'If you make happiness your goal, then you're not going to get to it… The goal should be an interesting life."

Dorothy Rowe

Wednesday 17 December 2008

The dangers of Googling

- you end up writing a post of no interest to anyone but yourself which is really just a list of links ...

It started when wandering around on the web, I came across this, which is the website of the National Library of the Netherlands.

There are some beautiful illustrations, including this which is one of the most wonderful embroidered book covers I have ever seen.

I also found this - and was entranced by the idea of a chemise for a book! So I Googled 'chemise book binding' and ended up here, at the glossary of illustrated manuscripts on the British Library website. Not only a clear explanation of a chemise binding, which it likens to a modern dust cover, but lots of other definitions with beautiful illustrations. Twenty five pages of inspiration [there appears to be no page for 'Y'.]

Then I went here and ended up ordering the book from ABE books. My library of books on books is threatening to overtake my library of books on embroidery.

This link is to the V&A conservation department. It describes how they made a chemise for what can only be described as an 18th C altered book. The side bar provides links to articles from the V&A's conservation journal. Dip in and enjoy - if you are as odd as I am ...

I love the V&A website - I used it a lot for the History Of British Embroidery, and every time I go back I find something else interesting..

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Actually Celia, posting links to articles that one has discovered on the Internet was the original purpose of a weB LOG.

Much more interesting nowadays though.

Have a great Yuletide

Richard