Supralibros of Marie-Uranie de Noailles (b.1691), daughter of Anne-Jules, duc de Noailles (one of Louis XIV’s chief generals). #FemmeBibliophile #HerBook

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I’d share this, which shoehorns The Star-Spangled Banner‘s triple time into 2/4. You’re welcome.

Curious, and secretive, wording for a title-page (from 1817).

I heard at the weekend that St Paul’s Cathedral Choir is going to be singing my piece Advent Calendar at their Advent carol services this coming weekend, so that’s exciting. soundcloud.com/simon-42-1/a...

Modern language (and music) degrees are under threat at the University of Nottingham. Please do consider signing this petition. c.org/4FzYVvBstF

It's that day in The Broadway.

1968 Russian translation of Imogen Holst's study of Benjamin Britten.

Out now: simonbeattie.co.uk/wp-content/u...

Live scenes from The Broadway.

Back in the office today after ten days in the US. Lots to catch up on, but I'm being distracted by the shadows on my desk: so wide, and yet so narrow.

Just time for a little bibliotourism before flying home.

Before and after.

Visited Harvard Memorial Church yesterday where, a year or two ago, the choir there performed my piece A Remembrance in this chapel lined with the names of Harvard graduates who died in the First World War. A really moving space.

A lesson for us all here.

By a woman, for a woman: bookplate designed by the etcher Louise Le Daulceur (1721–1755) for Marie Angélique Angran d’Alleray (1724–1802). On view at the Boston book fair later this week.

Out now: a new album of my music, recorded by the critically acclaimed London Choral Sinfonia. www.orchidclassics.com/releases/orc...

Is this just a Russian, or perhaps Soviet, phenomenon? Names of contributors who have died are printed within a black frame. This example in a Russian-English dictionary from 1959.

Anglo-American artist Louisa Starr (1845–1909) was the first woman to gain medals for excellence from the Royal Academy Schools.

Printed dust-jackets. From 1835!

Double bill advertising a London performance by the American actress Charlotte Cushman (and her sister) in 1847.

My Christmas cactus is getting a bit ahead of itself.

Preparing for the Boston book fair.

🦇 Nocte Volamus = We Fly by Night 🦇 The best motto to have around #Halloween time for your heraldic bookplate. This particular bookplate comes from our Charles Hall Crouch collection of heraldic bookplates, which encompasses around 30-40,000 bookplates in 73 boxes!

Out now: simonbeattie.co.uk/wp-content/u...

The acer's acing it again this year.

For #WorldMentalHealthDay, I offer 'With one's thoughts', a poem by Anna Akhmatova I had translated which I then set to music in 2021, summing up various thoughts and feelings I had during lockdown. open.spotify.com/track/70Qs65...

Very different kind of 18th-century bindings from yesterday's photo, but I still love them.

Who doesn't like a bit of 18th-century bling?

A sermon preached on St Cecilia’s Day in 1713, ‘this being the Day which Custom has Devoted to celebrate the Decency of Cathedral Service, to set forth its Usefulness, to convince the Gainsayer, to remove the Prejudices of the Ignorant, and the Cavils of the Malicious.’

A late 18th-century engraved label on the benefits of methodical reading.

Happy Album Release Day! orchid-music.lnk.to/theworldtome

Pre-orders for my album are now being taken: orchid-music.lnk.to/theworldtome Thanks!

For #InternationalTranslationDay, two of my translations along with their respective first editions (from 1934 and 1950). I loved working on both of these.

"2025 marks 200 years since Louis Braille invented his revolutionary 6-dot tactile writing system for blind people. Braille was also an organist, and went on to adapt his system into Braille Music, allowing blind musicians to access and study scores like never before." www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Release date is this Friday. www.facebook.com/share/r/1Cq3...

It may not look much, I know, but this seems very early for a book on music therapy.

Far from shiny. In fact, a very unglamorous binding overall. But a nice example of late 18th-century sheep on a simple Scottish pocket psalter.

Shiny.

Unused sheet from a contemporary Belgian partbook used an endpapers in a 1558 edition of Luther’s works. Currently on display in the ‘Sing Joyfully’ exhibition at Lambeth Palace Library.

Nice bit of tooling.

Out now: pre-release track from my album, The World to Me. Two weeks to full release! music.youtube.com/watch?v=13s8...

I don't know if it's due to the London Choral Sinfonia recording coming out (two weeks today...), but I've been getting a wider spread of listeners on SoundCloud recently.

Out now: simonbeattie.co.uk/wp-content/u...

Our next Bibliographical Skills Workshop is taking place at the University of Stirling, on 28 October 2025: ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

It's arrived! And sounds AMAZING.

A final evening's drink in York.

Surely one of the best street names in the country. #York