So says the striking, illuminated art piece in the entrance hall of Edinburgh University Library. The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences’ website explains that it is the work of Nathan Coley:-
The illuminated sculpture was created by Turner Prize-nominated artist Nathan Coley. […] The Basic Material is not the Word but the Letter [is] also the name of the piece. 19 Jan 2018 CAHSS
The words come from a manuscript in the archives. Make your own interpretation, says the website.
Well, after my frequent sojourns in the Heritage Collections reading room, consulting thousands of letters in the Thomas Nelson archives, as far as I’m concerned it definitely means letters of correspondence, as opposed to alphabet letters!
And what a lot I’m learning about the former Edinburgh publishing company. One of the nicest things is observing the warm rapport established between the editors and their authors. The ones they had most contact with, clearly became friends, over and above their close working relationship. (Although, sometimes I get so caught up in their conversations that I forget they’re talking about books that don’t strictly concern me. Today, I caught them discussing a nursery school expert at Moray House. But I couldn’t track down the song-book she was said to have written!)
Karen McAulay, Musicologist 