A thirst for knowledge

Apollo, August, 2003 by Anthony J Law

As part of a wider strategy to open and maintain active contact with new scholars whose research intersects with sculptural concerns, the Henry Moore Institute is launching an academic database aimed at post graduate students. As new scholars are often unpublished during and for a time after their studies, their developing expertise often remains invisible outside the conference and lecture circuit. The database will turn this developing expertise into a useful information resource and will help scholars keep up-to-date with current developments in sculpture research, make contacts with others working in similar fields and find out about opportunities available to them. It will enable the Institute to keep in touch with scholars about research events at the Institute and to inform them about conferences, calls for papers, publication possibilities and scholarship opportunities in their field, not only at the Institute but elsewhere.

This initiative could make a real difference to establishing connections between scholars engaged in sculpture studies both in Britain and overseas. However, in order to make this project work, the Institute needs the input of PhD and MA supervisors to put students in contact with them. Students can find a form to download on the website: www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk or contact Liz Aston, tel: 0113 246 7467 or e-mail liz@henry-moore.ac.uk

The Annual York National Book Fair at the Barbican Centre, York runs from Friday 19th September to Saturday 20th September this year. The Fair lays claim to being Britain's largest antiquarian book fair with over 200 leading booksellers specialising in antiquarian and secondhand books, maps, prints and ephemera.

Exhibitors are both local (Janette Ray and Ken Spelman) and distant (The Old Town Bookshop, Edinburgh; Walden Books, London and R.G. Watkins Books and Prints, Somerset). Janette Ray specialises in rare and out of print books on architecture, conservation, design, period decoration, gardens and landscape design. Her large selection of books may be viewed on her website, www. janetteray.co.uk.

The Old Town Bookshop, Edinburgh is run by Ron Wilson and was recently voted Shop of the month Edinburgh. The medieval delights of the city, known as the Athens of the North, draw crowds from across the globe and the homely allure of the Old Town Bookshop holds a key part of that charm. The large stock of old and new books, including specialist areas in art and architecture, children's, illustrated and antiquarian can be viewed on the extensive website www.oldtownbookshop.co.uk. The bookshop also has the reputation of providing a gentle introduction to the sometimes intimidating world of antiquarian books.

Richard Watkins of R.G. Watkins has produced a catalogue with over 730 engraved portraits (the first since his previous catalogue in 1986) depicting artists, engravers, doctors, scientists, actors explorers, royalty, politicians and writers. See his website www.rgw.eurobell.co.uk for a list of books on art and collecting, artist's letters and portraits.