Part I, Books In London: Libraries

At left, the entirety of the children's section at the London Central Library;

At right, the entire library!

With Laura and Meredith off enjoying London theater, Scott, Olivia and Cecily were at loose ends. We decided to make the most of our day by searching out books. To do this, we chose two venues: libraries and bookstores. It turned out to be a fascinating cultural experience. The first library we ventured to was the London Lending Library, which brags that it is the largest collection of books available for loan in the world. It probably lives up to that claim with 15 miles of shelving and over a million volumes in its collection. (It claims that as a matter of policy it never throws a book away, and it has been collecting since 1841.) We expected Boston public library, New York Public Library or something similiar. That wasn't quite right. We didn't get inside the front door. This is a membership library. The cost for an annual membership is $395 (about $530.) Since we chose not to pay the fee, we were helpfully referred to the public library at Leicester Square, identified on a tourist map as "London Central Library." So off we went, only to be further disappointed. The "library" is a single large room with a mezzanine. I doubt it is bigger than our library back home, despite the millions it allegedly serves. The children's "section" was essentially a closet. A cultural capital London may be--but only for those rich enough to take advantage of it. As much as anything, this experience makes me proud to be an American.