Despite the terrible news bulletins it was a specular week for butterflies. Suddenly on Monday they started to appear from no where – tortoiseshells (below) , red admirals and beautiful peacocks. as above. Thanks to Susie for this work of art. How could you not believe there is something mighter than us when you look at the intricacy of their markings. Absolute mirror image.
Who says autumn colours are gold and brown, certainly September has been mellow and vibrant so far, breakfast outside, lunch outside and often tea outside too. A new garden table has brought happiness not only to me but to the butterflies as well as they hatched out and spread themselves out on the wood of the table to dry their wings and then fly off and feast on the nearby flowers. Natural is simply amazing.
Dara McAnulty knows that. Congratulations to this exceptional young man who has just been awarded the Wainwright Prize for nature writing. I’ve spent time with Dara and his family tramping through the forest park at Castle Archdale and what an education for me. Now 16 years of age Dara has found recognition for his first book Diary of a Young Naturalist. It’s an absorbing book, in his own personal way Dara draws you into his life within the world of nature, his family life and challenges of being autistic. At the ceremony last week he said: “It’s an astonishing moment not just for me but for young people, young writers, young nature-lovers.” He added: “When young autistic people are nurtured and accepted, miraculous thing can happen and this is certainly one of them.”
So much more to come from his pen and his inspiration.
TALKING OF BOOKS
There is some evidence that in these strange days people are getting fed up with small and large screens and turning back to a leisurely love of books.
“Books are the original, drama on television is nothing compared to stage or theatre, a photo of the Mona Lisa is a pale shade of the real thing in the Louvre in Paris.” Damian Cash hits the nail on the head, facsimiles are only facsimiles, reproductions of the real thing.
Today a tablet is an electronic aid, however, the original tablet, as far back as 3400 BC, was the first book usually clay with marks made with a stick and still those ancient hieroglyphics fascinate the experts.
It’s been proved that learning through the printed page impacts differently on the brain and knowledge is retained more readily than from a screen. You visualise the story or the academic information set out, you have to concentrate rather than let your mind wander to other things when in front of a screen, you can pick up a book and set it down, use a book mark, make notes in the margins if you want to but try reading a book on Kindle and you’re all over the place looking for the blue marker or trying to go back to check on something – give me a proper book any day and, outside a library, where do you find the biggest selection and the widest variety of the printed word in Belfast? Try the Linenhall bookshop in College Street. Ask the custodian Damian how many books surround him in and he’ll shrug his shoulders, look around and tell you at least a couple of thousand.
This Is Damian Cash’s Spiritual Home.
He joined as a volunteer in 2012 and is now managing the 8th location of the shop. “We’re a travelling circus, we rely on the goodwill of those with property available for us to spread out our books. We’re always on a months notice so when anyone comes in and rather than looking through the books they’re looking up at the ceiling I immediate know they are viewing a commercial prospect!”
At one time Damian was a Fleet Street lawyer in London where his local was Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese a pub rebuilt after the 1666 Great Fire of London and known for its literary association, here Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Tennyson and Conal Doyle were amongst the regulars and so was Damian Cash.
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“I think it goes back a lot further than that to the days when my father took me to the barbers on the Whitewell Road and as I was waiting I leafed through the pile of comics and often Bertie would say, ‘sure hold on to one son, take it home’. I was fascinated, not only the comic pages but the more in-depth stories as well.”
His volunteering began when the first bookshop opened and his knowledge and his delight in his responsibilities are obvious.
“Things happened in bookshops!`’ He picked up a small book of photographs by NI Tourist Board photographer Bill Kirk, a photo essay on Sandy Rows Clondyke Bar, moody black and white memories and attached to the inside back cover pinned by a paper clip was the newspaper report of the 1976 bomb that killed and maimed and demolished the building.
People often keep things in books, I know that for a fact. I got a phone call to work one day asking me if I’d donated some cook books to an Action Cancer shop. Yes I had. “Well,” said the man, “I bought one and your marriage certificate and birth certificate were inside.”
Some books are worth a lot of money a fact that Damian will point out to the customer if there is value in any of them, although, as yet there hasn’t been an original copy of James Joyce Ulysses which was confiscated as an obscene publication at the time of publishing.
“The Postal Museum at Mount Pleasant sorting office in London have one which they withheld as, being banned, it couldn’t be sent through the post! I sent them an e-mail asking if I could come and view it, more in hope than expectation. It’s a little known museum on average only eight people attend each day so it was obviously a real privilege to see the book which was published in Paris one of only 1000 numbered copies.” Interesting that one first edition sold some time ago for record £275,000 interesting too that our Linenhall Library have a 1922 first edition. But more extraordinary was the day a customer came in to chat to Damian rather than donate a book. He was carrying Tesco bag and inside was a Ulysses! “Bought 30 years ago for £30 at an auction in Glengormley. Value today in access of £17,000. Unfortunately it wasn’t one of the signed copies which could fetch over £70,000!”
The Linenhall Library is home to the greatest Irish collection in the world amongst other treasures most of them bequeathed or donated by the public, some coming through the book shop where they are spotted and passed on.
“We have faithful and loyal volunteers and we all realise the importance of looking out for rare books which are put to one side to be investigated more fully, so every time we have donations you never know what will turn up.”
You might like to take a look at the books you have and perhaps offer some to the Linenhall Library book shop and if one is worth £70,000 Damian will certainly bring it to your attention! “We take everything except academic or old school books because they go out of date very quickly,” he explained. “No big sets either, the likes of encyclopaedias or the condensed Readers Digest – the only thing that should be condescend,” he adds, “is soup!”
The bookshop is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday 9am to 4 p.m.
CHIN UP
it’s not easy to remain upbeat at times, the news has been very worrying. I was sent this message which is basic but true. I only have to look at my lunch which will be sizzling soon.
Keep safe and aware. When you’ve time read books, buy paints, build a garden table – keep busy and keep well.