This word came from The Professor and the Madman, which I finished back in the fall. I wrote down the page numbers to reference for the word (p 112 and 149), but failed to take pictures of these before sending my sister back her book.
If I remember correctly, the scriptorium is where the dictionary magic happened, in the book.
In a broader sense, it means 'a place for writing', a space dedicated to the written word, especially medieval monastic illumination and hand-copying of manuscripts. How beautiful - I feel like if I could choose, I'd give it a try to be a monk 500 years ago, grow my own food, and write and illuminate. Live in a building that today would stand in ruins in some beautiful country corner of Europe. I'm sure it was not so romantic in reality, but in a little fairy tale moment it sounds peaceful and paced without stress. I feel like I should write that as a story, and then re-read it when I need a bit of peace away from the modern whirlwind.
Thursday 21 April 2016
Completed: The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
OK to be fair, I finished this book in November, according to Goodreads. But also according to Goodreads, I am ten (TENNN) books behind on the blog. I have read more than I have written, but I wouldn't have it the other way around.
The Professor and the Madman was a fascinating tale. I love when history is written in a way that reads as though it is a novel, and Winchester certainly accomplishes this, though the subject matter surely makes it a relatively breezy task. If you are looking for a juicy tale of murder, intrigue, insanity, dedication, and heartbreak, this is one for you. I could hardly put it down, I enjoyed it so much.
I wrote a few notes on my phone about this book. One was a definition, which I'll put in a separate post in a moment. The second says 'p. 142 - old books'. The problem is I no longer have this book - I sent it, along with some toddler clothes, back to my little sis (as I had borrowed it from her). So - I highly recommend taking this book out, reading it (as it is wonderful), and paying special attention to page 142 and whatever it is that I thought was so brilliant about what was said on that page. Then someone tell me what it was!
Title: The Professor and the Madman
Author: Simon Winchester
Published: 2005
Pages: 288
Total Books Blogged: 39
Total Pages: 11,245
The Professor and the Madman was a fascinating tale. I love when history is written in a way that reads as though it is a novel, and Winchester certainly accomplishes this, though the subject matter surely makes it a relatively breezy task. If you are looking for a juicy tale of murder, intrigue, insanity, dedication, and heartbreak, this is one for you. I could hardly put it down, I enjoyed it so much.
I wrote a few notes on my phone about this book. One was a definition, which I'll put in a separate post in a moment. The second says 'p. 142 - old books'. The problem is I no longer have this book - I sent it, along with some toddler clothes, back to my little sis (as I had borrowed it from her). So - I highly recommend taking this book out, reading it (as it is wonderful), and paying special attention to page 142 and whatever it is that I thought was so brilliant about what was said on that page. Then someone tell me what it was!
Title: The Professor and the Madman
Author: Simon Winchester
Published: 2005
Pages: 288
Total Books Blogged: 39
Total Pages: 11,245
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