With barely an hour's sleep, having not slept one wink on the plane (though having read a goodly portion of Hunchback and observing my companions' all in a fitful slumber), our first stop after checking in was to the British Library, an English teacher's dream come true. With little sleep and even less food, I was totally engrossed seeing an early edition of Shakespeare. There were also works in progress of Wordsworth and Oscar Wilde. Of note to me was how much their first efforts looked like mine, words and phrases marked out and scribbles all smudged across the pages. Though the skill not on the same par, it was satisfying to see the greats having to struggle too.
Being the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, there were extra displays of early manuscripts, along with scraps dating back to the 3rd Century.
The small room that holds two copies of the Magna Carta was so hushed and reverent feeling that you'd think the document was sacred--which to many Westerners, I suppose it is.
Visiting the library on a Sunday afternoon was probably the best place Jay could have guided me to. So now, with Scripture, liberty, and creativity firmly set in my visual memory, it's off to a pub for food before I faint.
