Holding over 47,000 books, Bromley House Library, formerly known as the Nottingham Subscription Library, is one of the city's most precious historical institutions. This Christmas, we find out how we can help restore their older titles, some of which are over 200 years old, by taking part in the Adopt a Book scheme…
The smell of old books, the sound of turning pages, a deep armchair where you can get lost for hours. There are few better places than a library. And there are few more beautiful libraries than Bromley House - Nottingham’s only subscription library. Founded in 1816 and nestled into Angel Row, it’s well regarded as a book lover's dream, boasting titles that date back over two centuries, alongside new releases.
Well kept by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, it’s part of the DNA of the institution to try and preserve the quality of the older texts - a goal that is achieved by stabilising the physical atmosphere of the library, Collections Manager Dr Anja Thompson-Rohde explains, “whether that’s buying humidifiers for the bits of the building that are dry, or dehumidifiers for the bits of the building that are damp.” However, as a product of age and many readers, it’s inevitable that some texts have become damaged, with grievances ranging from a few missing pages all the way to fully destroyed spines.
That’s why the library began their Adopt a Book scheme, in which members of the public can help pay towards getting the books professionally rebound in exchange for their name written on a plate inside. Or, alternatively, they can gift the restoration to a friend for a special occasion like a birthday, wedding or, most timely, for Christmas, in which case the buyer will be presented with a certificate to give as a present, plus an experience day where the library “will invite the person who paid and the person who received the gift into the library for a tour and to see their book in situ.”
It’s inevitable that some texts have become damaged, with grievances ranging from a few missing pages all the way to fully destroyed spines
Pulling out an example of a gifted book, Anja places an already restored nineteenth-century encyclopaedia of plants on the table, which inside shows a message from a grandmother to her granddaughter on her twelfth birthday. “On this one the spine had completely gone so Andy (from Sycamore Bookbinding) gave us a completely new spine and recreated the exact lettering from the original. He’s given it a new cover which he’s stained to look older, then he’s also added a new headband, tailband and ribbon marker. So this book, which was previously difficult to use, is now perfectly legible,” Anja tells me, adding that the point isn’t for the book to look new, but rather to make it accessible for reading. In fact, it’s important to keep some ‘imperfections’, because it represents the history and life that these particular books have lived.
A time capsule of Nottingham’s reading history, Bromley House have always purchased books based on members' requests, making these texts all the more important to preserve. Not only because of the stories and concepts found inside them, but also because “keeping books tells us such interesting information about the things people were interested in and which ideas were being discussed. We have a snapshot of people in the nineteenth century, with books ranging from the latest discoveries all the way to their equivalent of Mills & Boon,” Anja says. “It’s fascinating, and being able to preserve it, and being able to make them readable, that’s a real privilege.”
Keeping books tells us such interesting information about the things people were interested in and which ideas were being discussed
And, of course, by adopting one of these texts and aiding in their restoration, you (or whomever you adopted it for) becomes part of that posterity thanks to the individualised book plates. In a very literal sense, it “allows people to write themselves into the history of the Bromley House Library”, which has existed, with its beautiful spiral staircase and grand collection of books, since a time of horse-drawn travel.
Showcasing a set of books yet to be restored, Anja explains that she has chosen a few titles that relate directly to the festive season, though potential adopters are able to choose from a much wider selection or come in for a one-to-one consultation to decide. These are simply a few that the library has asked for a quote on from the bookbinder: “The first one is Early English Poetry, Ballads which has a selection of early english Christmas carols, the second is a Christmas short story collection from our children’s library, the third is a collection of Christmas editions from Charles Dickens’ periodical All the Year Round which is full of Christmas ghost stories, and the last one is a science book collating the Royal Institution Christmas lectures from 1921.”
A really meaningful gift for yourself or others around you, Adopt a Book seems the ideal scheme in a world that’s already so full of things. Anti-consumerist just by its nature, it’s both deeply radical and kind, making it, we think, perfect for the holidays.
You can find full information about the Adopt a Book scheme on the Bromley House Library website
bromleyhouse.org
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