Days 17 - 20: Philadelphia PA – Washington DC – Tysons Corner VA

I know, I’m a slacker. We’ve returned to Houston-like levels of heat and humidity, and I’m incapable of putting 200 words together at the end of the day. Doesn’t bode well, does it, reader…

I should always have known I would love the Library of Congress. The British Library, the Bodleian, even the ugly old obelisk UL of Cambridge – all are very dear to me. How could they not be? The Library of Congress has taken its place amongst those seats of learning (and it’s not just because of their pleasingly appropriate initials, though I do hope they expand their range of merchandise from the current baseball hat through monogrammed stationery etc.).

I can’t really work out why I haven’t been there before, but it was a joy to go there today. Classic building, glorious dome (rather less daunting than the Capitol opposite, but just as beautifully proportioned), perfect mosaic ceilings and glistening polished floors. The books are almost irrelevant. But there are two carefully monitored cases displaying some of their crown jewels. The first is a copy of the Gutenberg Bible – one of only three complete copies printed on velum (one of the others is in the British Library, the other is in the Bibliotheque Nationale – that’s got to be worth a visit one of these days). We saw a printing press in the farmer’s museum in Cooperstown – joining those dots was another eureka moment for William this trip.

Opposite it was a hand-written bible – completed less than 2 years before the Gutenberg Bible was printed. 15 months hard work (actually, that seems quite good going, seeing as it can take a volunteer in the Natural History Museum that long to remove the rock from just one fossilized tyrannosaurus leg-bone). It was very similar in size and weight – and in appearance, honestly. Gutenberg was clearly trying to recreate the mastery of his predecessors , who in their turn had been trying to be as mechanical and exact as possible.

Of course, Gutenberg did not suddenly equal mass production and global book ownership; there were many steps to come before that promised land. But one can’t help but wonder what the scribe of the Great Bible of Mainz thought if he ever saw a Gutenberg – did this new technology offer relief from centuries of back-breaking, eye-blinding toil, or did it nullify years of dedication and artistry? In the same way, the guide tells visitors today that they still HAVE a card catalogue but it’s not used, as everyone searches on the computerized database. In fact, few readers even come to this wonderful space – all the sources are online anyway. Are all the libraries of the world becoming like the Wren Library in Trinity or the chained library in Hereford Cathedral – beautiful, historic, inspiring, yet nothing to do with reading? Will that card catalogue itself be in a display case in centuries to come?

Recent statistics:

• Miles: 277
• New States: 2
• Favourite license plate: MYMYLF
• Percentage of family buying hats in DC: 50%
• Number of major thunderstorms: 2
• Museums visited: 4
• Cathedrals climbed: 1 (they have elevators over here)
• Friends taken to airport: 2
• Breakfasts: Mrs K’s, Philadelphia; Au bon pain and Corner Bakery, Union Station; The Dubliner, Washington
• Lunches: Dairy Queen, Philadelphia; Food court, NASM; Garden Café and Cascade Cafe, National Gallery of Art.
• Dinner: Union Station Foodcourt (twice); Lincoln Memorial hotdog stand; Cheesecake Factory, Tysons Corner

Recent Discoveries:

• Washington has new visitor centres, even whole new museums since my last visit.
• Parking here is harder and more expensive even than London.
• You can recall the senate from recess for an urgent summer session and only need 2 people and 20 minutes to get it through.
• Not all icecream is good icecream, even when you’re 5.
• America’s lack of cynicism about its achievements and ideals is hugely moving. No wonder they wanted to distance themselves from the Brits.