The Short Life of the Harvard Little Free Library

A few weeks ago a new addition popped up at Harvard - a little free library.  It had beautiful woodwork, windows, and held a few books on its two shelves.  I was excited about the idea so I contributed two books myself.  But as I walked by the little library on my way to work each day, the books seemed to disappear.  At one point the only book inside was a copy of Sarah Palin's autobiography.

I was familiar with the little free library concept from this much smaller version on Cambridge Street:

I've walked past this little library on several occasions, months apart, and there are always books.  Who can say what the difference is?  Perhaps less traffic past this library means fewer people borrowing books, or maybe someone on the block carefully stocks it. 

Now Harvard's version is gone.  I don't know if they removed it because of the lack of books or because its base was making unsightly marks on the infamous grass or because it was always meant to be temporary. 

In any case it was a beautiful, if brief, addition while it lasted.  Elsewhere it seems to be a more enduring community concept. 

Remarkable Creatures - Novel and Field Trip

Some of you may know I have a childlike obsession with dinosaurs.  When I picked up Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures, I was totally engrossed by her two main characters - Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, lady fossil hunters.  That's right, dinosaurs meets feminism!  It was only when I finished the book that I realized it was historical fiction.

Yea that's right, Mary Anning was a totally real, totally badass lady fossil hunter.  She and her brother found the first correctly identified Ichthyosaur when she was just twelve years old.  She's credited with a whole host of scientific discoveries and she's the inspiration for the "she sells seashells" tongue twister. 

So you can imagine my excitement when browsing in the Harvard Museum of Natural History I saw this:

History is so cool!  Dinosaurs are so cool!  Are you imagining all the jumping up and down and excited museum whispers that were going on?  It was kind of epic. 

The book is fantastic and the Harvard Museum of Natural History has a great collection (with free admission if you can find a Harvard student to take you as a guest).  I highly recommend both.