Talking about Books - Len Mullenger
from the Charlecote Library

Charlecote Park is a grand 16th-century country house, surrounded by its own deer park, on the banks of the River Avon near Wellesbourne, about 4 miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon and 5.5 miles south of Warwick, Warwickshire, England.

A series of talks on books are here presented as web pages.

Wherever possible examples have been drawn from the library at Charlecote Park

Enjoy

Len Mullenger

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The origin of books
From clay and stone tablets, wax tablets, Papyrus scrolls, manuscripts, codexes and printed books

How we came to have books

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For a booktalk the books have to be selected by experienced volunteers and then approved by the Conservators. Then I have to use them to present a coherent story. The talks used to be presented live but now this can only be done on the internet.

Preparing for a Book Talk

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The Lucy family have been avid book collectors for many generations, which is evidenced by the library at Charlecote housing an amazing collection of around 3,500 books.

The Lucy family have always been avid collectors of books. Although many were sold off in the Agricultural depression in the 1870s many fine books still survive. They are housed in the 19th century extension designed by Thomas Willament with wood carving from the Warwick wood carvers headed by James Wilcox.

Charlecote Park has a fine collection of early Gardening and botanical books.

Introductory Talk: The Garden and the Wild

When the National Trust took over Charlecote Park in 1946 it was the link with William Shakespeare of Stratford that persuaded them Charlecote might be a good addition to the National Trust. Just what was the link?

Introductory Talk The Library at Charlecote Park with an emphasis on Shakespearean connections

How we almost lost books
Wars or obsessive religious bigotry have been responsible for wholesale destruction of books. Then we will look at an amazing survivor. Only a single copy has ever been found yet it is such an important book: On the Nature of things [De Rerum Natura] by Lucretius, composed around 50BC.

Photographs by Jana Eastwood

Further articles and information.