Joy of Spines

Underneath the streets of the Old Town are 50 miles of the Library's shelving, storing half of our 60 million items. But if you think this is a story of books, magazines, and manuscripts, you are only half way there. This is a story about you.

This slideshow of hundreds of book spines doesn't only reveal the broad and deep collecting practices of the National Library of Scotland, but tells the story of who we are, as a species.

The Joy of Spines first appeared at the Fringe in 2016, winning four-star reviews and great reactions. Over 3,500 people have now seen this human-positive show, and we are delighted to bring it back to mark our centenary.

About the speaker

Graeme Hawley is the Head of Published Collections at the National Library of Scotland, where he has worked since 2002. He is responsible for the Library's published collections from the Gutenberg Bible onwards. He is also a published and performance poet.

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