L is for Library.
Everything I discovered about libraries this week…
Happy Saturday. I hope you stayed in bed for ages and didn’t bother getting dressed, like me.
But I deserved it because I’ve been very busy during the week, compiling facts about libraries. And here they all are, from my daily notes this week:
Famous people with libraries in their houses? There must be loads of them. But the one that springs to my mind is the late, great Karl Lagerfeld. I don’t know how many books he had exactly, but I reckon enough to constitute a library by any country’s reckoning.
My illustration today is my image transfer of KL and Choupette, from a magazine page onto fabric, and then embroidered.
Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette, created with Image Transfer and hand embroidery.
You may be wondering, which is the oldest library in the world? The one that kick-started them all off.
According to this website listed below, it’s the Ebla Library founded between 2500-2250 BC.
My illustration today, is my biro drawing of a glacial rock, Rock of Ages which predates the library! (the rock does, not the drawing. Arf.)
My biro drawing, Rock of Ages
9 Oldest Libraries in the World - Oldest.org
It seemed like a good idea at the time- and, 2500 years later, it still is! Libraries are still around for exactly the same reasons they were invented for.
How much longer do you think they will exist- or do you think they will start to be seen as unnecessary, what with the Internet etc?
My illustration today is my mural which I painted on my bathroom wall. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and it still does!
The mural I painted on my bathroom wall.
The most beautiful library in the world is The Abbey Library in St Gall, Switzerland, which also claims to be the third oldest.
Do you agree with both claims, or perhaps you have other suggestions?
Have you been? It looks breathtakingly beautiful.
My illustration today is my quick line and wash sketch of our local churchyard, it’s the closest image I can find!
My local churchyard, in line and watercolour wash.
Yesterday I walked around some of the world’s biggest libraries and counted all the items to see which is officially the largest library (not really).
However, I did find out, by another means called largest.org, that the largest library is the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Closely followed by the British Library.
My illustration today shows a page from my sketchbook, of two biro drawings of trees. Two versions of the same thing, two grand libraries, two grand trees.
Two of my biro drawings of trees. Brandishing Branches (left); Between a Rock and a Hard Place (right)
10 Largest Libraries in the World - Largest.org
Whether or not you get to visit a library this weekend, have a lovely relaxing time. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new theme for the week.