With Love - The Enduring Legacy of Book Inscriptions

This week on Twitter (@stompermcewan) I've been sharing some inscriptions from books in our library. It was suggested to me that I list some of these treasured memories here in blog format, so that it would reach a wider audience, so that's what I'm doing!

An inscription immortalises the recipient and the giver. But more than that, it preserves forever the heartfelt love and appreciation embodied in the giving of a book. That's why I finished the week with the following tweet:

Enjoy these bite-size histories which have created heroes of normal people as they shared there love of reading and books with someone else. We have bibles, adventures, poem, biographies and so many more. You can find all of these - and more - on my Twitter page.

So many of the books in our little library were gifts from Sunday Schools
- this one given to Dad when he was 7.

Children's books were a thing to treasure and, according to Granddad, also doubled up as sketchbooks!

From a gentleman with a story or two to tell - a trained exorcist.

19th century collection of Burns' poetry gifted 1905.
This is a book we acquired so I don't know who Esther was.

A Bible given to my Great-Granddad on going to war
- pleased to say he did have a safe return. 

Given to Mum from her Godparents.

A dedication from Jeffrey Meyers to Susan Watson in his Robert Frost Biography.
Not sure who she was.

Another Biography, this time of Richard Dimbleby

One of several books given to Granddad from his Sunday School.

No idea who Nellie was, but the handwriting in this is incredible.

From a stamp album - the date is 1894.
Why was the word "Day" underlined and capitalised?

I don't know Evelyn but like to imagine this is from a
secret admirer which is why there are only initials.

An unsteady hand with a lot of love.
This one is from a copy of Tom Brown's School Days.

I've been surprised by how many people abbreviated Christmas to Xmas.

Amazing handwriting with a message which speaks for itself.
Featured in here: http://childoftheisle.blogspot.co.uk/

A tale of knights and chivalry - a perfect gift for a 21st birthday!
"The Dove in the Eagle's Nest"

From a time when a book was a treasured prize. How do I know?
Because it's survived since 1887!

This is from a biography of King George the Sixth.
A time-capsule.

I don't know who Charlotte Harrison or Miss Mary Smith were,
but I love the handwriting in this Book of Psalms.

This was given to Dad when we relocated to Orkney.

Intrigued as to whether Claude R Barber was related to Joan Margaret Pearson.
Maybe the book stayed in the house.

A fragile connection to my Grandfather (Maurice) who I never knew
and, in turn, my great-grandparents.

Beyond Frank I can't identify the names in this prayer book.
Interesting that the recipient's name comes second.

A shared Adventure story! Never seen the name Arnalyn before and
I can't track them down despite the unusual name.

A copy of The Ingoldsby Legends sent to Angelo on his 28th Birthday from his mother.
Beautiful!

We thought this Bible had no connection to us until we began
researching our family tree that we found a link.

Thoughtful gift of "Little Cat Lost" A book may have a thousand words,
but an inscription speaks a million more.

Two poetry books inscribed by the poet.
Not sure the significance of the pictures but they'll remain in the book.

We got this with a bundle of 19th Century Royal Navy items.
Many items were parted with, but we kept this book.

I can't expand on this inscription but love its sentiment entirely.

This is from a pocket bible given to my Great-Grandma from
my Granddad (George). He was 14 in 1941.

Two and a half years makes such a difference to this handwriting!
I don't know Elaine, but think I taught her father piano.

Sharing a corner of our world with someone who's shared their own,
creates a global community. Nothing teaches us more.

And finally, one of my favourite inscriptions.
Alex was 1 at the time, Mum wrote the inscription.

If you've got any inscriptions in your libraries, please share them. They are such beautiful sentiments and they're also treasure troves for genealogists.

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What's In A Title?

I'm lucky.  I've always had poetry in my life.  Starting with the earliest nursery rhymes and passing through the works of the powerful wordsmiths such as Alfred Noyes and Walter de la Mare, to the poems my mother wrote for myself and my siblings.  Poetry has been an ever present force.

Countless years ago, when I was ten, I was bought an encyclopedia of famous people.  Amongst the hundreds of entries in it there were also some quotes and, on reading one such quote, an inexplicable interest was triggered.  The quote was:

"'Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction"

I was so taken by this that I read in earnest about the man who had created it.  It was a child's encyclopedia so, as you would imagine, great chunks of this man's life were omitted.  But, nevertheless, the appeal of Lord Byron's writing had caught me.

Years later, I made the discovery that Dark Lochnagar, a song I loved hearing The Corries sing, was taken from the poem Lachin y Gair by Lord Byron.  That I had found an inspiration in this song, without knowing that Byron was the author, only emphasised the appeal his words had for me.  The pensiveness and loss (this poem was written far from the mountain it describes and with little hope of returning to it) gave rise to the inspiration that created Day's Dying Glory.  I also discovered that the third verse, perhaps the most evocative in writing, had been missed out from the song.

I've learnt a lot more about Lord Byron since then.  I recently described him as a man with a questionable moral compass, which I feel might have been a generous description given some of his outrageous behaviour.  But it cannot be denied that, as poetry goes, this man was a genius.  His use of language to paint settings is second to none, and his meter always matches his story.  The three words of his that I have borrowed to name my novel speak with far more imagery than you first anticipate, and the more I consider them, the more I see that they do not just describe a sunset, but a turning point.  A turning point in a day, and a turning point in a life.

It would be wrong to imply that Byron's writing was my sole inspiration for this book.  I have drawn inspiration from writers including Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Ann Radcliffe.  As well as these authors, Sir Walter Scott's poetry is made mention, and I am lucky enough to own a first edition of "Ballads and Lyrical Pieces", a book that features in my novel.

But without wanting this comment to turn into an essay (though every year I keep meaning to enter the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association Essay Prize), Byron's poetic legacy clinches top spot for me.  When you can extract three words from a writer and have them tell their multifaceted story, that is inspiring writing.

So, what's in a title?  A lot more than it seems!

[Day's Dying Glory has been distributed to the libraries listed in our first blog]