Fantastic Beasts

Your news for January [View Online]( [News]( [What's On]( [Business]( [Research]( [Learning]( [Shop]( [Support Us]( Dear {NAME} Anglo-Saxon manuscript lions, Robbie Burns’ mice, early 20th-century birdsong, satirical giant rats, fantastical intelligent horses, and that most beautiful of all creatures – cardboard boxes. Yes, someone ignored my memo on this month’s theme of fantastic beasts. Our news [Joe the Lion]( [Joe the Lion]( There are three lions to spot when you visit our Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms exhibition. One colourful big cat leaps from a weird-shaped cross. One is in a book that has been split in half. The last carries a book. Read on to learn where exactly they are...or don’t and spot them on your visit. [Whiskered beast >]( [What’s Really Happening?]( [What’s Really Happening?]( Cats. That’s what. Lots and lots of cats. If you like cats then wow, do we have some events about cats in our new events season. Try an academic panel discussing why there are so many cats on the internet or an informal, interactive evening of discussion about T S Eliot’s classic Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, or Lynne Truss chairing a panel of authors discussing Cats vs. Dogs. Don’t like cats? Er... [Cats >]( Five-minute digests [Space Oddity ]( Space Oddity Here’s a deeply satisfying article about why and how we make 15,000 boxes a year. [Of Delights >]( [Where Are We Now?]( Where Are We Now? Ever thought about what it would sound like if you were in the depth of a wasps’ nest? Terrifying obviously, but also fascinating, as the workers fan their wings to cool the eggs. [AARGH! >]( [Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) ]( Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) The marginalia of the Rutland Psalter is marvellous. This article takes a peek at the staggering variety of creatures, people and vignettes of daily life populating the borders of virtually every folio. [What is that… >]( [Oh! You Pretty Things]( Oh! You Pretty Things Beatrix Potter was an accomplished amateur naturalist and her drawings eschewed the extreme sentimentality of many animal stories produced for children in the Edwardian period. She deftly brought to the page closely-observed details of animal’s lives. [Once upon a time >]( [Little Wonder]( [Little Wonder]( Bold ideas, disruption and emerging technologies. All factors that can give your business the edge that you’re looking for. This smartly curated panel will talk about how they’re currently using digital innovation. [Join >]( [Word on a Wing]( [Word on a Wing]( It’s a poignant education to listen to the wildlife sounds in our collection. In the early 20th century, these gramophone box sets were often the first time people had heard certain species. Now it may be the only way you can hear species, such as the red-backed shrike from Norfolk and the Worcestershire marsh warbler, that have already become extinct. [Listen >]( [ Fantastic Voyage]( [Fantastic Voyage]( ‘Little odious vermin…’ Considering it features Houynhnms, a race of intelligent horses, giant rats and a mendacious menagerie of other fictional creatures, you may find it surprising to read that Gulliver’s Travels was originally published purporting to be a genuine travelogue. [Go swift >]( Gift ideas from our Shop [Cat Tote]( [Cat Tote]( [£12]( [Buy now >]( [Cat Lamp]( [Cat Lamp]( [£42]( [Buy now >]( [Cats in Books Postcard Pack]( [Cats in Books Postcard Pack]( [£8]( [Buy now >]( [Kitten Wool Ball Necklace]( [Kitten Wool Ball Necklace]( [£65]( [Buy now >]( [Browse the range >]( We suggest... Marking Burns Night, Richard Price, our Head of Contemporary British Collections, has selected the Bard of Ayrshire’s ‘To a Mouse’. Richard tells us – ‘the poem seems to be about small things – a mouse, a nest, a plough – but it’s also about very significant things – the poor, the homeless and, largest of all, the bond between humans and nature. It’s a bond that Burns recognises is broken – he was just centuries ahead of his time, and it’s a shame he and others were not listened to. This is radical. It has a ‘green’ sensibility now included in the term ‘eco-poetry’ but composed three centuries before the name and the theory. The tone is warm, funny, philosophical and despondent at others – mood swings are the order of the day in this incredibly sensitive poem by one of the greatest poets who ever lived.’ [Enjoy it here >]( Harold Pinter died ten years ago. pause This display in our Second Floor Gallery looks at his career. silence Prose pieces that influenced him. Reproduction of manuscripts. Archive photographs. pause [See which lines, words and images inspired him >]( [Cats on the Page]( Enjoyed this newsletter? Want to tell your friends? Share your e-newsletter via email or the social channels below, or you can always [tell us what you think ›](mailto:e-marketing@bl.uk?subject=Feedback%20from%20the%20British%20Library%20News) © 2018 British Library. 96 Euston Road, London. NW1 2DB. [View our privacy statement]( [View Online]( / [Unsubscribe](