In quest of lost libraries
For me the world of books and libraries has a shadow world of those lost or destroyed. Surely someone could...
Of boats and books
Another example of Steinbeck's search for a perfect writing spot, in different houses, places, times of his life, as described...
A writer’s retreat
We first noticed it when it was still a construction site, but even on a grimly dank and overcast day,...
Pencil and paper
Steinbeck wrote with pencil on the ubiquitous American yellow pad. Computers and word-processing came too late for him, and so...
A visit to the Brontes
When I read the journals of Dorothy Wordsworth I had a yearning to visit the Wordsworth homes in the Lake...
The Saturday of Libraries
When we moved to the town of Nyon, I joined the municipal library. The building itself is worth writing about...
Palladian persuasive powers
Let me remember this the next time I wonder what chance there is of persuading anyone to fund ambitious cultural...
Basilicata bibliomotocarro
Antonio La Cava, a retired school teacher, converted a quintessential Italian vehicle, the three-wheeler micro-van, into a travelling library.
For...
A café in Porto
I have never been to this café but would love to spend a morning there writing postcards and reading newspapers....
Of centuries and cows
These quirky comments by Steinbeck charmed me - first his reaction to the first room he chose to work in,...
A place to get lost in
My idea of a bookshop or library to get lost in ... though not exclusively. I also love some of...
When did you begin?
Recently I read an old penny-paperback of The Grapes of Wrath. I was about three-quarters of the way through when...
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