Sleuthing in the Stacks

  Let's have a look at some more of the poetry books which were recently brought up into the light from the stacks down below for a display - verses on view, if you will. The size of the poetry collection at Exeter Library may be accounted for in changes to the structure of the post-war library system. With overall control of public libraries almost universally handed over to county and city councils, a new inter-library loans system was set up. This involved particular libraries building up stock in a particular area of specialisation, which would then be available for users to access nationally. Poetry was an area of subject specialisation chosen for Exeter, so we are blessed with a particularly rich selection.   William Blake is perfect for such a display, given the glorious combination of words and images which characterised his work. His illuminated books, the personal creations of someone who had been apprenticed as a printer and engraver, are some of the masterpieces of both