And, of course, Henry's is still there.

  Summertime is ostensibly the slow season here at the Library Society. A time to rest (a little) and plan (a lot) for a full fall schedule of events. Your loyal blogger was engaged in just such a planning meeting yesterday afternoon when I came upon Robert Molloy's 1947 book, Charleston: A Gracious Heritage. Disguised as a history text, but essentially a travel essay, Molloy's work is an interesting glimpse at Charleston in the immediate postwar years. Like most Charleston travelogues, there is frequently complaining about how much the city has changed, and how she stands to be ruined forever by the horrors of modernity.
  Because complaining about changes in Charleston is one of the (many) things that never changes in Charleston. And while there are plenty of little things in A Gracious Heritage that might merit comment, I'll share just one - change we can all be happy about. Because after last week's post praising the city's wonderful restaurant scene, this passage popped out:

  "Nowadays Charleston is not so well prepared for restaurant diners... The cooking in... the Francis Marion was good but not outstanding... There are two good seafood restaurants, the one called Henri's [sic], alongside the Market hall, and the Oyster Bay, on King Street just about Calhoun. The Villa Margherita, once famous for its cookery and the steepness of its prices, is now in the care of the United Seaman's Service, and the luncheon I had there was not notable... Though more natives than formerly now go out occasionally to dinner, the citizens don't make a practice of dining out."

  Thank heavens some things have changed, right?


UPCOMING EVENTS: I might have said summer was the slow season, but only in comparison to spring and fall! Carolina Day is, of course, on the 28th. Join us in the parade, or be square. Also, Thursday, June 30th, we'll have author Charlie Geer here at the Library talking about his three years living in Andalusia, Spain. Charlie's wife, Concha Munoz, will perform a little flamenco dancing as a festive cap to the event. 7PM, totally free. Also, a Bastille Day lecture and a few other summer surprises are in the events pipeline, so be on the lookout for some heat-beating activities here at the CLS!

Heat index: 103. Inside the library: 74. Where should you be right now?

The Piccolo Spoleto Literary Festival was a terrific success.  A big thanks to our sponsors, Duvall Catering and Wachovia/Wells Fargo; to our Programs Committee, especially the indefatigable Dr. Jane Tyler; and, of course, to the six speakers -John McCardell, Louis Rubin, James Kibler, Farrell O'Gorman, Dacre Stoker, and Bob Anderson- who were the stars of the event.  And, of course, one last huge "thank you" to all of y'all who came and paid your fifteen-dollars-for-the-event-plus-one-dollar-processing-fee and enjoyed the Festival.  We can't wait for next year's series.

 Are you in the photo above?  If so, thanks!

But, with our part of Piccolo Spoleto over, it is officially summer around here.  We've no events; no speakers; Toddler Tuesday is on hiatus... other than marching in the Carolina Day parade(seventeen days to go!), there's not much doing around here.

So stop by and grab a DVD or some light summer reading!  We're all still here, and happy to help (except on the mornings of June 18th and 23rd, when the USA has World Cup games... then you can check out your own bloody books.)  And don't forget, we're hard at work planning a great fall schedule, and we'll be announcing Autumn's events as we finalize them...  Exciting speakers?  Extended hours?  Washed-up D-list celebrity guest librarians?  A small green alien only Fred, Barney and Pebbles can see?  Tune in next time to find out!!!

Two and One-Third Centuries of being cooler than "North Carolina Day"...

We should all feel privileged to have not one, but two days to celebrate Carolina Day this year: Sunday, the 28th is the 233rd anniversary of the Battle, but Saturday the 27th is the date of the parade. While we're sure y'all will be spending Sunday with your family, opening presents under the palmetto tree, we hope you will join us in the parade on Saturday. The Library Society is meeting at Washington Park at 11:00 AM, and the marching starts at noon. All members and friends of the Society are encouraged to join us- we will be near the front, under our new green flag!


Don't forget- only six days left to RSVP for the Lowcountry Launch Event for Dorothea Benton Frank's Return to Sullivans Island. The party will be on the evening of the 2nd, and is shaping up to be a lot of fun!

"Maybe the cabin is the place inside each of us, created by our goodwill and teamwork... Nah, they said there'd be sandwiches."

"Oh, yes, sitting... the great leveler. From the mightiest pharaoh, to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?"
-Charles Montgomery Burns


As many of you already know, of the best sits in town is to be had in the Main Reading Room here at the Library Society. Whether at the research tables, digging into a hundred-year old manuscript or a brand-new magazine; or sunk deep in the club chairs taking in a new novel or some non-fiction, the peace and quiet in here is pretty hard to beat (though the streetscaping crews outside occasionally try).

If you know first-hand how relaxing a spell in the CLS can be, though, then you're likely also aware that our chairs have seen better days. If you had been around through two World Wars, Prohibition, eight-and-a-half decades of the Red Sox losing, the Atomic Age, the Jet Age, Nixonomics, Billy Beer, seven decades of the Soviet Union, telegraphs, telegrams, telephones, the internet, the mobile phone, mobile internet, and the collective posteriors of maybe a quarter-million "sits"... you might be a little worse for wear too. (Come to think of it, a signifigant number of our members have lived through two World Wars, Prohibition, eight-and-a-half decades of the Red Sox losing, the Atomic Age, the Jet Age, Nixonomics, Billy Beer, almost-seven decades of the Soviet Union, telegraphs, telegrams, telephones, the internet, the mobile phone, and mobile internet. As for being sat on 250,000 times, I'd rather not know.)

The Society is, therefore, looking* to replace our tired, squeaking, mismatched seating with twenty four new wooden library chairs and four new club chairs. Library chairs can be purchased for a donation of $150, club chairs for $300. A brass plaque of dedication is included if desired. For more information, or to pay by credit card, call 843-723-9912.

ALSO COMING SOON: June 27th is the Carolina Day Parade, come march with us (under our new flag)! Washington Park, 11:00 AM: we're near the front. July 2nd is the Lowcountry Launch Party for Dorothea Benton Frank's new novel, Return to Sullivans Island. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served, and a complimentary signed copy of the book comes with every ticket ($75). There will be sandwiches. Also, spread the word: our first Summer Book Sale, mid-July!


*ha, I audaciously split an infinitive! Take that, 5th grade English class!