National Library Part 2

At the national Library, a conservationist talked about her work. The drawing with all the Clippys around it has been washed. ??!! Sometimes that is all it takes.  Other pages have been burned by acid in the paper. 

Other books have been eaten by bugs usually down the spine where the glue is. There are also some inks that eat away the paper. 

Lope de Vega is their famous playwright and acid ink afflicts his manuscripts. 

Here is a display of the kinds of works they collect: Manuscripts, magazines, maps, photographs, books, movies and music. 

This poster advertises cigarette paper that reduces nicotine. Uh-huh. 

Another photo of the board room. 

When a writer received the Cervantes prize, he gets his portrait painted. 

He chooses the painter and the setting of the painting. 

So you can see that they are all different styles, and the setting says something about the writer. 

Dark, light,

Sloppy, neat, worldly,

Simple, like the guy on the right. It makes me curious to kmow what they have written. 

Here is a beautiful display of some first editions, with the chandelier reflected in the glass. 

Past the first editions is the reading room. Usually this is as far into the library as a visitor to go. 

Tristan's favorite thing was the stacks. He imagined thousands upon thousands of science fiction books. 

They had us leave through the loading docks, where it all begins, they said. 

Back on the street we passed a beautiful garden. 

And their Independence Plaza, lined with little poofball trees.