrow. Time to put up my feet.

Still waiting for the Missing Three-Quarter

I'm still waiting for the Holmes story manuscript, but here's a description from the BL manuscript catalog:

50065. 'THE ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING THREE-QUARTER', by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; bef. 1904. Autograph fair copy with autograph corrections, partly in pencil. Differs slightly from the first edition printed in The Strand Magazine, xxviii, 1904, pp. 123-35, and reprinted in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, 1905, pp. 308-36. See B.M.Q., xxii, 1960, pp. 54-6. Formerly owned by Vincent Starrett (bookplate, f. ii; signature, f. ivb), and, until 1959, by Rollin Van Nostrand Hadley (bookplate, f. iii). Presented (inscription on f. vb) on the occasion of the centenary of the author's birth, 22 May 1859, through the Friends of the National Libraries, jointly by James Bliss Austin, Lew David Feldman, E. T. Guymon, Rollin Van Nostrand Hadley and Edgar Wadsworth Smith, all of the United States, and by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
Paper; ff. vi+26. Folio. Circa 1904. White vellum binding.

I'm hoping it will show up soon. We'll see.

Tuesday at the British Library

At the moment I'm at table 1049 in the Manuscripts Reading Room of the British Library. I came right after opening this morning and went first to Reader Registration to get my reader's card. This process goes very quickly, provided you have all the necessary documentation. For me it was driver's license, passport, and business card. You fill out an online form, review and agree to the regulations for use, and then sit for a picture and the production of your card. The card is good for three years. After registration I went down to the locker room, found a locker for my bag, coat and sweater. It costs a pound for use of the locker, but you get your money back when you open your locker with the key; much like our lockers back in Andersen Library. I grabbed my laptop, pencils and notepad, put them in the BL plastic carrier bag, and headed to the Manuscripts Reading Room. I'd done some research last night so knew what manuscripts I wanted to view. After presenting my card to the attendant near the door I found a table, got set up, and then went to the service desk and requested a couple of application tickets to request the items I wanted to see. Then it was back to my desk, fill out the requests, put them in the metal wicker basket back on the counter, wait for the items and do some additional background research on the web. This meant registering for the BL's free wireless service, another quick and easy procedure.

Here's a description from the BL's manuscript catalog of the first item I looked at:

63596. CASEMENT PETITION PAPERS: correspondence and papers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Clement K. Shorter, editor of The Sphere, concerning their petition to the government to reprieve Roger Casement, sentenced to death for high treason, 29 June 1916; 1916. Partly printed. Purchased from David J. Holmes Autographs, Philadelphia, Cat. II, lot 62, 7 Aug. 1985.
Paper; ff. 176. Individual items mounted and bound in dark green morocco with gilt tooling, including Irish emblems, by Rivière, in a cloth slipcase. 288 x 233mm.
1. ff. 2-3. One of twelve privately printed copies of A Petition to the Prime Minister on behalf of Roger Casement by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1916).
2. ff. 4-22. Correspondence between Conan Doyle and Shorter, July 1916, including a draft, 2 July, to Shorter from G. Gavan Duffy, Casement's solicitor; letters to Doyle and Shorter from the Home Office acknowledging receipt of the Petition; and a letter from Shorter on the same subject, 26, 27 July; 2-30 July 1916, n.d.
3. ff. 23-61. Thirty-seven printed petitions, returned to Shorter, signed by supporters, the latter include: William Archer, Arnold Bennett, G. K. Chesterton, Will Crooks, John Drinkwater, John Galsworthy, Alice Gomme, Maurice Hewlett, Jerome K. Jerome, John Masefield, H. W. Massingham, C. P. Scott, Ben Tillett, Sidney and Beatrice Webb and Israel Zangwill.
4. ff. 62-75. Newscutting from the New York American; 14 March 1915. Printed. Containing Casement's allegation that Britain tried to kidnap him in Norway.
5. ff. 76-176. Eighty-six letters, eighty-four of them to Shorter and two to Conan Doyle, relating to the petition, from supporters and opposers; 1916. The writers include: Alfred Austin, John Burns, Viscount Bryce, Sidney Colvin, Edward Carpenter, J. L. Garvin, Viscount Haldane, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Pinero, Eden Phillpotts, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells and W. B. Yeats. Two replies were written copies of the standard letter sent out with the petition by Shorter on 7 July.

I just finished looking at this about a half hour ago. I'm a little concerned about seeing the second manuscript I've requested, one of the Holmes stories, "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter." While working through the Casement manuscript one of the staff members came out to talk to me about my request for the Holmes story. It turns out that this manuscript is a "Select" case that requires a letter of introduction in order to view it. I indicated that I was a curator of rare books at the U of M and asked who would be the person to write on my behalf. Basically, the answer was someone who knows me and could vouch for my character. The staff member indicated that they could sign off on my request as a "one off" but that I would need a letter if I had requests for other such manuscripts. I assured the staff member that this was the only one I was interested in at the moment, so my request could go forward.

That was a few hours ago, however, and I'm now a bit worried that I won't have enough time as I've agreed to meet Kimberly for tea/coffee at about 3:30. I've still got more than an hour, and maybe they'll hold it for me if I have to step out a bit. We'll just have to see. The only other item on my agenda is later, at 5:30, when I'm meeting Andrew and Catherine. Let's see how the afternoon unfolds. More later, but I'll say this for now--its interesting being on the "other side" of the fence as a researcher. The reading room is quite full. It brings back some memories of my undergraduate days when I spent time in the manuscript reading room of the Newberry Library.

T-Minus 6 Hours

Well we're in the home stretch. Most everything's packed and ready to go, I've got my ride to the airport set up, and most of the last minute tasks are completed. There are still a few things hanging fire, but those will have to wait until later today or tomorrow in London. But I'm feeling good and fairly relaxed. All is in order.

One of the last things I wanted to do before leaving was to make sure I could upload pictures from my camera. I haven't done it with this laptop before, so wanted to make sure everything would work smoothly. And it did. The wizard took me through a few steps once I connected the camera, and the picture went right where I told it to go. I'm probably going to grab a few more batteries before I leave, just to make sure I've got power.

So here's home sweet home, covered with a bit of snow. We had about 6 inches last Friday and Saturday and the temp went back down to near zero. I'm hoping there will be hints of Spring when I return, but Minnesota has a tradition of big storms right around high school tournament time, so we'll just have to see how things unfold. I was reminded yesterday that daylight savings time will go into effect while I'm gone, so I'll miss an hour somewhere along the way. No big deal. We'll just go with the flow. I've been checking the weather in London and Portsmouth and it looks like mostly 40s and 50s with a bit of rain. I polished and mink oiled my boots this morning and I've got my "brolly" packed so I should be all right.

I received confirmations from Catherine and Kimberly for my visits to Marylebone and the British Library this morning, so those pieces are all set. I'm giving myself plenty of time at the airport so check-in and security should go just fine. I'm a little concerned about the return trip as my flight back home leaves mid-morning. I'll just have to make sure I catch an early Tube ride back to Heathrow. But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Time to sit back and enjoy the ride.

My next post will probably be from London. More later from across the Pond.

T-Minus One to London

For the next sixteen days or so I'm going to turn this blog into a travelogue or diary of what went on during that particular day during my travels in England. I've been sharing my blog url with family and friends in the hope that this will be a fun way to share my experiences in London and Portsmouth. I hope you enjoy the ride and will feel free to share comments along the way. You might have a favorite site that you'd like me to see; send it my way. Each evening I'll be planning my "attack" for the next day and would be delighted to get your feedback and suggestions on places I should visit.

At the same time its fair to say that this trip is not totally "free-form." I've been thinking about this trip since before I sent in my application for a staff development grant and have a number of activities planned already. Indeed, I've been thinking about this trip since I missed out on the chance to attend the unveiling ceremony for the Holmes statue in London some years ago. My thanks, again, to the staff at Portsmouth who have been very helpful in putting together a meaningful and productive itinerary during my week on the south coast. And my thanks to Phil at the Campus Club for his suggestions related to my accommodation in London. My supervisor, Kris, has been very supportive of helping make this trip a reality. My friend and brother in the faith, Bryce, has been a wonderful help and given me some great ideas. Also, it feels good to be able to get away for a couple of weeks knowing that the office will be in good hands through the work of my colleague, Jean, and our student assistants. Thank you, all (and others not named), for making this trip possible!

All right, I'll step away from the Oscar-like thank yous and give you some sense of what's ahead. I spent a good chunk of today trying to tie up as many loose ends as I could at work, touch base or get notes to everyone I needed to talk with or, in other words, nail down as much as I could and make sure the work continues while I'm gone. I'll be finishing off a few other projects at home tonight and think about getting around to packing. Generally, it doesn't take me too long to get my bags together; I might even leave that for the morning (depending on what else needs doing tonight). I'd really like to finish off my taxes before leaving; I'm close, so that will be one of the main priorities tonight. Thank goodness (and the IRS) for e-filing. My aunt gave me a little note case for Christmas; its been getting a good workout today as I've been jotting down little reminders (e.g. don't forget the cord for downloading pictures from the camera; make sure your ATM will work in England. And don't forget your passport!)

My flight leaves late in the day tomorrow. I'll spend the morning finishing off anything here at home, have lunch, and then get to the airport. I arrive early Wednesday morning at Heathrow. I'm planning on taking the Tube into the City and then walking a short distance to where I'm staying. Check-in isn't until 2pm, but I'm going to see if I can get in early or else drop my stuff off for storage and come back later and get settled. After that, unencumbered by my bags, I'm going to go walkabout, scouting out the area and maybe make my way over to Baker Street. I'll stop back at my digs, take a short break, and then head to St. Paul's for an Ash Wednesday service. After that I'll probably look for something to eat, head back to my room, update this blog, check e-mail, and do a little work on my Facebook page. By then I'm sure I'll be ready for sleep.

On Thursday I have an appointment in the morning at the British Library with a colleague who used to work here at the University. She's setting up my visitor's pass and I'll have a chance to meet some of her colleagues from the Rare Books department, find out about a digitizing project she's been working on, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the Library. In the afternoon I'll wander west to Marylebone and get my first look at the Doyle Collection. Thanks, Kimberly and Catherine for these opportunities on Thursday!

Well, that's how the first couple of days are shaping up. Time to get to the taxes and the other odds and ends here at home. Oh, and since my wife is working tomorrow, I need to call my sister and see if she can take me to the airport. Or my folks if my sister is busy. Here's to family (at home, work, and play).