BookCrossing

Just went to a fascinating talk at the Literacy Research Discussion Group on BookCrossing by Steve Lucas and Lynn Moores. This is a terrific international system of passing books between bibliophiles completely free of charge. I tested the system immediately by registering - which was easy - 'catching' a book and registering a journal entry to it for the site.

I particularly enjoyed Steve's tales about books' trajectories around the world and also the 'themed releases' such as the copy of Eats Shoots & Leaves that was left beside a salad bar in a supermarket and Holes left above a compressor in some roadworks. Wonderful also to hear about people hiking up mountains to 'catch' a book.

Lynn made a very powerful argument for the site as a cross-over for connections among book lovers both online and offline and demonstrated what wonderful work the library service has done in Oxfordshire with books that might otherwise have been pulped.

Julia

everyday writings of Vindolanda

Yesterday the BBC Radio 4 programme 'Material World' had a fascinating piece on the 'Vindolanda texts'. This is the biggest hoard of everyday writings from a military outpost in Roman Britain. The programme was most interested in the enormous challenges presented in reading them however there were some fascinating quotations. The programme describes them thus: "They are like our emails today - quick, frivolous messages to friends and relatives: from laundry lists to letters asking for warmer underwear." I'm not quite sure why matters of personal importance should be described as 'frivolous'. The superb Vindolanda Tablets Online website defines this category as 'necessities of life'. Their other categories are: families, pleasures and ceremonies; letters to make, keep (or lose) friends; and military matters. JG

Illustration comes from:
http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/TVII-291