i knew there was an exhibition i wanted to see at the state library of victoria, but it was only until i stepped into the library that i remembered what it was: one of the two semi-permanent collections, mirror of the world: books and ideas. the exhibition galleries framed and overlooked the octogonal reading room (prettier than the british library reading room, if not as well-known) and when you looked over the parapet eight rows of desks radiated from the centre of the reading room from beneath the dome.

on display were manuscripts in latin and german. quite the usual suspects, a book of hours here, there a few psalters, also the expected manuscripts and incunabulas of the usual canonical works: boethius, dante, chaucer, milton, virgil... and naturally a shakespeare folio. when seated in armchairs in one of the galleries you could look across to the landing of the uppermost storey - there is a stained glass window installed in which shakespeare is depicted, and beside him, the all the world's a stage speech. i was interested in a cop of aesop's fables, and then there were several horn books on display; i've only seen photographs of them in books before, and a chained book! oh! i told minyin excitedly. they chain the books to the shelf, you see, so you can't sneak away with it under your coat. but what does it attach to? she asked me. (the glass case was against the wall you couldn't see around the otherside) i never thought about that. it's not the spine i expect, because that was visible. does it go through the back cover, perhaps?

minyin accompanied me for the first hour, but started agitating for lunch, so we went to the greek restaurant precint and had with our pita: beetroot walnut yoghurt, eggplant capsicum, a paste of (chiefly) fish roe and lemon juice, creamed potatoes, cucumber yoghurt and a massive pan of sauteed scallops buried under small heaps of chopped tomatoes and thinly-sliced onions. minyin went to work after that, and i went back to the library. there were bestiaries (which i'm sure minyin would have liked) botanical drawings, and maps, johnson's dictionary (open at the Bs - i look in on bombilation: sound, noise, report) and diderot's encyclopaedia. and there were the earliest penguin paperbacks (sayers, i was pleased to see, was displayed in the case), and covers from the pulp fiction of the 50s,(that rather reminds me of a joke i heard on radio. jeremy hardy i think it was, defending the misuse (accidental) of pulpit as a verb: well if someone asked you what to with the novels of jeffery archer, you say, pulp it.) and a few beautiful broadsides from the wayzgoose press (in particular broadside 16 (1995) which i wish i could find an image of to link to, but haven't been able to.) lavish bindings, japanese rice paper, and a kelmscott chaucer (beautiful! i wonder if there are many in existence (probably) and if there isone at houghton? (most probably.))

(there was also ned kelly's homemade beaten-plough armour, in the floor above.)