Quines by Gerda Stevenson celebrates the women of Scotland

From The National:

The book features portraits in poetry, most in English, a third in Scots, which tell the story of 57 individual women and a football team – the 11 Scottish women who beat England 3-0 in Edinburgh in May, 1881, the first recorded international women’s match, while the second game a few days later in Glasgow was abandoned when male protestors ran on to the pitch.

“I used many sources of information,” explained Stevenson, “especially the Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women which is a fantastic resource, and googling, and talking to people, and buying second-hand books about these women, many of which are out of print. It’s not that they were written out of history, it’s just that were never written in.”

National columnist Lesley Riddoch’s verdict is straightforward: “Quines is a vivid explosion of thought, description and bold opinion, clothing Scots history at last with the myriad contribution of its women. This is a wonderful, life-affirming book.”

Imaging Reveals Medieval Manuscript Hidden in Book Binding

From Live Science:

In the mid-16th century, a bookbinder picked up a piece of parchment — one that was already centuries old — and used it to bind a book of poetry. This parchment's text remained unreadable for nearly 500 years, but now, thanks to state-of-the-art imaging techniques, people can read its words once more, according to a new study.

An analysis of the sixth-century text revealed that it was part of the Roman law code. Whoever made the poetry book likely considered the text to be outdated, as at that point, society was using the church's code, rather than Roman laws, the researchers said.

read more here @ Live Science

Viking Society Publications

The Viking Society for Northern Research is making virtually all its publications (and some other related items) from inception in 1893 to the present freely available on this website, though recent titles may not be released until three years from the date of publication.

These digital versions are not intended to replace our printed publications, and titles currently in print will remain available to buy in book form as long as there is a demand for them (the list can be seen at www.vsnr.org/publications/ ). The digital versions are intended to make the range of our publications known to a wider public, and may be used for reference purposes, to evaluate books for purchase or for university courses and for private study. The copyright belongs either to the authors or to the Viking Society, as stated at the beginning of each work, and permission must be obtained from the Society to use downloaded versions either in whole or in part for any other purpose.

See full list here @ Viking Society Publications

Anxiety of Erasure: Trauma, Authorship and the Diaspora in Arab Women’s Writings

Anxiety of Erasure: Trauma, Authorship and the Diaspora in Arab Women’s Writings – Middle East Monitor

Anxiety of Erasure… is a book written by an Arab woman, to describe the grief of Arab women seen through the eyes of Arab women. It is a refreshing, unique and gripping read; as a woman from an Arab background, it is one of the first such books with which I feel that I can identify fully.

Overall, Anxiety of Erasure is an eye-opening read that addresses the depths of the angst of the Arab woman. Al-Samman has used a wide range of literature from a number of authors and pieced them together to bring to light the misjudged chronicle of the Arab woman’s existence. The book is crafted in such a way that it is accessible to anyone who wants to understand the plight of Arab women in literature. More importantly, perhaps, when read by an Arab woman, it is likely to awaken her soul.

Review by Diana Alghoul (Middle East Monitor)