Rosi Crane, Lucy Sussex and Katherine Milburn (2nd row) enjoy the presentation.

Last Friday’s gathering on “Book and Place” made Saturday’s ODT, along with a nice shot of the venue and participants.  Thanks to everyone who spoke, especially our two keynotes, Neville Peat and Ingrid Horrocks, and thanks to all who attended and made up such an attentive and engaged audience.  We look forward to announcing the 2017 World Book Day and research symposium themes before the end of the year, and full details about public lectures during Rare Book School on Sunday 29 January and Wednesday 1 February.  So be sure to sign up for our RSS feed or check back often.

The Centre for the Book is delighted that Prof. Stavans, visiting Dunedin to deliver the Dalziel lecture, will also be able to spend some time with us.  He has agreed to talk about how Cervantes’ masterpiece, Don Quixote, went from a relatively unknown novel to one of the literary masterpieces of the world.  Join us from 5 pm for drinks and nibbles and his presentation next Tuesday, 11 October, in the Staff Room of the Central Library.  Talk will start at 5:30.

The Centre for the Book is delighted to congratulate Dunedin’s own Christopher de Hamel for his recent identification of one of the Parker MSS as almost certainly originally part of Thomas of Becket’s shrine at Canterbury Cathedral.  You can share Christopher’s enthusiasm in making the connections in this story from the Guardian.  Well done, and a true treasure for all book lovers.

And if you’d like to read more about Christopher, see this feature from the Economist about his most recent book.