Consuming Interest
Bookwork
By LESLIE ADRIAN Londoners suffer the disadvantage, not shared by other cities, of having their libraries admin- istered by twenty-eight different borough authori- ties, although there is a metropolitan specialisation scheme within which each library undertakes to build up a collection of volumes on a particular topic—history of drama, for instance, philosophy, or engineering. But however tiresome it may be to have to plod down to Stepney for, say, the last word on Yiddish literature, Londoners do have daily access to the central libraries in Westminster, Holborn, St. Marylebone and at the Guildhall. The City of Westminter Library, for instance, has a large and impressive reference sec- tion, one the largest libraries of music in Britain, various special collections such as the Women's Service Library (including some rare old cookery books and women's periodicals), and a big record collection which includes language sets. You do not have to live centrally to get the benefit of these: if you work in the area, that will do.
I do not want to give the impression that Lon- don is necessarily ahead when it comes to libraries: Manchester, I.iverpool, Birmingham and other cities have excellent libraries and each tends to have some distinct speciality. Liverpool public library has an important technical collec- tion. Hull, too, has a commercial and technical library, supported by local firms who take part in an exchange scheme to make information readily available to all, and is particularly proud to be one of the official repositories of the publications of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, a privilege few British libraries possess. Birming- ham's special pride is its collection of Shake- speariana and, to a lesser extent, its books on Mil- ton and Byron. These few and random examples are given to show what unexpected riches even the most unprepossessing-looking public library may contain.
The librarian is not to be blamed for his grim, institutional premises, nor because the book I want is always in some back room rather than on the shelf. I do have one strong grumble against the practice of charging 6d. to reserve a book. Anyone who uses these libraries knows that any moderately popular book almost never appears on the shelves; and the only sensible way to use the library is to reserve a book in advance—in fact, those who keep a stack of reservation cards on the mantelpiece, fill them in on a Sunday after- noon after reading the posh Sundays, and drop them off on their way to work on Monday, often get the latest novels within the week because they are the first to ask for them. But one librarian actually told me in so many words that they charged 6d. 'because we were getting so many books reserved'—i.e., expressly to discourage reser- vation. Perhaps 6d, is not a great price to pay for reading a new novel, but what about poor students who rely on libraries for their work? The point of libraries is that all books are free—not just the ones that almost nobody wants to read. And while I am being something less than appreciative, why can we not have Science Fiction and Crime given sections to themselves? Even the posh Sun- days themselves discriminate this far; it shouldn't be beneath the public libraries.
However, there is no doubt that many libraries try to provide all books for all readers. Nationals of almost every European country, including Poles, Scandinavians and Ukrainians, can be supplied with books in their own language, if they ask at their local branch library, which will either get the book for them or tell them where to find it. In London, West-
minster probably has the largest range of lan- guages on records for loan, twenty-four in all. But there is inevitably a waiting list for them. Camber- well can offer seven, but Marylebone has given up lending them. Hull is only one of several pro- vincial libraries which lend language records.
Many libraries lend reproductions of pictures. The systems vary widely. Rugby lends them for a month, gratis, Newport allows them to be bor- rowed for six months for five shillings, plus a 10s. deposit. Gillingham charges a fee according to the size of the picture.
Hobbies are well looked after. Finsbury library, for example, specialises in works on photography. Local history collections abound, one of the best of them all naturally being that at the City of London Library. Many libraries offer a biblio- graphical service, and will compile reading lists for students, amateur or otherwise, without charge. More libraries are now equipping them- selves with microfilm readers and are building up files of otherwise inaccessible material in co- operation with foreign libraries and universities. Some of them will even, for a small charge, under- take to photocopy reference material on which a reader may wish to work at home.
The public sector, hampered though it is by lack of funds and an inevitable atmosphere of local Bumbledom, is making and has already made tremendous progress. Soon I hope to have a look at what the private circulating libraries can do. Cyril Ray writes: Since writing here recently about out-of-the-ordinary wines at reasonable prices, I have come across a London firm of shippers who advertise themselves as 'specialists in the lesser-known wines of France.'
In the course of a happy and highly varie- gated tasting in their cellars, I met these wines that I would specially commend : they can be bought from H. Allen Smith, of Jus- tice Walk, Chelsea, and Alastair Campbell, of Edinburgh, amongst other wine merchants. Marnebour, from the Jura, has a nutty and almost bitter taste and scent, rather like an unfortified sherry—a good light aperitif, chilled, at about 9s. a bottle. Very different, Monbazillac, a sweet wine from the Dordogne, not luscious like a Sauternes, but light, like the Portuguese Grandjo I have written about here. Also about 9s., and useful for casual between-meals drinking, or with fruit. I also liked the dry Jurancon, which comes from the sub-Pyrenean vineyards just across the river from Pau : it has a full, apricotty taste, is rather strong in alcohol, and goes well with fish. It w given to Henri Quatre when he was a baby, ensure a vigorous temperament.' If that mea what the elderly gentleman I've heard abo thinks it means, who won't be without it, it's tremendous bargain at half a guinea of anybody' money.
One of the great champagne firms, Lanson, h had the good fortune to open its bicentena celebrations in a year that by all indicatio looks like being a year of the century. The luncheon at Rheims the other day for British win bibbers began and ended with their non-vinta Black Label, which was also served on the char tered aeroplane to and from London Airport. TI' reason why Lanson sell relatively little vintage wine is because so much of their very best entqlei
goes to the Black Label : if the people who make it think it good enough for their own two' hundredth birthday—and very good it is—it 0 good enough for my mere fiftieth or so, at 27s. 6d, a bottle.
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