Just a clarification: the multiple references to archives and stealing from
them do indeed occur in "The Lyre of Orpheus." "What's Bred
in the Bone" is a fantastic book which I re-read at least once a year, but
it has very little in the way of archival references (fun for those of you with
an interest in art history). Though almost all of Davies' books have
archival/records content, at least 4 have a clear connection: The Lyre of
Orpheus, Murther and Walking Spirits, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks, and The
Rebel Angels. That last one is probably the strongest in terms of archives
in fiction and also provides one of my favorite quotes about archives and
acquisition of manuscripts: "Judge a man by what he publishes, not by what
he hides in a bottom drawer."
Apologies to all Mss people on the
listserv: I just said I loved the quote, I didn't say I agreed with it.
I'll go back to lurking now.
Arlene
Schmuland
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