Happy World Book Night!

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Tonight, all around the world, people will be celebrating and reading and enjoying BOOKS!  Yes … those archaic paper things that are bound in the smelly glue … you probably have some gathering dust on a shelf somewhere.  I am a firm believed in books (I think you have to be a bit of a nutter to work in publishing), and I am also a firm believer in the FUTURE of books. E-books and e-readers are great for some things, but they’ll never completely replace the physical book.

Because it’s National Book Night, we’re going to Trafalgar Square to take part in some cool activities. There will be writers and readers and authors and publishers — all just kind of hanging out together. And it’s not even raining right now, so that makes it extra good for a Friday night activity.

Why don’t you check out the website, World Book Night, and see if there any any activities taking place near you?

 

London Underground Posters from WWII

If I tell you that last night we went to ANOTHER interesting talk at a museum, you’re going to get the impression that we’re all cultural and stuff. But don’t worry, this week has so far been anachronistic.  But we did go another talk last night.

“Seeing it Through”, at the London Transport Museum, was a talk and slideshow about posters designed or commissioned by the London Underground during World War II.  It’s quite a fascinating subject, and I really enjoyed myself.  I think Alex liked it too, although he was not as interested in some of the design aspects.  The speakers were both excellent and well-informed, and I think I’m quite likely to go back next week for another talk!

This blogger was at the event last night, and her website talks a lot about various posters and such, particularly the now-famous (or infamous, depending on your design senses) Keep Calm and Carry On poster that has taken over the world.

Here are just a few of the posters we learned about:

During WWI and the beginning of WWII many of the LU posters were informational, using simple letterpress with nothing fancy. These were not very successful at transmitting information, although they are certainly clear.

This poster shows that a little rhyme can be more successful and interesting. Customers were even encouraged to complete another two lines and win £10!

This poster shows a real life "clippy", or conductor, doing her "war work". In the museum archives there are records about who this woman was; she worked near Shepherd's Bush, and apparently between September (when she started her job) and December (when the photo was taken) her home was bombed out in the blitz. (I think the year was 1941, but I might be mistaken.)

These are some of my favorite posters from the time, and feature cartoon characters dealing with everyday situations on the Tube. Since many people were coming to London during the war and not all were familiar with Tube etiquette, these posters were commissioned to try and "train" (haha, no pun intended) the new passengers about the best ways to naviage the system.

This, of course, is now the uber-famous slogan that hipsters everywhere have adopted. The funny thing is that this poster was never used during the war! It was designed, produced, and distributed for use in case the country was invaded, but that never happened.

A Confession and a Conversation

When I was 15 I went on a trip to Europe with my dad, part of which was spent on a coach tour through Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, and Austria. That sounds like a lot of fun, and it was, except there were many hours on the coach that were spent on non-interesting freeways rather than the scenic mountain passes you imagine. Consequently I was desperate for something to read, and at one of the hotels we were staying at I found a copy of Clan of the Cave Bear in the library. So I started reading one evening, and the next morning when we left … well, I stole it.  Yikes!  Now, in my defense, it probably wasn’t a major crime because it was in a B&B library, and I think those tend to be fluid — have one, leave one; need one, take one — at least I hope.  If I could remember when and where it happened I would send them a replacement copy!

Anyway, the whole upshot of my criminal act was an introduction to Jean M. Auel, who wrote the Clan of the Cave Bear and several other books in the Earth’s Children series. Now, I know it’s not exactly high-literature … but overall I really like these books!  I don’t necessarily read them for the brilliant turn of phrase, but rather as a lively ethnographic exploration. They take place during the last Ice Age, when Cro-Magnon man and Neanderthal man both existed across Europe.  I find the anthropological implications really interesting, even if the main character is a bit of super-woman who can do no wrong.  (There are also a lot of sexy bits, which is always fun.)

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Last night Alex and I went to see Jean M. Auel speak at the Natural History Museum here in London. She was in conversation with Museum palaeoanthropologist, Professor Chris Stringer. They have a long history (going back to 1984) of exchanging ideas and information about paleolithic peoples, and I was really fascinated to hear about the research that Auel foes while writing. She takes great pride in making sure her science is accurate, and as such she enjoys a certain sense of respect from the scientific community. I think so many writers, particularly in science fiction, just bend the rules of science and fact whenever it suits them. But I respect the fact that Auel tries her best to get it right, without sacrificing any artistic freedoms.  I also really enjoyed listing to Chris Stinger. In my next life I want to be a palaeoanthropologist!

I did ask a question at the end of the evening. I wondered whether there were any great scientific advancements since her first book was published (many years ago) that she wishes she had been able to incorporate into her texts. For example, they recently discovered a skull in the Cheddar Gorge region here in England that was obviously carved out and shaped as a drinking vessel. They suspect it was used for ceremonial purposes, but they don’t know the truth.  Unfortunately the author took the safe life and said that her books were perfect as-is, and she wouldn’t change a thing.

After the event, the audience had the opportunity to pre-purchase her new (and final) book in the series, The Land of Painted Caves. Since it’s not actually on the shelves until the end of March, Auel was signing a book plate that you could then stick in your copy once it’s available. I decided not to go for it, since I don’t actually own any of her other books. But the whole series is definitely on my list for “someday I’d like to own all of them, in a really nice collector edition”.