Lovesick poet Keats lived at what's now Keats House, in Hampstead, before getting regular-sick with tuberculosis and moving to Rome, where he died in 1821. The Charles Dickens Museum lives inside a Georgian townhouse where the author wrote a couple of his novels. Currently undergoing refurbishment, it is due to reopen by the end of 2012.
Carlyle's House in Chelsea is another dripping in Victoriana. Over the years the historian hosted both key figures from Victorian creative society and countless fiery spousal disputes. The home of Britain's most famous lexicographer is preserved as Dr Johnson's House, an elegant address just behind Fleet Street.
There's usually something literary in the temporary exhibition space at the British Library. Until December 27, you can see the original manuscript roll for Jack Kerouac's On The Road. The permanent collection displayed in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery includes Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible, and more than 200 other rare literary treasures. Admission is free, or you can explore remotely by downloading the British Library's Treasures app (www.bl.uk/app; iPhone, iPad, Android; £2.49 - £3.99).
If it's the objects you love as much as the words — or just the smell of old books and antique maps — take a stroll down St George Street in Mayfair. The shelves of the booksellers here are lined with rare and leather-bound volumes, and these wonderful shops can feel like a museum where you're allowed to buy the exhibits.
No comments:
Post a Comment