Finally made it home, 24 hours behind schedule, and just before landing finished this for the umpteenth time. I know pretty much exactly when I bought this book — April 1989 at a gas station in Pennsylvania. As you can see, it’s certainly seen some attention since then. And rightly so; in my opinion it’s definitely one of the greatest novels ever written. If you’ve never read it, you really should.
I was also here on Monday but blew my opportunity for a decent photo of it, so today gave me a second chance. Recently re-opened after what seems like years of renovation this is a classic, great, domed library reading room: too big, really, to get a photo of in its entirety, so today I tried a more intimate portrait. It’s great that I have had the chance to work in this excellent space this week, but then again, so has everyone else — for now, it’s open free to the public, you can just walk in. It’s called a public good, Mr. Cameron.
Well, one can read just about wherever one likes, so yes, that is a pint also close at hand. Seasoned Drew followers will probably recognise the location of this shot.
As being uploaded on the train to Manchester this morning, by the inefficient but highly effective data collection form known as ‘reading’. The book in the background, by the way, belongs to my fellow Manchester academic Mike, whose surname I can never remember but who teaches English & American literature so reads things far more obscure than my relatively populist novel.
Being 42 