The historic reading room at the John Rylands Library (left) and one of the (wifi-enabled) reading alcoves. Both photographs are by Mike Peel and reproduced from Wikipedia under a Creative Commons Licence.
Yesterday I had the good fortune to go on a day trip to Manchester, 160 miles north-east of London, to visit my buddy and fellow book obsessive, Simon from Savidge Reads.
I've wanted to visit Manchester for years. God knows I used to write enough stories about its regeneration and building projects when I was a senior reporter on this magazine in the late 1990s! But when I stepped off the train I was more interested in catching up with my friend and having what amounted to a seven-hour long natter, rather than a tour of the sites.
And yet Simon, ever the generous host, walked me around the city and showed me the amazing architecture -- the grand sandstone buildings from the industrial revolution rubbing alongside 21st century temples of glass and steel -- all the while talking books and blogging and all the developments in each others' lives since we last saw each other in early November.
One of the day's highlights was a quick visit to the John Rylands Library, which is part of the University of Manchester, but open to the public and is free of charge. It's probably one of the grandest libraries I've ever had the privilege of wandering through, and it's beauty and sheer "wow factor" rivals even the Long Room in Trinity College, Dublin.
It's set across five floors, but the key floors to visit are the first, where a range of exhibitions are held, and the third, which features the oh-so beautiful historic reading room (see photographs above).
The collections are historically important and include some notable tomes such as the Gutenberg Bible as well as personal papers from the likes of Elizabeth Gaskell. When we visited I was delighted to see a 1922 hardcover edition of James Joyce's Ulysses on display.
The 1922 Egoist Press edition of Ulysses on display at the John Rylands Library. The photograph is by Paul Hermans and reproduced from Wikipedia under a Creative Commons Licence.
Regardless of the books inside, the building, and its interior architectural details, are worthy of a visit. Its built in the Victorian Gothic style, probably my favourite architectural era, and was constructed as a memorial to John Rylands, a wealthy textile baron, by his wife, Enriqueta, after his death. It's an extraordinary monument, and from the outside I had mistaken it for a church, because of its stained glass windows and tower. If Mrs Ryland wanted the building to resemble a temple to reading then I think she achieved it.
Thank-you to Simon for showing me what must be one of Manchester's best kept literary secrets!
If you want to visit the library yourself it is located at 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH. Tel: 0161 306 0555. For more information visit the official website.
