This space is for those books that aren't fiction, and don't really go anywhere else. But too good to ignore.
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"IF THE PAINTINGS COULD TALK" - National Gallery (UK 2008)
This is an excellent reference book, one that's great for browsing, put out by the UK National Gallery in London, and along with relevant prints, gives a back story to a whole range of their paintings, all gems of insight and curiosity, makes it ideal for opening randomly and just grazing, or consuming end to end.
I know "Art" doesn't fascinate everyone, but if you have an ear for a story - and I have to imagine that you wouldn't be visiting here every so often if you didn't - you'll get your money's worth with this book. Each piece has a history, some funny, some curious, some tragic, some quite bizarre. For instance, this one has that very human, and historic, touch.....
As a species, there is amongst us a real hunger for the beauty of art. In 1941 during The Blitz, the National Gallery in London moved all of their priceless paintings to a safe haven deep underground in Wales, leaving nothing but bare walls where once the great artworks of the world could be viewed at will by the people. But one day someone wrote to The Times - "Like many another one hungry for aesthetic refreshment, I would welcome the opportunity of seeing a few of the hundreds of the nation's masterpieces now stored in a safe place...", and suggested that the Trustees risk showing just, say, one picture a week?
So, for a test run, they trotted out a recent purchase, "Margaretha..." by Rembrandt (1661), and put her on display in splendid isolation (whipping her back into a cellar each time the air raid sounded!). Now Margaretha de Geek - well, her portrait anyway - is not the handsomest lady on God's Earth, but Rembrandt's painting caused quite a stir, and the whole idea was so popular that the Trustees did a "Picture Of The Month" after that, resulting in long queues waiting patiently for their turn in front of the ONE chosen painting, sometimes in numbers greater than during peacetime when the gallery was full! Goes to show, eh?
There's about 300 other stories in this collection, from the 1400s to the 1900s, and from Classic to Impressionist, which makes this book a real "keeper".
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It's a detailed study of the 'mechanics', the 'parts', of fiction writing, such as "Beginning", "Suspense", "Point Of View", "Names", "Weather", "Sense Of Place", "Ending", and 43 other subjects, each one opening with an extract or two from well-known writers that illustrate his point, which he then explores from a fiction writer's stance. And he does it well, although at times I'm finding it a touch over-written, as he tends to come at it from three different directions when one of two would've done. But he's clearly an extensively-read man, and he's put this together well.
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"ABECEDARIUM" !!
Wiki tells me that an "abecedarium" is "...an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order...", which isn't all that enlightening when you want to get right INTO these 26 magical symbols. Enter this book -
I forget how I came across this book, probably read a review and thought hey THAT'S for me! I've had it for a while now and read it many times - well, re-digested it really, as "read" doesn't seem the right word - one of those books that I will never clear off my shelves no matter how overflowing they become.
It goes through the "Roman" alphabet in order, one letter at a time, and (from the back blurb) "...drawing on mythology, cosmology, history, the Bible, literature, esoteric and conventional sources, Richard Firmage takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the twenty-six letters... details the origin... from ancient script to present day computer alphabets..."
So, if you haven't fallen over this one, and you're serious about your love for these wonderful symbols you use every day - do yourself a favour...