Re: VMs: Kelley letters/mss etc...?

[Nick Pelling <nickpelling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Adam,

At 11:12 15/02/2005 +0000, Adam McLean wrote:
> One can't really do serious
> research into books and manuscript sources using internet only resources in
> obscure subjects like alchemy. I estimate only a few percent (at best) of all
> alchemy related material is available on the internet. We still need to visit
> libraries or buy microfilms of these items! I don't think you will find much
> about these manuscripts through the internet.

Having spent yesterday at the British Library looking at their 
Kelley-related mss, I of course agree with your basic sentiment here. :-)

Having said that, I'm also a great believer in testing the limits of one's 
knowledge: though (as you point out) proper descriptions of all ms holdings 
are a loooong way off for many libraries, many now use computerised 
databases for holding call numbers etc. So, when presented with a list of 
mss, my first reaction is simply to see if they exist in the places 
claimed, and for that the Internet is often a good means.

So far, we have the Glasgow, Wellcome, & Österreichische Nationalbibliothek 
apparently tracked down in this way: just Copenhagen, Dresden & Edinburgh 
to go. :-)

BTW, for Kelley holograph items, the motherlode would seem to be the dated 
note in Cotton Appendix XLVI, which then seems to match all of Sloane MS 
410. I'll also need to go back over the microfilm copy of Sloane MS 3189 to 
see what Kelley contributed to that (I ran out of time yesterday).

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling..... 


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