A very early London Library blog post explored the Library’s 1890’s stacks (or ‘back stacks’ as they affectionately known!). Home to our Science & Miscellaneous, History and Topography collections, the clanking floors, unusual architecture and magical atmosphere certainly create one of the most intriguing spaces in the Library. The Science & Miscellaneous collection is particularly well-suited to serendipitous browsing and carries with it some quirks of the Victorian cataloguing system developed by Librarian Sir Charles Hagberg Wright in 1894.

Highlights of the Science & Miscellaneous stacks include Love, Imaginary Histories, Birdcatching and Conjuring! As a special festive treat, we have been browsing S. Christmas and are delighted to bring you a selection of highlights from our yuletide collections! From ‘The History of The Christmas Card’ to ‘Christmas and Christmas Lore’, there’s plenty of festive-themed reading to be done!

Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan by Clement A Miles, 1913

Christmas Eve - The Romance of Christmas by Kenneth Ingram, 1924

Christmastide by W. Sandys, 1852

The Christmas Festivities - from Christmastide by W. Sandys, 1852

A Book of Christmas Verse - Selected by H. C. Beeching, 1926