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THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLANDWWW.NLS.UK | ISSUE 28 SPRING 2015FREECUSTOMER MAGAZINE OF THE YEARBOX OFDELIGHTSIan Rankin lifts the lid on the life of Muriel SparkPLUS What do Brian Cox, Michael Palin and Lorraine Kelly share?

WELCOMECOVER IMAGE: SIMON MURPHY, THIS PAGE: MALCOLM COCHRANEDISCOVER NLSISSUE 28 SPRING 2015CONTACT USWe welcome all comments,questions, submissions andsubscription enquiries. Pleasewrite to us at the NationalLibrary of Scotland addressbelow or email discover@nls.ukFOR THE NATIONAL LIBRARYEDITOR-IN-CHIEFAlexandra MillerEDITORIAL ADVISERWillis PickardCONTRIBUTORSMark Baillie, Bryan Christie,Chris Fleet, Alec Mackenzie,Kathleen Morgan,Dora Petherbridge,Kenny Redpath, John Scally,Michael Tierney, Emma WilsonEDITORKathleen Morgankathleen.morgan@thinkpublishing.co.ukDEPUTY EDITORFiona McKinlayfiona.mckinlay@thinkpublishing.co.ukDESIGN Dominic ScottSUB-EDITORSSam Bartlett, Sian Campbell,Lillian McDowallGROUP ACCOUNT MANAGERJohn Innesjohn@thinkpublishing.co.ukADVERTISING Alison Fraseralison.fraser@thinkpublishing.co.uk 0141 946 8708PUBLISHED BYThink ScotlandSuite 2.3, Red Tree BusinessSuites, 33 Dalmarnock Road,Glasgow G40 4LA0141 375 0504ISSN 1751-5998 (print)ISSN 1751 -6005 (online)National Library of ScotlandGeorge IV BridgeEdinburgh EH1 1EWTELEPHONE 0131 623 3700FAX 0131 623 3701EMAIL enquiries@nls.ukThe National Library ofScotland is a registeredScottish charity. ScottishCharity No. SC011086An invitation toinspiring insightsOpening up the latest book by the crime writerIan Rankin is, for many of us, a sheer delight. In thisissue of Discover NLS the tables are turned on thecreator of Rebus as he delves into the archive of hisliterary hero.He is given an intimate look at the life of DameMuriel Spark as he highlights the Library’s fundraisingcampaign to buy the last tranche of her archive. It iswith respect – and glee – that he opens a box of herpersonal papers. Find out what happened on page 18.Inspiration is behind so much of what we do at theNational Library. Our collections are a mix of theenthralling, the precious and the curious, from originalcopies of classic works such as Treasure Island, The GreatGatsby and Pride and Prejudice, to an umbrella belongingto Muriel Spark’s suffragette grandmother.Amid this wonderful mix of manuscripts, books,publications and artefacts, stars from the arts and mediahave found their inspirations. Brian Cox, Michael Palin andLorraine Kelly are among those who have visited theLibrary to take part in our ongoing Inspirations series.They use our collections to tell us – on page 12 – about theinfluences that have shaped their lives.The acclaimed writer James Kelman meets journalistMichael Tierney in the shadow of an elephant atKelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. Theytake tea with a large helping of grammar.Our maps curator Chris Fleet illuminates the lifeand work of a pioneer mapmaker from Scotland whomade the world a safer place. Lastly, Dora Petherbridgediscovers a diary smaller than her hand that opens up anemotive story of the American Civil War.Inspiration, from cover to cover.PEN AND INK IN TIMES OF PERIL1THE QUEENMary Queenof Scots wroteher last lettersix hours beforebeing executedon the ordersof her cousinand rival,Elizabeth I,in 1587http://digital.nls.uk/mqs/2THE EMIGRANTDriven bypoverty,Flora MacDonald(right) wrotethis emotiveletter in 1774before emigratingwith her husbandto America anda new lifehttp://bit.ly/nls_floraDR JOHN SCALLYNational Librarian3THECONSCIENTIOUSOBJECTORA moving letterfrom ThomasHannan to hismother Nelliein 1917, explaininghis controversialbeliefshttp://bit.ly/conscientious_objectorSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 3

CONTENTS1218What’s makingIan Rankinsmile?JAMES KELMAN BY ALASDAIR GRAY267 NEWSThe latest updates, commentand events, including SallyMagnusson on her father’sarchive coming to the Library10 CURATOR’S CHOICEThe diary of an unknownAmerican Civil War soldier12 MOVING STORIESBrian Cox, Michael Palinand Lorraine Kelly sharetheir influences as theycelebrate the Library’sInspirations programme18 CAMPAIGNThe crime writer Ian Rankin getsan exclusive glimpse into the lifeof Muriel Spark as he supportsour fundraising campaignSIMON MURPHY22 MAPPING A LIFEThe life and work of a forgottenScottish mapmaker who helpedmake ocean navigation saferCONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE INCLUDE26 A MAN OF LETTERSThe acclaimed authorJames Kelman gives MichaelTierney a lesson in grammar30 MAKE THEMOST OF YOURNATIONAL LIBRARY33 MY NLS34 LAST WORDDora PetherbridgeAs the Library’sUnited States andCommonwealthCollectionsCurator, Dora hasa special interestin the AmericanCivil WarBryan ChristieA former journalistspecialising inhealth, Bryan isresponsible formedia and externalrelations at theNational Libraryof ScotlandMichael TierneyAn award-winningjournalist andDirector of ZubarahMedia, Michaelis author of theautobiographicalThe First GameWith My FatherMark BaillieMarketing andCommunicationsOfficer for the RoyalCollege of Surgeonsof Edinburgh,Mark is on theeditorial board ofSurgeons’ NewsChristopher FleetA Map Curatorat the Library,Chris is alsoa co-authorof Edinburgh:Mapping the Cityand Scotland:Mapping a NationSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 5

NEWSRORY BREMNER INSPIRES + ALICE IN WONDERLAND AT 150 + BODY TALK+ WIN A GUIDE BOOK TO SCOTLAND + CURATOR’S CHOICE + WW2 DIARIES+Sally Magnusson asa baby with her parentsMamie and Magnus‘I can hear him in these words’Family of Magnus Magnusson donates his archiveHe was best known for thecatchphrase “I’ve started soI’ll finish”, which punctuatedeach episode of the British quizshow Mastermind.Now these words, along with thepapers and documents of MagnusMagnusson, belong to the nationafter his family gifted his archive tothe National Library.Sally Magnusson, presenter of theBBC current affairs programmeReporting Scotland, explained whythe family donated the copiousamount of paperwork her father hadkept up until his death in 2007.She said: “My dad had such a widerange of intellectual interests andmuch of his writing throws light onaspects of life I believe have a placein our national memory. Everythingfrom the landscape to churchbuildings to Viking settlementsto place names, birds, wildlife,education … you name it.“My father neverthrew anything out –just in case he mightneed it for an articleor a speech in thefuture. Every TVor book projectgenerated a flood ofresearch material hestowed away.”The journalistdescribed how ittook weeks to siftthrough her father’sarchive. “I kept beingslowed down by stopping to readwhat he had written,” she said. “Evenin draft form, he could never write aboring sentence.”Magnus Magnusson was born inIceland but moved to Scotland withhis family when he was one. Hejoined the BBC in 1964 as a presenteron the Tonight programme and in1972 became the face of Mastermind,Sally Magnussonwhich he hosted for 25years. He was awardedan honoraryknighthood in 1989.He died in his homenear Glasgow at theage of 77, survived byhis wife Mamie andfour children, Sally,Margaret, Anna and Jon.Siggy, his elder son, haddied in a road accidentat age 11. Mamie, anaccomplished journalistin her own right, livedwith dementia for eight years beforeher death in 2012.Asked to name the most preciouspart of Magnus Magnusson’s archive,Sally said: “Anything with myfather’s handwriting on it. Or indeedjust anything in his own beautifullychosen words – which of course isalmost everything – because I canhear him in them.”Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 7

WHAT INSPIRESA COMEDIAN?Rory Bremner to join theranks of big name guestsEVENTAmaster of satire isthe latest celebrity toshare their influenceswith an audience at theNational Library.Rory Bremner, acclaimedfor his impressions of Britishpoliticians, is to delve intothe Library’s collectionsthis June as part of theInspirations series.Figures from the worldsof literature, business,science, politics, film andtelevision have contributedto the series, launchedin 2009. They includethe actors Brian Cox andMichael Palin, and the TVpresenter Lorraine Kelly, whoshare their inspirations inthis issue.Each speaker links hisor her inspirations todocuments, books andobjects they have discoveredin the Library’s collections.Sarah Adwick, the Library’sDevelopment Officer, said:“An Inspirations event is arare treat for the audience,Impressionist Rory Bremnerbut more importantly allowsour guests to see and learnabout original material fromthe Library’s collection.”Palin, recently reunitedwith the Monty Python teamon stage, said: “I was gratefulto the National Library forhelping build a bridgebetween me and myinspirations, and giving methe opportunity to cross it.”Kelly added: “It’s a joy totalk about subjects you feelso passionate about. I alsoappreciated the intelligentquestions from the audience.”Inspirations is part of ayear-round programme ofevents at the Library.Rory Bremner, Inspirations,22 June, 6pm. See page 12FIVE JOIN THE LIBRARY BOARDThe National Library has welcomed five new members ontoits Board, completing its line-up of 14. The Board isresponsible for the vision, strategy and public accountabilityof the Library. Pictured are (left to right): William ShieldsHenderson; Carmel Teusner; Board Chair James Boyle; HelenDurndell and Amina Shah. Iain Marley (not pictured) wasalso appointed by Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s Culture Secretary.Party time forlegendary bookRARE BOOK COLLECTIONLibrary celebratestreasured editionA150th birthday is aspecial one andAlice is dressed forthe occasion, sitting in herfancy party dress at thehead of a tea table.This is no ordinaryparty, though, and Aliceis no ordinary girl. Thisis the mad tea party,featured in an illustrationfrom the rarest editionof Alice’s Adventuresin Wonderland.Visitors to the Librarywere recently given thechance to see a firstedition copy of the LewisCarroll book. The titlefeatured in a specialdisplay of rare Alice titlesmarking World Book Day- and celebrating the150th anniversary of thestory’s first publication.Only 22 copies of thefirst edition are thoughtto exist. One of these,Carroll’s working version,sold at auction in NewYork 17 years ago for£1 million.The first edition waswithdrawn after itsillustrator, John Tenniel,complained to thepublisher, Macmillan,about its print quality.Recipients of presentationcopies were asked toreturn them and only afew bound copies havesurvived, including theLibrary’s copy.Dr Graham Hogg, theCurator for Rare Books,said: “The Library’s copy isone of its treasures, and forsecurity and conservationreasons is only availablefor consultation with aprior appointment.However, the Library hasmore than 300 editions ofAlice and Alice-relatedbooks in its collections.”Dr Hogg explained theenduring attraction ofCarroll’s story, whichhas been translated intomore than 125 languages.“Up until the mid-19thcentury, children’s bookstended to be stodgymorality tales designedmainly to educate readers.Alice’s Adventures inWonderland broke themould. Surreal, anarchicand very funny, it hascontinued to entertainand challenge generationsof children and adults.”Visit www.nls.uk/exhibitions/treasures/alice-in-wonderland8 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

NEWSGavin Francistakes a breakfrom life as aGP and writerBODYLANGUAGESPECIAL COLLECTIONSNational Library proves it is justwhat the doctor orderedAn upcoming book on thesecrets of the human bodyhas taken its author on avoyage through the NationalLibrary’s collections.In Adventures in Human Being,the writer and GP Gavin Francis hasdrawn on his experiences as aphysician to chart a cultural map ofthe body. His book, to be publishedin May, offers insights oneverything from the ribbed surfaceof the brain to the inner workings ofthe heart and womb.Accompanying Francis’s firsthandcase studies are reflectionsabout how the body has beenimagined over the millennia.Many of the physician’s researchsources have been found on theshelves of the National Library.“I write at the Library everyweek when I’m not in the clinic andit’s a tremendous resource,” he says.“In my essay on facial expressionI did a lot of research intoLeonardo da Vinci, as he’s theearliest Renaissance artist tobecome really fascinated by themuscles of facial expression.I had access to Vasari’s writings onDa Vinci and a wonderful essay byGoethe in Special Collections abouthis painting The Last Supper.”Other notable sources includeOn Monsters and Marvels by the16th-century French surgeonAmbroise Paré, and biographiesof the Argentine author and poetJorge Luis Borges, who sufferedfrom a degenerative eye disease.Adventures inHuman Beingis publishedon 7 May byProfile Books inpartnership withthe WellcomeCollectionCOMPETITIONWIN a guideto Scotland’stop locationsPeter Irvine, the organiser of majorevents including Edinburgh’sHogmanay, draws on a lifetime ofexperiences to write Scotland The Best100 Places. Guiding you to the toplocations in which to walk, eat andsleep, the writer of Scotland the Bestfocuses on “reflective, magnificent andhuman places”.The book, published by Collins,includes striking photographyof locations from wild glens tovibrant cities.The grand tourstarts here …For your chance to win a copyof the book, answer thisquestion correctly:QThe largest equine sculptures inthe world are found on whichScottish canal?CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MAGAZINE TEAMDiscover NLS has been named customer magazine of the year at the ScottishMagazine Awards 2014. The National Library of Scotland Curator Dora Petherbridgeand magazine editor Kathleen Morgan accepted the award from the comedian andBBC Scotland presenter Fred MacAulay, along with Jenny Blackwell of MidtonAcrylics. John Innes, the associate director of Think, which publishes Discover NLS,was named publisher of the year at the awards ceremony held at the Radisson Blu,Glasgow. Visit www.ppa.co.uk/events/sma2014/winners/POST YOUR ENTRY, ALONG WITHYOUR ADDRESS, TO:Discover NLS Scotland competition,Think, Suite 2.3, Red Tree BusinessSuites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, GlasgowG40 4LA, or email discovernls@thinkpublishing.co.uk. Please include“Scotland” in the subject line.The closing date is Friday 8 May.Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 9

NEWSLife on thefront lineCURATOR’S CHOICE – DORA PETHERBRIDGEFrom the Virginia swamplands to the NationalLibrary, this pocket diary offers a glimpse intothe life of an American Civil War soldierThe unknownauthor of this tiny,fragile diary wasa Union private fightingin Confederate Virginia in1862, the second year ofthe American Civil War.Irrepressible tensionsbetween the industrialNorth and agrarian,slave-holding Southhad escalated and warbroke out at Fort Sumterin April 1861.The diary, donated tothe National Library in the1970s, fits into the palm ofa hand. It is a treasuredrelic from the ‘War ofNorthern Aggression’ or of‘Rebellion’, as the conflictis variously known. Itsdiminutive size is striking,but its imaginativepossibilities are compelling– how old was the solider;what was his background;did he tuck this little bookinto the pocket of hisblue uniform?From deciphering thenow faded handwriting onthe worn, grubby pages ofthe diary, it’s clear thesoldier was in camp andbattle between the Jamesand Chickahominy riverson the Virginia Peninsula.The brief entries, runningfrom early May until 8September 1862, recordthe soldier’s duties and thehighlights of his days:“inspection of arms”;“on the march”; “gotPayed [sic]”; “posted aLetter home”; “got newpants and new Boots”.We believe the soldierwas involved in theUnion’s Peninsulacampaign, particularly itsculmination – the SevenDays’ Battles. Notingwhere he was “on picket”,scouting and fighting, theDoraPetherbridgewith thepalm-sizeddiary ofa Unionprivatesoldier maps his marchtoward Richmond, andthen retreat to Yorktownas the ‘Rebels’ drove backUnion regiments.Richmond, theConfederate States’ capital,was hugely significant forboth the North and South.Hampered by stormyweather, difficult terrain,and the need for moretroops, General GeorgeMcClellan’s efforts to seizethe South’s seat of powerfailed. General Robert ELee and his ConfederateArmy held the city.On 30 June 1862,towards the end of theConfederate counteroffensiveending thePeninsula campaign, oursoldier writes, “very hardfiting [sic] we fall backweak”. And again thenext day, “very HardFiting [sic] we fall Back inthe night”. Eventually,after further fighting inearly July, the soldierstates “all Quiett [sic]”.For troops on both sidesconditions were punishing.Scant rations, exhaustion,and the spread of diseasetook their toll. It is againstthe background of dailyhardship that this soldierwrites, and it is theweather, the marching,issuing of whisky, and thearrival of letters fromhome that he findsnoteworthy. He neithermentions secession norstates’ rights, or the issueof slavery.Thinking of this soldieras one of thousands whowere at the mercy ofpolitical and militarydecisions, his entry forThursday 17 July 1862 isparticularly touching:“One Tear in my nice10 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring2015

NEWSJames Lauder Davidson“always had a fondnessfor Indian elephants”OUT OF THE WOODSCOLLECTIONSQuilt”. An acutely personalexperience noted betweenbattles which would shapethe fate of the UnitedStates of America.In transcribing thisdiary, I am indebted to thehelp of Christopher Minty,who carried out researchfor his PhD in history atthe Library. Chris, who Ihave worked with onmany fascinating items inour American collections,described the “visceralcharge” of the item, andhow it gives a sense ofimmediacy to a war whichended 150 years ago.The fragility of the diaryconveys the vulnerabilityof the private in the midstof a conflict that claimedthe lives of an estimated750,000 soldiers. It isextraordinary that thissoldier’s quiet, battle-wornvoice has survived.MALCOLM COCHRANETales of daring turn up in WW2 mementoThe diaries of a forester-turnedsoldiercharting his escape to Chinafrom Burma during World War IIhave been donated to the NationalLibrary.James Lauder Davidson, a University ofEdinburgh graduate, was sent to Burmain 1938 as a forestry worker for a Scottishfirm. Following the outbreak of war, hisknowledge of languages led him tobecome chief liaison officer to theChinese army, which was fightingJapanese forces.He helped the Chinese communicatewith Burmese civilians before theconflict forced him to escape to Chinaand on to India. Joining the British armyin India, Davidson served as a captain inthe intelligence corps and returned toBurma – now also known as Myanmar –for which he was mentioned indispatches.Davidson’s daughter, Avril Salt, whodonated his papers to the Library, said:“My decision was guided by the fact thatmy father was educated in Scotland andalways through his life regarded Peeblesas his home.“I was always aware of my father’s life“I was always aware of myfather’s life in Burma as heand my mother talked aboutit during my childhood”The foresterturned-soldierDavidsonin Burma as he and my mother talkedabout it in my childhood … I never read thediaries until my mother’s death last yearwhen I came into possession of them.“His wartime experiences were nevermentioned much. Mostly he talked abouthis work in the jungle, and he always hada fondness for Indian elephants.”Along with the diaries, Salt donated twophotograph albums, passes enablingpassage through conflict zones, and areceipt for a pistol. Besides charting hiswartime experiences, the material shedslight on Davidson’s life as a forester inBurma before and after the conflict.The son of a British tea planter in India,Davidson returned to the UK to work forthe Forestry Commission. Awarded an OBEin 1976, he died in 1992.Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 11

MOVINGSTORIESWhat does a Shakespearean actor have in common with a queen of daytimeTV and a Monty Python legend? Their inspirations are all found in the Librarycollections. Brian Cox is first to share his influences with Kathleen MorganIt’s rare to see a Hollywood starsauntering down an Edinburghstreet with a bag of groceries, butthat’s just how we first meet BrianCox, who nods hello from beneath histweed newsboy cap, drops his bag andnegotiates the front door of the Georgiantownhouse he is borrowing overnight.Minutes later, the star of Braveheart,The Bourne Identity and X2: X-MenUnited settles on a large sofa beside alog burner, explaining that he has justarrived from London. Groceriesforgotten, he prepares to talk about thetouchstones of his life – includingcinema, Edinburgh and hotel rooms – tocelebrate the Inspirations programmefor the National Library of Scotland. Theongoing series of audience events hasfeatured well-known figures, includingMichael Palin, Lorraine Kelly and NigelPlaner. The roll call will this summerinclude impressionist Rory Bremner.FAMILY MANLife has moved on since Brian visitedthe Library in 2010 to share hisinspirations with an audience. TheDundee-born actor, who travels theglobe to work on film, television andtheatre productions, is spending moretime than usual at home in Brooklyn,New York, where he lives with hissecond wife, German actress NicoleAnsari, and their two sons. He isshooting The Slap, a US television seriesabout the reverberations of a childbeing hit after misbehaving at a familywedding. This trip to Scotland is toattend the memorial of a friend, and tovisit his older sister in Dundee.He speaks affectionately of his sonsOrson, 12, and Torin, 10, describing themas “the anchors of my life – andnecessary, otherwise I would probablyspin into outer space”. They arebecoming more blasé about their fatherbeing away from home, he laughs.Brian, who has won acclaim for hisportrayal of King Lear on stage, admitshe misses aspects of British life,particularly the theatre. “I miss theculture – it’s very vibrant. I try to splitmy time between the two places.”WHERE DREAMS ARE MADEBrian, who began his working life at15 as a message boy for Dundee Reptheatre, cites cinema as one of hisbiggest inspirations. He comes to life ashe tells how he visited picture houseswith his mother and aunts from the ageof six, later playing truant from primaryschool to watch films such as Giantand On the Waterfront.Cinema was a staple in his otherwiseunsettled childhood. His father, Chic,who ran a grocery shop in Dundee, diedvery suddenly from pancreatic cancerwhen Brian was eight, leaving hismother struggling with grief and alegacy of debt. “He was ill for threeweeks and then he was gone,” saysthe actor, who describes his fatheras generous, sociable and too soft onhis customers.12 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

INSPIRATIONSBrian Cox with a copy ofCharles Edward’s plan ofDundee 1846, presentedto the actor by the Library“My sons are theanchors of my life.Without them I wouldspin into outer space”Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 13

Brian Cox, acclaimed for hisportrayal of King Lear,reads some of the Library’scollection of Shakespeare“My father gave a massiveamount of credit to peopleand they didn’t pay theirbills,” explains the actor. “Hewas the kind of patriarch inthis area, but he was let downvery badly and my mumcouldn’t collect the debt oncehe died. The pressure on mymum was huge.”Struggling with bothphysical and mental illness,Brian’s mother was unableto cope with looking afterher youngest child – hissisters were leaving hometo marry, and his brother tojoin the army.His sister Betty stepped into help raise him along withher own children, and, at 85,remains central to his life.TALE OF TWO CITIESHe softens as he speaksabout Dundee, describing hisboyhood as “ostensibly ahappy one”, in spite of theeconomic and emotionalturmoil. “I spent all mychildhood running on thebeaches,” he says. “We had awee hut at Broughty Ferryand used to go down there forseven weeks in the holidays.That whole stretch of the Taythere is just a fantasticresource. I go back and go,‘God, I was born here, and Itook it all for granted’.”Brian describes how hedevoured up to eight films aweek at two cinemas on hisstreet. “I suppose it was away of escaping, but it wasalso just a world I loved. Iloved the cinemas, the dark,the lady selling Ki-Ora.”HOW THE LIBRARY INSPIRED USKING LEARBrian CoxShakespeare’s tragedy,dated 1608 though firstprinted in 1619, was titledthe ‘true chronicle historyof the life and death ofKing Lear and his threedaughters’. Brian Cox wasacclaimed for his King Lear.Visit http://bit.ly/shakespeare_nlsTELEVISIONLorraine KellyThis first edition ofTelevision Journal,published in 1928, tappedinto the excitementsurrounding the little boxthat changed domestic lifeforever. Find out about thetechnology behind TV.Visit http://bit.ly/television_nlsTHE GOON SHOW SCRIPTSMichael PalinThis edition of The GoonShow Scripts is writtenand selected by SpikeMilligan, a hero of Palin.The Library has variouscollections of scripts fromthe radio show thatrevolutionised Britishcomedy and was broadcastbetween 1951-1960.It is the capital, though,that inspires him most. “Ilove Edinburgh,” he says. “Ilove its design, its geography.Edinburgh is the city ofRobert Louis Stevenson,David Hume, John Knox. It’swhere Burns had his successas a poet. It’s also the light –I am a man of the eastbecause of the light.”THE POOR HOUSEIn contrast, his familyhistory has left him with agloomy perception ofGlasgow, which he associateswith suffering and darkness.Brian explains his greatgrandfather,a canal workerfrom Derry, Northern Ireland,fell on hard times aftermoving to Glasgow. “He hada rough time in Glasgow. By14 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

INSPIRATIONSRobert Louis Stevenson,with his wife Fannyand friends, on theMarquesas Islandsthe time he was 39, he’d losthis wife and five of his eightkids, and was in the poorhouse with his six-year-oldboy and couldn’t get a job ...He died at Gartcosh asylumat the age of 53, thinking hewas a 14-year-old boy backin Derry.”Brian’s maternalgrandfather moved toDundee, which offered asafety net if you were poor.“I remember Billy Connollytelling me his greatgrandmothertried to get intoDundee because it had theseasylums, which were thesekind of homes for peoplewho had nothing ... Glasgowwas an unforgiving city.“There’s that heaviness inGlasgow – that gloweringthing,” he says. “Glasgow“In Travels With a Donkey, Stevensonwrites, ‘I travel not to go anywhere, but togo. I travel for travel’s sake …’”glowers.” There is a hint ofmischief in his eyes and theactor acknowledges the cityis also renowned for itsfriendliness and community.Whichever city the actorfinds himself in, fromGlasgow to Budapest, he willfind a place of sanctuary. “Ilove hotel bedrooms,” hesays, citing another of hisinspirations. “I love theiranonymity. I love that thebeds are done for me, thatthey get made every day. Ilove the fact it’s all tidywhen I come back at night,and that it’s impersonal anddoesn’t make any demandson me other than just to liethere, relax, watch the telly,order room service and havea jolly nice time. It reallycomes from my background,because of my issues ofpoverty when I was a child.”NEST FOR NOMADSThe actor describes himselfas a restless soul. A recentNew York Times article abouthis family’s home life in ahigh-rise apartment inBrooklyn was headlined“A Nest For Nomads’. “Thatreally summed us up,” hesays, explaining that hissons are a fusion of Scots,Irish, German, Persian, Polishand Russian blood. “We’relike birds that nest: we sitdown then we bugger off.”Shifting on his sofa, Brianreturns to his literary hero,Stevenson. The writer ofTreasure Island was born afew streets away fromwhere he sits in Edinburgh’sNew Town and died at 44 inSamoa after a lifetime oftravel. He quotes the firstlines of Stevenson’s TravelsWith a Donkey: “I travel notto go anywhere, but to go. Itravel for travel’s sake. Thegreatest affair is to move.”And with that, it’s time forhim to move. Now, wherewas that bag of messages?Visit http://digital.nls.uk/rlstevensonSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 15

MICHAEL PALINThe actor, presenter and diarist who recently reunited with the teambehind Monty Python reveals his biggest influences at the LibraryTHE EDINBURGH FESTIVALThe Oxford University Revueat the Edinburgh Festival in1964 was my first exposureto a non-universityaudience. The reception tothe revue was so warm thatfor the first time in my life Ientertained the possibilitythat I could make a livingfrom writing and performing.Terry Jones was also in thecast, and he and I went on towrite for David Frost’s TheFrost Report where we metEric Idle, John Cleese andGraham Chapman. In 1969,we agreed to writesomething new and fresh –this was Monty Python’sFlying Circus. The bestThe Edinburgh Festival in 1964sparked Michael Palin’s careerpart of the reunion in 2014was a reaffirmation of thesheer enjoyment of writingand performing comedy,which began for all of usat university.THE GOON SHOWThe Goon Show had apowerful influence on myown writing. There was agreat freedom andinventiveness about SpikeMilligan’s humour. Hecreated a gallery ofextraordinary comiccharacters, which he couldtake in any direction andplace in any situation. Themore far-fetched it was, themore I revelled in it.ERNEST HEMINGWAYI first read ErnestHemingway when I was inmy teens, but it was muchlater when I was researchingmy novel Hemingway’s Chairthat I discovered just howimportant travel was to hislife and work.I was drawn to his worldbecause beneath the machoimage was a far morecomplicated man whosuffered from depression formuch of his later life.DAVID LIVINGSTONEWhen I was young, myambition was to be anexplorer and DavidLivingstone was one of the16 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

INSPIRATIONSINSPIRATIONSLORRAINE KELLYThe presenter tells of being inspired by Hollywood idols, a great explorer and TVAs a boy, Michael Palindreamed of livinglike the explorerDavid LivingstoneSIR ERNEST SHACKLETONI am in awe of thisincredible, complex, braveman. Shackleton’s plan tocross the entire Antarcticcontinent ended in failurewith his ship The Endurancecrushed and sunk by the ice.He managed to get his mento Elephant Island andunderwent an 800-mile seavoyage to South Georgiathat should not have beenpossible. Once he landedthere, he and two of his menhad to scale a mountainrange to reach the whalingstation and get help. Hisleadership skills weresecond to none. He didn’tlose a single man.HOLLYWOODI admire the legendary BetteDavis. When I was appointedScottish correspondent forTV-am in 1984, I came toLondon to meet everyoneand watch the show beingbroadcast. The guest thatday happened to be MissDavis. She had battledbreast cancer and a stroke,but had so much charisma.She was also smoking acigarette and even backthen you weren’t allowed tosmoke in the studio. No onehad the nerve to tell her toput her fag out.TELEVISIONMy inspiration as a viewerwould have to be the moonlandings, which I watchedExplorer ErnestShackleton’s leadershipskills saved his menwith my dad in 1969. It reallywas an event that changedthe world.As a reporter, covering theLockerbie bombing andshootings in Dunblane wereevents I will never forget. Asa presenter, I will alwaysremember the fall of theBerlin Wall, the horror of 9/11and the London bombings of2005, and the death of Diana,Princess of Wales.TV has changed; peoplewatch in different ways. I sitdown with my husband andbinge-watch House of Cards,Breaking Bad and Orange isthe New Black. It’s good thatTV has evolved.people I wanted to emulate.He was the first non-Africanto see Victoria Falls –exploration could hardlyhave been more thrillingthan that.Among the influencesof Lorraine Kelly areBette Davis, aboveVIRGINIA WOOLFVirginia Woolf’s diary reallyis an extraordinary resource.She writes with such flairand fluency that there’snever a dull day, but whatmakes the diariesremarkable is how candidshe is about her own life.This is a great work of selfexamination,rare insomeone of such talent andability. There is so much tolearn here.STEVE MEDDLE/ITV/REXSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 17

CAMPAIGNBURIED TREASURESThe crime writer Ian Rankin gets a glimpse into the life of his literary hero Muriel Sparkas he backs the Library’s campaign to complete her archive. Bryan Christie looks onPHOTOGRAPHS BY SIMON MURPHYMystery and suspense are the crimewriter Ian Rankin’s stock in tradebut rarely does he get the chanceto star in his own real-life drama.That opportunity arrives when he agrees tosupport the Library’s £250,000 fundraisingcampaign to pay for the last instalment of thearchive of the celebrated writer Muriel Spark,a self-confessed hoarder of documents.The Library has taken delivery of dozens ofsealed boxes containing the final set of papers.Rankin becomes the first person to peekinside when he opens one of the boxes to revealits contents.“This is great,” he says as he unknots the twinesecuring a standard document box marked“diaries”, unsure of precisely what treasures liewithin. The opened box reveals a selection ofdiaries, big and small, along with fan letters andother correspondence. “This is just like my boxesat home,” says the writer, who has a collection ofhis own papers. “Some of them are just like this.”He has been offered a selection of five boxes toopen and chooses the box of diaries, partlybecause of his own experience in penning a diaryfrom the age of 12 until his early 30s.Rankin confesses the material from his teenageyears would provide little reward for anycontemporary reader and he finds more of interestin Muriel Spark’s diary entries. A quick glancefrom 1995 shows excerpts such as lunch with Johnand Penny Mortimer, her near neighbours inTuscany, a meeting with Lord Gowrie at the ArtsCouncil and arrangements for a BBC interview.Interspersed with these are the morecommonplace recording of everyday life in thevilla she lived in near Florence – the wedding of“the butcher’s daughter” and “Adolpho finishingthe olive pruning”.Rankin is like a child at Christmas as he picksthrough the contents of the box. “I like the factthat, on the same page, you get information abouta media interview and a flat tyre – all thedomestic as well as the literary stuff. It will berarer and rarer to find an author’s complete liferecorded in this way as email and tweets takeover from letters and paper.”DEEP ADMIRATIONHe and Muriel Spark are both Scottish writerswho have achieved international fame but theconnection goes much deeper than that.Rankin spent three years – mostly in theNational Library of Scotland – studying Spark’swork for a PhD which he never completed.His own writing took over, leaving the thesisunfinished. What has stayed with him is a deepadmiration for the work of Muriel Spark, widely18 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

FUNDRAISINGIan Rankin becomes thefirst person to get apeek into one ofMuriel Spark’s box filesSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 19

CAMPAIGNClockwise from right: Robin Smith, Head of Collections atthe Library, shows Ian Rankin the archive; Muriel Sparkfreewheeling as a child; striking a pose; and at her desk“Her novels read like a poet’s novels. They are very short but packed at the same time.Jean Brodie is only about 125 pages long but it reads like a 400-page novel”regarded as one of the most important post-warBritish novelists.During his studies he was given an address forher in Rome and considered writing to her butnever did. They met only once, in 2004, whenSpark made a rare public appearance at theEdinburgh Book Festival, two years before shedied. By this time Rankin was a highly successfulauthor but he went along as a fan and got herautograph on his first edition of The Prime of MissJean Brodie. “She knew who I was and I think sheknew about the PhD.”He still has the essays he wrote for the thesisand the card index that maps its structure as partof his own literary archive. “It was fascinating towork on the thesis and to look at her progressionas an author. Her novels read like a poet’s novels.They are very short but are packed at the sametime. Jean Brodie is only about 125 pages long butreads like a 400-page novel because there is somuch going on at the margins.”There was no Muriel Spark archive at theLibrary when Rankin was doing his research,which took him down some blind alleys. Herecalled an interview he read which mentioneda newspaper poetry prize won by a young MurielSpark. He decided to try to track down thewinning entry. “I went through every edition ofevery Edinburgh paper for a year looking for thatpoem but never found it,” he says.Rankin is supporting the fundraising campaignto help pay for the remaining part of the archiveand catalogue all the contents – an estimated fouryears’ work – which will make life much easier forthe researchers of the future.“It will help people to get a better understandingof her as a human being as well as giving newinsights into her books through studying thenotebooks she used,” he says. “It will also beinteresting to people who are interested in thelives of authors.”INVALUABLE INSIGHTUntil that work is completed, much of the detail ofthe archive and the remarkable stories it tells willremain undiscovered and inaccessible.Muriel Spark corresponded with primeministers, film stars and literary greats includingGraham Greene, John Updike and KingsleyAmis. Her notebooks record her painstakingresearch and illustrate the development of hermost famous novels. The archive also containseverything from restaurant receipts and oldpassports to telegrams and used train tickets.It is the complete record of the life of one ofScotland’s literary giants.MURIELSPARKCAMPAIGNThe NationalLibrary is raisingfunds to buythe last tranche -and cataloguethe contents of -the Muriel Sparkarchive. Forinformationabout thecampaign,please email theNational Libraryat development@nls.uk or call0131 623 3733.To contributeplease go tohttp://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/murielsparkSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 21

MAPSMAPPING A LIFEHe was orphaned, shipwrecked and rescued before reinventing himself as a mapmaker.Now the pioneering work of George Thomas can be discovered online, writes Chris FleetIt is 200 years since a mapmakerand accidental adventurercreated an Admiralty chart ofthe Firth of Forth. With itsmuted colours and delicate lines,the map, created by GeorgeThomas, was the first of whatwas to become a large family ofsuch charts reaching to thepresent day.As a legal deposit library, theNational Library of Scotland has asignificant collection of these charts –some 25,000 covering the world’s oceansand ports. For the first time, though, theyare a click away, with an initial 1,000 chartscovering Scottish waters now accessible on theLibrary’s website.If the first chart of the Firth of Forth isfascinating, so is the story of its creator. Appointedhead maritime surveyor for home waters in 1810,Thomas spent the next 36 years almostcontinually at sea, surveying the Scottish eastcoast from Berwickshire to Angus, then Shetlandand Orkney. This was a significant achievement initself, due to the relatively inhospitable coast andstrong tides, especially in the PentlandFirth and around the Northern Isles.The life of a hydrographer could beperilous. Commander Slater, acontemporary of Thomas whocharted other parts of theScottish east coast, fell from acliff near Thurso Bay to his deathin 1842.George Thomas’s early life – andhis journey into the Admiralty –contained much drama of its own.Thomas was born in London in 1781 and,despite being orphaned, gained a liberaleducation at the Blue Coat School. At 15 he joined“Their boat was wrecked in thePacific and the survivors rescuedby a passing American merchantship. Then, due to a lack of watersupplies, they were abandonedon the island of Más Afuera,500 miles west of Chile”22 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

MAPSPart of Arrowsmith’schart of the world,showing Más Afuera (left),where George Thomaswas shipwrecked in 1796.Thomas’s 1815 map ofthe Forth (top left)Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 23

MAPSthe Southern Whale Fishery, sailing in Commerceunder the command of Welham Clarke. In 1796 theship was wrecked in the Pacific, 18 months afterleaving England. Thomas was among survivorswho were rescued by a passing Americanmerchant ship but, due to a lack of water supplies,were abandoned on Más Afuera, some 500 mileswest of Chile.ESCAPE ROUTEThomas spent his time there usefully, collectingseal skins. Around three years later another shipput into the island and he was able to buy hispassage to China by selling a share in the skins.From there Thomas secured a cabin on the nextboat bound for England. When it reached theEnglish Channel, though, the boat was boarded bya press gang. Thomas was captured and detainedon a naval frigate. A dispute over Thomas’s use –without permission – of a midshipman’s sextantbrought him to the attention of the captain.Instead of punishing him, the captain spottedThomas’s abilities and promoted him to thequarterdeck, where he trained others in surveyingtechniques. A year later Thomas was made anautical surveyor, after successfully piloting theA dispute over Thomas’s use –without permission – of amidshipman’s sextant broughthim to the attention of the captainBritish fleet up the River Scheldt – today runningthrough the Netherlands and Belgium – as part ofthe Napoleonic Wars blockade of continentalports. The following year, 1810, he was appointedhead maritime surveyor, commanding thesurveying vessel Investigator, a brig of 150 tonnes.The ship would be his home for the next 26 years.Thomas worked on mapping the approaches tothe Thames and English Channel ports, but it washis work on the Scottish coasts from 1815 onwardsthat would become his greatest legacy.His first Scottish chart of the Forth, in 1815,packed with useful information for mariners suchas transits for safe passage, was far more accurateand detailed than previous attempts. For example,as we can see by the three transit lines on thechart, by keeping the newly constructed NelsonMonument on Calton Hill in line with Arthur’sSeat, North Leith Church, or Leith Martello towerrespectively, ships could avoid the Drum Sands offCramond and the Gunnet Rocks near Inchkeith.The details of numerous conspicuous buildingsand the shapes of significant hills on the landcomplemented the detailed depths in fathoms andoffshore hazards such as rocks and sandbanks.During the 1820s Thomas benefited from theOrdnance Survey (OS) primary triangulation ofGreat Britain, which involved fixing points of24 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

MAPSThomas gained a reputation for his meticulousattention to detail and, while his surveys“had ever the impress of accuracy and care”,they took much longer than anticipatedmajor heights. He carried the OS surveyors toShetland in 1825 for this purpose. Thomas gaineda reputation for his meticulous attention to detailand, while his surveys “had ever the impress ofaccuracy and care” according to official records,they took much longer than anticipated.Francis Beaufort, the Admiralty hydrographerfrom 1829, was exasperated with Thomas duringhis survey of Shetland. Beaufort wrote: “There canbe no possible value in inserting the minutetopography of the inner faces of the hills nor isthere any necessity for verifying the third angleof all the triangles in such a difficult andinaccessible country.”Despite Beaufort’s criticisms Thomas continuedhis painstaking work until, in 1846, he died aboarda surveying vessel returning to Woolwich fromthe Orkney Isles.The Library has put online its collection of outof-copyrightAdmiralty charts – including sevenproduced by Thomas showing Scottish waters.This will allow access to about 1,000 maps datingfrom 1795-1964.The Library has georeferenced 200 of thesecharts so they can be easily compared topresent-day satellite images and maps, withexcellent potential for viewing coastal changeover time.Clockwise, frommain: Thomas’s mapof the Forth (1815);Alexander Dalrymple,the first AdmiraltyHydrographer(1795-1808); detailof a Pentland Firthmap (1830); theside-by-side viewershowing the ForthRail Bridge in the1890s and moderndaysatellite imagerySee the Admiraltycharts at http://maps.nls.uk/coasts/admiralty_charts_list, andexplore thegeoreferencedmaps in our sideby-sideviewer athttp://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sidebyside.cfm’sidebyside.nlsSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 25

COLLECTIONSA MAN OFLETTERSLauded and misunderstood in equal measure, James Kelman is one ofthe nation’s most significant writers. As his literary archive becomes partof the Library’s collection, he tells Michael Tierney why grammar is kingPHOTOGRAPHS BY ANGELA CATLINJames Kelman shakes his headruefully as we go over a little ofhis past work. Stereotyping cancalcify creativity and Kelman isrightly tired of forever having hiscareer associated with his fourth novel,How Late It Was, How Late.It’s the elephant, as it were, in thecafe of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery andMuseum in Glasgow where we meet.Returning to How Late It Was, How Lateprovides a little context to theconvenient myths and almost absurdlevel of vitriol he received following its1994 publication and subsequentBooker Prize win. Kelman had done nomore, said one critic, than “transcribethe rambling thoughts of a blindGlaswegian drunk”. According toothers Kelman was little more than anilliterate savage. In a pique ofsomething akin to Victorian moralityone observer keenly noted the numberof times the main character swore.Twenty one years on, with Kelman’sarchive now part of the National Libraryof Scotland, a little archaeology mighthelp mitigate the chafing criticism fromthe past that, with the benefit of time,now seems almost quaint.“It was difficult to react to thehostility, which was quite great,” hesays, smiling behind sharp, blue eyes.“It’s not really ended. But I always comeout of it sounding bitter and I don’t feelthat way at all. I really don’t care aboutit and it’s so gone, it’s so negative.”TRAILBLAZERIn truth Kelman, the only Scot to winthe Booker Prize, doesn’t really need toexplain himself. You either respondpositively to his art or not. In somesense it’s much like a painting. If youdon’t understand it you don’tunderstand it. Regardless, the artexists, explaining itself to you in everyrhythm and cadence: the words, thestructure and the grammars.“There are different grammars,”Kelman argues. “One grammar istaught. You realise so many thingsyou take for granted in this countryare basically the result of elitismand an authoritarian use of languageused to restrict communities in ourcountry from surviving, nevermind thriving.“For me grammar is the most crucialthing, really. The goal is clarity and tosay what you mean. In that sensegrammar has to be the greatestweapon you can have next to logic.”The 68-year-old smiles again as if tosay, well, if they can’t see some valuein my work now they never will.He’s right. His work – angry, defiant,polemic or not – stands as a testimonyto one of the finest literary talents thecountry has produced: a trailblazer whosparked the work of Irvine Welsh,Janice Galloway, and Alan Warner,among others.His Library archive coverseverything from dogged campaignsand politicking, including draftmanuscripts of his essay on theCommon Sense tradition, the StephenLawrence campaign and documentsfrom Department of Social Securityversus Kelman in receipt of ScottishArts Council bursary; a “poly bag” ofIn the Night memorabilia, screenplayfor Greyhound for Breakfast, Polygonproofs for reissues, student essaysfrom his student days at the Universityof Strathclyde; material from hisuniversity teaching days in America;letters and correspondence from adiverse group of writers; reviews andarticles relating to published works andproofs; and print-outs and early drafts.And much, much more.CIRCLE OF FRIENDSSally Harrower, the Library’s Curatorof Modern Literary Manuscripts,believes the depth and richnessof the archive firmly place Kelmanin his creative, political andinternational context.“Besides his own extensive literarypapers, there is much correspondenceand work of others, notably hisGlasgow contemporaries includingAlasdair Gray, Liz Lochhead,Agnes Owens, Tom Leonard andJeff Torrington. This closeness with –and support for – other writers extendsbeyond Scotland to an internationalcircle of friends.“In a way, this is the unknown JimKelman, and I feel strongly that having26 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

COLLECTIONShis archive in a public collection willdo something to redress the generalperception of this controversial figure.That said, the combative Jim Kelman isrepresented in the archive too. Veryfunnily, sometimes – exchanges witheditors trying to temper his languageare a hoot.”BIG ERRORThe important thing for Kelman, evennow, is that he’s always writing. Healways has a great deal of work on thego, simultaneously, and writes daily. “Itdoesn’t matter what emotional stateyou are in,” he says. “Sometimes you’renot up to working on some things andyou can go to something else. That’show I do it.”Revisiting the oft-repeated mistake –of observing his work is there toilluminate the lives of working-classpeople, predominately males – draws anuanced rebuke. Crucially, he says, hehas never written simply to representpeople, or the voices of those he grewup around in Glasgow.“As an artist you don’t representpeople,” he says. “All you’re doing isyour own thing. It so happens thatyou’re a member of a community.You’re not there to try and exhibitthe community. That’s a big errorpeople do make. They think that’swhat your project is, to representworking-class people.“The only thing that drives you is thesame thing that drives all artists. Thething about art is it’s an end in itself.You just want to write the storyproperly and paint the picture properlyand move on to the next one and youwork at that until it’s finished. But it’snot to do with anything other than thething itself.’Kelman liked art when he was ayoung man growing up in Glasgow andhe thought he was going to be apainter. His father was a frame makerand picture restorer. His grandfatherwas also in that trade. Kelman leftschool at 15 and worked as anapprentice compositor for two yearsbefore his family moved, briefly, toAmerica. After returning he undertooka succession of other jobs before takingup writing. When he began he wasn’tdoing something that was completelybeyond the creative pale.“When you start to look at class youfind that a lot of the things you take forgranted as a working-class experienceis not really. It’s across the board. Thateasy assumption working-class peopledon’t read is just nonsense. I mean,James Kelman,photographedby Angela Catlinin 1985 for her bookNatural Light“When you talk about identity the thing I come backto is emigration. In my family emigration is the key.We have relations on the west coast of the States,New Zealand, Australia, Canada … Identity is notonly interesting but crucial, politically, in Scotland”most people don’t read.” He laughs.“Class really is not an issue except howdo you get books? Do you use a libraryor not? That’s kind of common.“It’s working class if you accept aworking-class guy reads poetry, listensto Beethoven or sings Tammy Wynettesongs and reads Kafka and goes toFirhill. If you accept that as being anordinary working-class experiencethen fine.”Through his archive the strength anddepth of Kelman’s body of work is muchbigger than the perception of it assimply that of a novelist. “I’ve publishedabout seven collections of short stories.I’ve written about eight plays. At whatpoint does one early novel stand as abody of work? They [the critics] don’t dothat to the writers who fill the Sundaypapers or get a decent wage.”INTO THE UNKNOWNFor the Library, Kelman’s importance ishard to overestimate. “Jim’s stature andinfluence is such that we felt his papersbelonged in the national collection,” saysSally Harrower. “National importance isa criterion that informs our collectingpractices, though in Jim’s case I thinkwe could say he is of internationalimportance. He’s a major influence onmany current Scottish writers, the onlyScottish Booker-prize winner so far –a truly major Scottish writer.“We will never be able to collect allScottish writers’ papers – we couldneither afford it, nor cope with thework that would entail, but such isJim’s significance that we had to try toget his. Apparently this was our secondapproach to him, and I’m delighted thatit worked out.”28 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

COLLECTIONSHis plays, short stories and politicalwritings are many. Yes, they can bedemotic. They are also considerable,finely honed and consummate.“In them [the short stories] it’salways been playing around withvoices and just doing things that anyartist does, which is new forms ofexperimentation and try and extendyourself in certain ways and ventureinto the unknown, and that’s what I’vealways done. That’s why the criticismAn illustration ofKelman by his fellowwriter Alasdair Grayin terms of one novel …” He shrugsagain and smiles. “The story since myfirst collection, I thought, would haveindicated enough of a variety ofworking method and technique thatwould interest the critics more thansimply just finding a way ofcondemning the work.”As for the next stage of his writing,there has been enough variety inKelman’s work over the past fourdecades to suggest further change.What about the possibility ofKelman perhaps looking at a kindof memoir on his life, his family lifeand career? “I have to some extentlooked into my family already,” hesays. “I know quite a lot about theLewis connection, that would be mygrandmother. I would like to lookinto it, but I can’t afford to do it.I only get a pension and what I getfrom my writing.”CLASS AND CLEARANCESA little miscellany: he knows thenames of his family in the OuterHebrides going back to 1760. Hementions his great-grandfather’sbrother, Roderick MacKenzie, fromLewis. The conversation makes himsmile. He mentions Donald MacRae,the schoolmaster who led the ‘Parkdeer raid’, and family who still have acroft in Balallan in South Lochs. Hisgreat-grandfather was also a crofteron Port Elphinstone, Aberdeenshire.Kelman’s middle name, Alexander, isafter him.A little more: there were threedoctors on his grandmother’s side.Two brothers and a sister were doctors.The other sister was a school inspectorand one of the founders of the chair ofRussian at the University of Glasgow.“It was an ordinary middle-class familywho had been middle class for two anda half generations. Before that theywere basically a Clearances family.”He mentions Camerons andMacNicolls, from Lochaber and aroundthe Dalmally area.THE KEY“When you talk about identity thething I come back to all the time isemigration. In my family emigration isthe key. We still have relations on thewest coast of the States. My great auntand her elder sister both founded theGaelic Society in Seattle in 1920.I’ve family in New Zealand, Australia,Canada … so identity I find not onlyinteresting but crucial, politically, in acountry like Scotland.”This aspect of Kelman is fascinating.It’s also somewhat worrying that oneof Scotland’s greatest literary talents ofthe past 30 years can’t afford toundertake such a project of work aboutidentity (publishers, please take note).“I’ve another novel,” he says, genially,as he gets up. “Another collection ofstories. Once that’s by, maybe … ”He trails off. Maybe what? Kelmangrins and he’s away as quietly andunobtrusively as he arrived. Just theway he seems to like it these days.Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 29

USING THE LIBRARYCOLLECTIONSMake the most of your National LibraryWith a collection ofmore than 15 millionprinted items, twomillion maps, 32,000films, three miles ofmanuscripts, andthousands of photographs,getting around the Libraryrequires a little navigationLIBRARY LOCATIONSFilmsScottish Screen Archive39-41 Montrose AvenueHillington ParkGlasgow G52 4LATel: 0845 366 4600Email: ssaenquiries@nls.ukMapsCausewayside Building159 CausewaysideEdinburgh EH9 1PHTel: 0131 623 3970Email: maps@nls.ukMon-Fri 9.30am-5pm(Wed 10am-5pm),Sat 9.30am-1pmOther collectionsGeorge IV BridgeEdinburgh EH1 1EWTel: 0131 623 3700Email: enquiries@nls.ukMon-Fri 9.30am-8.30pm(Wed 10am-8.30pm),Sat 9.30am-1pm,The shop at the George IVBridge building sellsbooks, stationery and giftsSun 2-5pm, exhibition spaceand cafe only)HOW TO JOINTo use the Library’s ReadingRooms and order items fromthe collections, you shouldhold a library card. This canbe obtained by completingthe online form at https://auth.nls.uk/registration.On your first visit to theLibrary go to Registrationwhere staff will take yourphoto and produce a librarycard for you. You will needproof of your identity andaddress. Examples ofacceptable ID and addressconfirmation are at www.nls.uk/using-the-library/librarycards/evidence-of-identityVIEWING MATERIALIf you know what you arelooking for, we recommendmaking your request for therequired material in advanceof your visit to the Library.Requests can be made inperson, by telephone on0131 623 3820 or 3821, or byemail to enquiries@nls.uk.If you have a library card,books can be ordered inadvance via the onlinecatalogue on our website.For information aboutpre-ordering see www.nls.uk/using-the-library/reading-rooms/general/preordersONLINEThe Library has a vastrange of electronicresources, including digitalversions of reference works,massive full-text facsimilesand business databases (seethe next page for a list).Many of these resources areavailable on the internet tocustomers resident inScotland, althoughadditional conditions mayapply in line with ourlicence agreements.Your first port of callto access the Library’slicensed digital collectionsis https://auth.nls.uk/ldcAdditionally, recentlegislation has giventhe Library and theother five legal depositlibraries in the UK the legalright to collect, store andpreserve the nation’smemory in the digital age.There will be a mixtureof electronic contentavailable includingwebsites in the UK domainweb archive, and articles/chapters from e-books ande-journals. This materialcan be viewed on Librarycomputers within theReading Rooms if you area registered user.VISITOR CENTREThe Visitor Centre at theGeorge IV Bridge buildingfeatures an exhibitionspace, a shop selling books,stationery and gift items,a cafe and PC terminalswith access to Librarycatalogues and otherdigital facilities.FOCUS ONThe musiccollections“If music be the food of love,play on.” Shakespearewould have had plenty toplay with if he’d had accessto the music collectionsof the National Library.With everything frommanuscripts to digitalrecordings, they are achocolate box of delightsfor music lovers. Highlightsinclude special early editionsof works by Handel, Berliozand Verdi, and manuscriptsranging from the early16th-century Carverchoirbook to 20th-centurycomposers such as RobinOrr. There are 5,000published sound recordings,including 78s, cassette tapes,LPs and videos.Scottish content is anobvious strength – you cansample songs and music ofthe 18th and early 19thcenturies, including musicfor the Highland bagpipe.Watch out for the Library’sScottish song card indexbeing digitalised.Whatever your taste,from the Beatles to Bach,you’re sure to findfascinating material inthese collections.For more information go towww.nls.uk/collections/music/collectionsThe Italian Romanticcomposer Giuseppe Verdi30 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015

DigitalresourcesThe Library’s licenseddigital collections are asuperb research tool, withmore than 300 millionitems, of which more than80% is available remotelyThis progpagandaleaflet published in1943 was droppedover Nazi-occupiedterritory by anAmerican bomber.Visit http://bit.ly/nls_propagandaART AND LITERATUREThe Library’s digitalcollections relating to artand literature include19th-Century UKPeriodicals Part 1:Women’s, Children’s,Humour and Leisure/Sport; British LiteraryManuscripts Onlinec.1660-1900;Naxos Music Library;Oxford Music Online;Perdita Manuscripts –Women Writers, 1500-1700;Scottish WomenPoets of the RomanticPeriod;SCRAN Digital Materials;SUR Digital Archive andTimes LiterarySupplement HistoricalArchive.BUSINESSOnline resources forbusinesses, includingBCC Research Reports;COBRA – The CompleteBusiness ReferenceAdviser; The EconomistHistorical Archive 1843-2009; Factiva;FAME; Hoovers; Insider 500;Key Note Market ResearchReports; Mint Global;Mintel Market ResearchReports;OneSource Global BusinessBrowser;Orbis and ReferenceUSA.SCIENCE ANDSOCIAL SCIENCEThe full text of articles orreferences are available inresources such asCambridge Journals Online;Brill Journals Collection;Sage Journals;ScienceDirect E-books;SpringerLink; KargerJournals; StandardsInfobase and the extensiveWeb of Science.GOVERNMENT ANDOFFICIALA wealth of politicalinformation can be viewedonline, includingHouse of CommonsParliamentary Papers –includes reports ofcommittees and outsidebodies on public affairs;Public Information Onlineand The Making of ModernLaw – Legal Treatises1800-1926.HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY,GENEALOGYYou can access17th and 18th-centuryBurney NewspaperCollection; 19th-centuryBritish Library Newspapers;19th-century UKPeriodicals Part 2:Empire: Travel andAnthropology, Economics,Missionary and Colonial;British and Irish Women’sLetters and Diaries;The British NewspaperArchive; British OnlineArchives; InfoTrac CustomNewspapers;John Johnson Collection:an archive of printedephemera;The Making of theModern World;Oxford Dictionary ofNational Biography(ODNB);India, Raj and Empire;Sabin Americana,1500-1926;The Scotsman DigitalArchive 1817-1950;Times Digital Archive;Waterloo Directoryof English Newspapersand Periodicals 1800-1900 and Who’s Who(and Who Was Who).REFERENCE WORKSAND CATALOGUESCredo Reference givesyou access to 400high-quality referencebooks from a range oftheworld’s leadingpublishers.Early AmericanImprints, Series 1 –Evans, 1639-1800; Early EnglishBooks Online1475-1700 (EEBO);18th-Century CollectionsOnline (ECCO) Parts 1 and 2;Oxford English DictionaryOnline and OxfordReference Online.ACCESSING MATERIALAll collections can beaccessed on the Librarypremises and more than80% is available outwiththe Library by anyoneresident in Scotland.To register to usethe licensed digitalcollections visit https://auth.nls.uk/registrationSpring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 31

MY NLS“He was the handsomest,best-dressed, andbest-bred man. He actedthe character of thegentleman, the robber,the sorner, and the tinker”MALCOLM COCHRANEA road well travelledDelving into his Romany family history, Mark Baillie was stunned to discoverone of his ancestors was a swashbuckling rogue with a colourful reputationIt was during a visit to theLibrary to research myRomany background I firstread about my forebearsswashbuckling their way through thecenturies as one of Scotland’s chiefGypsy families.An old photograph belonging to mypaternal gran and granddad of the1886 Kelso Fair had alerted me to myGypsy roots. The picture showed thetown’s main square crowded withtravellers, and their horses and trailers.In the crowd my granddad could spothis infant father, along with hisgrandfather, grandmother andgreat-grandfather. As I got older, I wasinspired to delve further into Gypsyculture and history.After recording an oral history frommy granddad when he was 94, I movedon to genealogical research, tracing adirect link back as far as 1800. Havingexhausted the records of births, deathsand marriages, I began somebackground reading with AnneGordon’s Hearts Upon the Highway,published in 1980 and now out of printbut held at the Library. One of its mainand oldest sources was History of theMark Baillie foundusing the Libraryopened upa new chapter inhis family researchThis photograph of the 1886 Kelso Fair putMark Baillie on the trail of his Gypsy heritageGypsies by Walter Simson, publishedin 1865 and held in the Library’s rarebooks collection.The title covers the origins of theGypsies in India, and highlightsparallels between the history of thetravelling and Jewish communities. Ittraces the Gypsies in Europe and givesa region-by-region account of theirpresence in Scotland. There is even asection on Gypsy language with a listof terms.The book reveals the Baillies werementioned in the first document torecord Gypsies in Scotland. On 15February 1540, James V issued a privyseal calling on all authorities to assist‘John Faw, Lord and Earle of LittleEgypt’, in executing justice upon hiscompany and punishing all whorebelled against him.The seal explained a group of Gypsieshad robbed Faw of money, jewels andclothes. Among the group were TowlaBailyow and Geleyr Bailyow – thename later became Baillie and Bailey.In a chapter on the TweeddaleGypsies, ‘Captain’ William Baillie is alarger-than-life, Robin Hood-stylecharacter of the late 17th century.Between escaping various orders forhis execution or deportation, thereare stories of many ostentatious gooddeeds, such as him paying a year’srent to elderly widows facing eviction.Captain Baillie was eventuallykilled in a sword fight in 1724 whiletaking on two adversaries. Even so,it’s hard to resist a feeling of pridewhen reading this about an ancestor:‘He was the handsomest, best-dressed,and best-bred man … he acted thecharacter of the gentleman, therobber, the sorner, and the tinkerwhenever it answered his purpose.He was considered, in his time, thebest swordsman in all Scotland.With his weapon in his hand, andhis back to a wall, he set almosteverything, saving firearms,at defiance.’I’ve read other books about theGypsies that recount a grim tale ofconstant persecution across Europewell into the 20th century. History ofthe Gypsies is a refreshing read froman author with a fondness for thecharacters and tales of the communityin Scotland.Of course, the experience of visitingthe Library to research a title from itsrare books collection is also special.The atmosphere of the reading room,and the smell and feel of the book,make a memorable experience.At a point when I thought myresearch had reached a dead end,the Library collections opened routesto the past, and so the journey intomy family history still has a longway to go.Spring 2015 | DISCOVER NLS | 33

LAST WORDCORBISWalter Crane fuelled theimagination with hischildren’s illustrations.His work still captivates100 years after his deathBedtimes and nurseryrhymes would surely be amuch more humdrum affairwithout the imagesconjured up by Walter Crane, theprolific English artist and designer.Best remembered as an illustratorof children’s books, Crane was bornin Liverpool in 1845. Beginningworking life as an apprentice to woodengraver and political reformerWilliam James Linton, Crane hadample opportunity to hone his skillswhile studying the work ofcontemporary artists including thePre-Raphaelites and Sir John Tenniel,illustrator of Alice in Wonderland.In 1865 Crane was invited tocontribute his own illustrations to aseries of books for young children,Illustrator Walter Cranebecame the socialistmovement’s ‘artistin residence’nursery rhymes and fairy tales, to beprinted by Edmund Evans, the leadingwoodblock colour printer in London.Over the next 10 years Craneillustrated 37 of these toy books, asthey were known, which provedhugely popular in Victorian Britain.He also brought his sense of thefantastic to adult literature. In thefrontispiece for Robert LouisStevenson’s earliest book, An InlandVoyage, he depicts the god Panrelaxing on a riverbank. This exampleof Crane’s work, along with many ofthe toy book titles, and his theories onart, can be discovered in the NationalLibrary collections.QUALITY AS STANDARDCrane’s professional life encompassedpolitics as well as painting and hebecame closely associated with thesocialist movement, initially throughhis connection to designer WilliamMorris, a leading figure in the Arts andCrafts movement. He became theartist of the cause, designing posters,trade-union banners and cartoons.Crane did as much as Morris totransgress the boundaries between“high” fine art and “low” decorativeart, making quality craft and design apart of everyday life. He embraced theeclecticism of the Arts and Craftsmovement, turning his hand todesigns for textiles and wallpapers, aswell as producing poetry and writing.Fuelling children’s imaginationswas also a serious business for Crane,who believed: “We all rememberthe little cuts that coloured the booksof our childhood. The ineffaceablequality of these early pictorial andliterary impressions affords thestrongest plea for good art in thenursery and the schoolroom.”Crane’s family life – with his wifeMary and children Beatrice, Lioneland Lancelot – was characterised byhappy eccentricities. Their home inHolland Street, London, was full ofIndian idols, a marmoset that slept inthe fireplace and even a live alligator.Friends and colleagues rememberCrane as lovable, relishing the chanceto play the part of the artist.A century after his death on 14March 1915, perhaps the most fittingepitaph for Crane is the one he wrotefor his friend William Morris in 1896:“How can it be? That strong andfruitful lifeHath ceased – that strenuous butjoyful heart –That craftsman in the loom of songand art.”34 | DISCOVER NLS | Spring 2015