Cui Ying
03:26
Video loading...
Search for Books within Europe Pevery Library (03:26)
The beautiful Lara Haggerty asked me, "What book would you like to read?" I replied, "It's about China!" Then, without even thinking about it, she went straight to the bookshelf and pulled out a copy of the world map ATLANTIS NOVI PARS TERTIA published in 1638 and a copy of the A Collection of Voyages and Travels published in 1704. So, I saw the map of China drawn by Europeans 384 years ago, and I saw the city and fireworks in China depicted by Europeans 318 years ago... I was so excited I was almost speechless. Because after all, if in other places, such old books are either shelved or locked in exhibition cabinets, how can I have the opportunity to look through them, and how can I get close to them? At the Innerpeffray Library in rural Perth, Scotland, there are about 5,000 rare old books like this that can be "hand-selected".
The search for the Neipefre Library was completely accidental, I had accidentally seen the introduction book of this library in the Lead Hill Miners Library in Scotland, and I came to see it, and it turned out that this library was simply a dazzling pearl of the library industry, and it was a "paradise" for book lovers. The car drove past barley fields, stopped at a place where "there was no village in front, no shop behind", and I walked through a small forest, and the Inner Pevere Library was presented in front of me. It is a neoclassical building next to a simple chapel. Interestingly, as I was walking toward the library, an old gentleman who was approaching me suddenly stopped and said, "That lady talked too much, but it was good." I was stunned, but it soon became clear that the lady the old gentleman was talking about was Lola Haggerty, the 31st Keeper of Books of 5,000 books.
Exterior view of the Nepefre Library
The chapel next to the Nepefre Library, where the collection of books was originally placed in the attic of the chapel
The 31st "Guardian" of the library, Lola Haggerty
Lola talked about the books in the library, and she let me know about the past and present lives of this library, and she also let me know about her. The library has two floors. On the first floor are books donated by bibliophile Janet Saint Germain, about 500 volumes. According to Lola, Janet is American, and her grandparents and maternal grandparents are Both Scottish, so she is keen to collect books related to Scotland. She had a collection of books for 35 years, but her descendants had little interest in them, and she didn't want them to be displaced, so she donated all the books she had spent her life in 2013 after learning of the Nepefre Library and visiting it in person. On the second floor is the main library, which has a collection of about 4500 books, mainly from the Drummond family.
A corner of the library
The founder of the Nepefre Library was David Drummond of the Drummond family, who was also the third Lord Maddertie. Born in 1611, David founded the Nepefre Library in 1680. The library was scotland and the first public library in the UK to borrow books for free. At the same time, David founded a school. In the days when David lived, England was undergoing bloody changes, and no one knew why he did it, but he only told in his will that libraries and schools should be maintained so that anyone who wanted to read could see the books here. In addition, he left funds to set up the "Nepefrey Practice" foundation, set up the position of "guardian" of books, and ensured that the books were taken care of. The library was originally located in the attic of the chapel next to the library. In 1762, Robert Hay Drummond inherited the property and created a new home for the books— the building that is now. He also added some new books to the library. Robert later became Archbishop of York.
Former site of the Nepefre School
Until the mid-20th century, the Nepefre Library was a local "cultural center." The library's Register of Borrowers records the names of all borrowers from 1747 to 1968. This is not an ordinary roster, the borrower should write an oath in this booklet, such as "I borrowed a certain book, guarantee that it will be returned", etc., after the book is returned, the words of these guarantees will be crossed out. If anyone does not return the book, the neighbors can see at a glance from the roster, and everyone will definitely return the book consciously. Lola told me that the library's borrowers were mainly residents of the nearby area of 25 kilometers, including textile workers, gardeners, farmers and game keepers. Today, the Nepefre Library no longer offers a lending service and is more of a museum, but scholars and students are still welcome to consult the materials.
Lola has been working here for 13 years. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Master of Arts in English Literature and Theatre, and after working in theatre for a time, she became acquainted with the Nepefre Library. When she told me that there was only "one and a half" staff in the entire library (the other half was part-time), I was stunned. Lola is responsible for the management, maintenance, curation, reception, explanation, promotion, fundraising and all other work of the library. Fortunately, there are 15 volunteers here, and these volunteers are all book lovers, library lovers, and they will take turns to help. Lola lives in the small Victorian building near the library, and providing accommodation is a "perk" of the job. Lola's husband is a musician and is also in charge of managing the chapel next to the library; Lola's daughter is 16 years old and has reached the age when she can "work" for her mother to earn pocket money.
A home for past book keepers and their families
I asked Lola if she had read all the books here? She replied almost, and told me in the affirmative that at least every book had her fingerprints on it, because she had to dust the shelves often. Sure enough, she knows the books in the library very well, and what kind of books you want to read, just give her a rough description, and she will not disappoint you. I "ordered" a book with prints of flowers, and Lola gave me a copy of Paxton's Flower Garden. Lola taught me to turn pages and use a "heavy line" (lead rope or press line) to press against the book, and then I could read the book as I pleased. I liked the prints in this book so much that I almost felt the urge to take it for myself.
Flower prints from Paxton's Garden
There was a burst of laughter from time to time in one corner of the library, and it turned out that several visitors were attracted by an ancient book containing animal prints. I also used to "watch". According to Lola, the book is The Historie of Four-Footed Beastes by Edward Topsell, published in 1607, and is the first English tome to introduce animals. The book describes real animals, such as cats, horses, and hedgehogs, as well as legendary animals such as unicorns and scorpion-tailed lions. All animals are accompanied by black and white prints, which contain what people have said about these animals at different times. In the chapter introducing the Sphinx, Topsell describes it this way: "Ferocious by nature but tame ... The body looks like an ape", and "the Sphinx has the ability to store food with its cheeks, like a guinea pig"! Introducing the hedgehog, Topsell writes: "The hedgehog loves apples, bugs, and grapes: when it finds these foods, it rolls around on them until all the thorns are covered with food, and then takes them back to the nest." Introducing the legendary scorpion-tailed lion, Topsell commented: "Something with a lion body and a human head, it laughs and has a large mouth, and you can see its three rows of sharp teeth." The section introducing dogs has the following text: "The Spanish Hound is also known as the Comforter ... These puppies have a good effect on relieving stomach problems, and the patient holds them in their arms, and the moderate heat it emits can play a role. "The book also introduces that weasels can cure headaches by mating through ears and giving birth through their mouths, touching the noses of elephants can cure headaches, and cats like to play with glass... Topsell was a pastor who compiled the book to share his belief that God had inspired humanity with nature and that humanity could learn from it. However, Topsell was not a naturalist, and he drew heavily on the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner's Zoology in writing the book.
Title page of The History of the Quadruped Beast
Inside page of The History of the Quadruped Beast
Lola asked me to "order" the book, and I offered to read the ancient books "related to China". So she brought with her a map of the world published in 1638 and a copy of the Travels, published in 1704. These maps were drawn by the 16th-century geographer and cartographer Gerard Mercator, and two-thirds of them are European maps. When Lola turned to the page of the map of China, I was overwhelmed with emotion, thinking that I would find Beijing, Jinan... As a result, this map of China does not look like the current map of China, but it is interesting that the mountain range to the northwest of the map is painted with the Great Wall, which must be a map of China.
A map of the world published in 1638
A map of China in the World Map published in 1638
The Travels was co-authored by London bookseller Awnsham Churchill and his relative John Churchill. Much of it is compiled from accounts by others, including the Dutch priest Philippus Baldaeus Delphensis, who traveled to Central and South Asia in the mid-17th century. Rarely, there are two prints in the book that present Chinese customs and customs: one painting is a funeral, and at the same time, it introduces Chinese funeral customs; One painting is a scene of a Qing Dynasty official going out to inspect. I can't help but think that in the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe prevailed in the "Chinese fever", in the past 100 years, more and more Europeans have tried to understand China, understand the Chinese, they are also keen to collect Chinese objects, create Chinese-style rooms, etc. The 18th century in Europe is even known as the "Chinese Century". These "China-related" books are the participants and witnesses of the European "China fever".
A print of funeral customs in the Collected Journeys, published in 1704
Prints of Qing Dynasty officials going out to inspect in the Collected Journeys, published in 1704
Lola introduced me to a lot of interesting books, and she was eager to show me each one... No wonder the old gentleman who visited before said that she "talked too much", haha, people only talk about what they love and like, they will talk endlessly. I fell in love with this Scottish library, and I envied Lola's job: guarding 5,000 ancient books in the quiet countryside, are you coming?
(Cui Ying: Journalist, documentary filmmaker, columnist, PhD from the University of Edinburgh, loves walking and literature, likes to collect old illustration books from all over the world, and has published books such as "British Illustrators" and "British Illustration Book Collection". ）
Editor-in-Charge: Gu Ming
Proofreader: Liu Wei