Findings and Bookish Bits: Of Wanderers, Professors and LOTR

I stumbled onto this blog today and found "Professor Awesome" (Please go and watch the rest of his videos here).

I love the Anglo Saxon poem "The Wanderer" and also wrote a short post about it and its links with JRR Tolkien over here.




I will not be doing much watching-of-videos or reading-of-blogs this weekend, though. With a deadline looming on Monday; I'll be typing away, drinking coffee and basically having my nose stuck in my own research. And then I'll let my mind wander again.

Friday Inspiration: Fitting In Cardboard

SafetySuit - These Times

Vondste: inskrywings en ander boekbrokkies

Ek is mal daaroor om handgeskrewe name, datums of boodskappe binne boeke te vind^‡. Een van my geliefste boeke (The Children of Hurin deur J.R.R. Tolkien) het ’n inskrywing deur my oorlede ma in ek verwonder my altyd aan name of boodskappe binne tweedehandse boeke of boeke wat aan biblioteke geskenk is. (Hoe ouer, hoe beter, in my beskeie opinie.)

Om geskiedenis aan te raak

Die vorige keer wat ek die universiteitsbiblioteek besoek het, het ek inskrywings in twee van die boeke wat ek gebruik het gevind. Wat dit interessanter maak, is dat ek die eerste persoon is om die boeke uit te neem sedert hulle geskenk is. (Maar ek moet bieg dat dit redelik gereeld gebeur aangesien my studies nou nie juis “hoofstroom” is nie.) Maar terug na die boeke.

Donasie van ’n skat

Die eerste boek is ‘n 1928-uitgawe van die Nederlandse gedig Mei (deur Herman Gorter), wat aan die biblioteek geskenk is deur ene Mev. de Bruyn. Die boekplaat se voorkoms – met die ou naam van die universiteit* (en die gebruik van die afkorting “mevr.”) sou beteken dat die boek ’n redelike aantal jare gelede geskenk is.

Haar naam (hoewel ek nie doodseker is dat sy dit self geskryf het nie) is in pragtige sierskrif aangebring saam met “Pretoria” en die datum “1/7/29” (as ek dit reg kan uitmaak). Die ink het al met tyd vervaag soos die papier stadig verbruin het en vertoon nou byna as ’n watermerk.

Soos ek deur die boek blaai het ek op ’n “boekmerk” afgekom. Die boekmerk is maar net ’n stukkie donkerkleurige wol, aan die een kant met ’n skêr geknip en aan die ander kan blykbaar met die hand gebreek, is tussen blaaie geplaas wat die enigste merke (sover ek kon sien) in die boek bevat. Ek wonder of hierdie twee reëls deur Mev. de Bruyn self aangebring is en watter betekenis dit vir die leser gehad het?

Ek moet sê dat ek verbaas was om hierdie boek op die oop rakke te vind!

’n Naam wat ek nie kan uitmaak nie

Die tweede boek bevat ook ’n naam en datum, maar ek kan net die datum – 1914 – en nie die naam uitmaak nie. Hierdie boek bevat ongelukkig nie, soos die vorige, ’n boekplaat nie. Die boek, Geschiedenis der Noord-Nederlandsche Letteren in de XIX^e Eeuw in biographieën en bibliographieën, 1830 – 1900, het ’n pragtige titelplaat van die skrywer, Dr. Jan ten Brink (1834 – 1901), met ’n ernstige uitdrukking en baie indrukwekkende snor.

Ongelukkig hou die biblioteek nie rekord van die donateurs nie. Dus het ek geen manier om uit te vind wie Mev. de Bruyn is of watter ander boeke sy dalk geskenk het nie. Dít laat my natuurlik met ’n effense raaisel – en wys ook net hoe nuuskierig ek kan wees wanneer dit by boeke kom…

‡ Ek wil net een ding duidelik maak: hierdie sluit nie die ontsiering van boeke in nie (alhoewel dit opsigself ook ’n storie kan vertel).

* RAU is nou deel van die Universiteit van Johannesburg. 

Findings: Inscriptions and Other Bookish Bits

I love finding handwritten names, dates, or messages inside books^‡. One of my most treasured books (The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien) contains a message by my late mother, and, therefore, I always wonder at the messages or names found inside the covers of second hand or donated library books. (The older, the better, in my opinion.)

Touching History

The last time I visited the university library I found inscriptions in two of the books I was using. What made it even more interesting; was that I was the first to borrow the books since their donation. (I’ll admit that this happens quite a lot just because my studies aren’t exactly “mainstream”.) But back to the books.

Donating Treasure

The first is a 1928 edition of the Dutch poem Mei (byHerman Gorter), donated to the library by Mrs H. de Bruyn. The bookplate on the inside cover is one showing the old name of the university (Rand Afrikaans University/Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit in Afrikaans)*.

Her name is written (though I am unsure of whether she wrote it herself) in a lovely handwriting with “Pretoria” and the date “1/7/29” (as best as I can make out) written below. 

The ink faded as the paper slowly turned a deeper brown, but as I paged through it, a “bookmark” caught my eye.

It is a simple piece of dark coloured yarn, cut with scissors on one side, seemingly broken by hand on the other, is placed between the only pages I saw any other markings or notes – perhaps made by Mrs de Bruyn?

I really wonder what significance these two lines held for the reader. And I was quite surprised that this volume is available on the open shelves!

The Unreadable Name

The second book also contains a name and date, but I cannot read it and, unfortunately, it does not contain a bookplate like the other. The book, Geschiedenis der Noord-Nederlandsche Letteren in de XIX^e Eeuw in biographieën en bibliographieën, 1830 – 1900, contains the name and the date “1914”. The frontispiece has a lovely plate of the serious-looking, and seriously moustached writer, Dr Jan ten Brink (1834– 1901).  

Unfortunately records of those who donate books to the library are not kept, so I have had no luck in tracking down who Mrs de Bruyn was/is and what other donations she may have made. This, of course, leaves me with a small mystery – and also goes to show that I can be very nosy when it comes to books...

‡ Just to be clear: this does not include the defacement of books. (Although that may also tell its own story.)

* It is now part of the University of Johannesburg.

Proudly South African Friday - Prime Circle

Here's one of my favourite songs by the SA band Prime Circle - As Long as I am Here.

Go check out their other music over here, or on YouTube.

Bookish Things: A Special Day for Buying a Book

Most of you who often visit my blog know that my mother tongue is Afrikaans. And today, 14 August, is Koop-‘n-Afrikaanse-boek-dag, (“Buy an Afrikaans Book Day”).  With nearly 7 million South Africans who speak the language at home, Afrikaans is the third most-spoken language in South Africa. (English is the home language of approximately 5 million South Africans.)

If you’d like to check out some of the literature, try the translated books by Karel Schoeman, Dan Sleigh or Dalene Matthee. Afrikaans is a young language, but it is the language I grew up with, and it is the language of my heart…

As most of the readers here are English, I’ve decided to add a video of one of my favourite (bilingual) songs to help you get over that midweek slump. (Yes, this is quite a departure from the usual Early Music I listen to!)

For the Afrikaans readers, head on over to Kammastories!

Of Musical Chairs and Stiff Muscles

VintageHousewife Clock by the Glamour Girls

The mind works in mysterious ways. A few months ago I rearranged some of the furniture in my flat (yes, at the time of The Bookcase Incident) and on Thursday night inspiration set in once more. Of course! (My mind said apparently out of nowhere while I was relaxing on the couch.) All you need to do is to move this, and that and then you can switch the couch and the table around; giving you better light to work by while making sure that the neighbours can’t see you half asleep on the couch on Sunday afternoon watching a marathon of one of your favourite shows. (This I found out to my shock after going in search of some grass for Sir T. If you have a cat, you need not ask more. If you do not, you do not want the answer. Trust me.)

So, I did a few quick measurements (see, at least I was being practical – albeit by using the broom as temporary measuring tape) and started The Task. I thought it would take an hour, max. However, when I looked at my watch after I finished it was basically Friday. At least I only bumped my head once (against the samebookcase – which, I think, is either cursed or out to get me for moving it about so much).

But, I am happy to report that the New Look is definitely working better. There’s also more space for Sir T to play and he’s finding new and exciting ways in which he can ambush me from behind furniture early in the morning or when I’m carrying a mug of coffee. Mentally preparing for two days of stiff muscles may also have been a good idea, though. At least I got some exercise in between all the studying and writing… okay, and a marathon TV session.