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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 30812


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Long dull day. Read "Dead Man's Book" [?] all afternoon.'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

26 Apr 1898

Country:

Japan

Time

afternoon

Place:

city: Kobe harbour
Shizuoka Province, Honshu Island
specific address: on board the steamer Belgic

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Gertrude Bell

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

16 Jul 1868

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry

Occupation:

Oxford graduate, language student, yet to take up formal occupation as archaeologist and political advisor

Religion:

Christian (Anglican) later declared herself atheist

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

Japan

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Title:

?The Book of the Dead

Genre:

Other religious

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

30812

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk

Additional Information:

Diary entry 26 April 1898 hhttp://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk/diary_details.php?diary_id=1817

Citation:

Gertrude Bell Archive, Newcastle University Library http://www.gerty.ncl.ac.uk, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=30812, accessed: 02 June 2024


Additional Comments:

The identity of the text being read is unclear from the diary entry. No title 'Dead Man's Book' has been identified. The Egyptian 'Book of the Dead' is a possible candidate (The Tibetan 'Book of the Dead' was not published in translation until much later.

   
   
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