Books and Bourbon

Out in Bourbon Country

One of the evening distractions during my time in Kentucky last month was a drive out to the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky--not far from Lexington and Frankfort, the state capital. It was about a 60 mile drive, which ended up in the rolling hills of Kentucky horse country. It was a perfect afternoon and early evening ride out to the distillery, where the sun slowly fell across the horizon, flashing between the angular, criss-crossing branches of Blackgums, Silverbells, and Tulip Poplars. Theological librarians from around the country sat in their bus seats chatting about their libraries, their professions, their interests in librariana and beyond. As the hill country became more pronounced, we became transfixed on the mounds of earth rising and falling, dotted by a solitary oak or a line of planted trees along the country road or a gathering of horses on a ridge.















The clouds were spun high into weaves of delicate tendrils, wisps of airy air. On earth, the ground was fresh and grassy, closed off by a long running fence, further than the eye could follow.















We soon descended a long serpentine drive, which dead-ended along a hidden creek that gurgled and ran into the woods. Along its slight banks, one encountered several stately old stone buildings, which made up the distillery complex.





























Dismounting the bus, the group waiting for direction and the tour. We were greeted by a 17+ year old cat, whose name I don't remember. But I think it was something like Elijah.















Barrels like these were lined up outside along an old train-style guiding rail. Once full of "new bourbon," these barrels are rolled to the aging house, where they are stored for up to 8 years.















Inside the distillery--the beginning of the tour...





























Above the entrance, one will climb a staircase to an upper level and find massive vats of yeasty liquid: the early part of the distilling process that looks like soup from the green lagoon!















These vats are massive, some of them more than 20 feet deep. And they have coils on the inside, as you can see in this image above.





























The various vats have "pre-bourbon" at different stages, so some have greenish looking "water," with calm surfaces, while others look like massive algae ponds, with ferocious bubbling surfaces, off-gassing at monstrous rates! Before leaving this area, the tour guide told us to stick our fingers in the brews and taste them. I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't! Many of us did and tasted the delicate balance of sweetness with yeastiness, and all that's in between--a bit pasty! (Kids, don't try this at home).





























The stills themselves were in an adjacent room and were thoroughly impressive. I believe the tour guide said that these were made out of copper. And they look like something out of a Victorian horror show!


































Books!--Finally, books! Yes, I was very pleased to discover some old fashioned books in the distillery. It turns out that the notation system for taking care of the processing of the alcohol is still done by hand in an old notebook! There are no computers doing this. And the company, we were told, is rather proud of this old-style processing.















Above and below: more images of the notebooks and the stills.






























































Corking tools and corks for plugging the barrel holes.


































In the building where the bourbon is aged on high-stacked racks. Below, in the testing and packaging area.





























The end of the tour brought us to a patio with tables and chairs nestled above the creek. Here, we were treated to samples of the precious firewater of these hills, pumped out from 90 feet below the earth's surface, from subterranean streams, processed with yeast and other natural ingredients, distilled, and aged. Now, I'm not a drinker of these hard liquors, and I admit that I could barely survive the high-grade fumes of this Reserve, but I sat relaxed with my fellow librarians while tending the gentle warmth of an evening bourbon. It was a fine entree before the specially catered meal of whiskey glazed chicken, seasoned green beans, and a spinachy lasagna. Oh, and I can't forget the bourbon'd bread pudding for dessert! Books, bourbon, and theological librarians--now that's a combination.

American Printing House for the Blind Museum and Library

"The Greatest Museum in Louisville!"

One of the great secrets of Louisville is that it is home to one of the most interesting and--in my opinion--extraordinary museums I've come across in years. The museum is rather new, but it showcases and educates visitors on a much older institution: the American Printing House for the Blind. The first photo here shows the sign outside of the building, which interestingly depicts the name of the company in Latin letters AND large-size Braille! Part of the delight of finding this place is that it really is a landmark, not simply in Louisville, but in the United States and world-wide. In the following photograph, you will see an historical marker which indicates its historical status. As it notes, the American Printing House for the Blind has been around since 1858 and is the oldest non-profit agency for the blind in the US and the largest publishing house for the blind in the world--quite a distinction!















As I mentioned, the museum is a new component and serves to educate people on the enterprise of blind typographic and cultural history, blind publishing, and blind pedagogy and education. There are interactive stations for younger visitors, as well as for adults. One of the staff members at the museum told me about various processes of producing Braille books and how you can get a book (or "your book") made into Braille.















The museum is truly extraordinary. An perhaps it felt even more so with no other tourists milling around! The Printing House, its museum, and library are not in the center of town, but more toward the east side of Louisville, on a fairly quiet street. I rode a bike the morning I found it, parked the bike along a fence and walked in. It was quiet and air-conditioned and I asked the person at the front desk about the museum hours. They directed me up an elevator, which opened to this fine entrance above.















Throughout the museum you will find items such as these--books in Braille and other books for the blind. Apparently, in the 19th century, according to the history of blind typography, printing, and writing, there were typography wars or perhaps even "Braille wars." What this meant is that several individuals were vying for the best mode of tactile type for use in printing for the blind. Some systems or shapes looked like crescents, for example, while others were simply raised Latin letters!















Somewhere in the museum, there was a quote about the best systems of printing for the blind were those systems created by they blind, not by those created by someone with sight. Below is a display dedicated to the good Mr. Braille himself.





























Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about Braille is the story behind it. Or at least part of the story. Braille himself devised the system based on an earlier writing system called "Night Writing," created by Charles Barbier at the request of Napoleon. The French leader wanted a silent communication system that soldiers could use during the night--silent communication for military and warfare. The system, which was called sonography, was based on a 6x6 matrix of dots that soldiers could pass their hands across in the dark and execute orders or other military actions. Braille adapted this and the rest is history.















Various tools for blind printing can be seen above. And more books below.





























Above is an encyclopedia done completely in Braille--if I remember correctly it was World Book, and contained well over 140 volumes! Below are musical renderings into blind-friendly text. I'm not sure if they technically call this "Braille," but the notations are raised.





























Above and below we find the library portion of the APHB. The museum was on one floor and the library was just above it. Finding the library was a little hard, since it wasn't advertised. But I was convinced that it had to be in the building--you don't have such a remarkable organization with a museum and NOT have a library! I spoke with two wonderful individuals in the library area, one of whom was in the general library area, the other in an office down the hall from the library. In the latter, I was introduced to the librarian/archivivst, who was most welcoming and told me about some of the collections. She also showed me some remarkable archival materials including a document written in Japan in the late 1970s on reading for the blind on computers (this would have been a precursor to "reading online" for the blind)--simply amazing! Another document was from the 1920s and dealt with the history of blindness and fair treatment of the blind at that time--the document was revolutionary in that it is one of the first egalitarian writings regarding the blind: treating those with blindness as human beings rather than anomolies.

























































On my way out of the museum, I discovered this little interactive children's station. I bent down and found that it was actually a series of goggles with gradually worse obfuscation. They are meant to show various degrees of blindness. I thought that this was a fine pedagogical tool, and not just for children! I think many times adults fail to realize the full implications of not just blindness, but other physical impairments that make it difficult to live in our world. This was a wonderful museum, and surely under-utilized and under-visited. It's good to find a museum where you learn something, but even better to find a museum that makes you more aware of ourselves and those around us.

Martin Luther's Book on the Street

"So there's a guy on the street..."

Well, actually, one day I rented a bike in Louisville, and on my way back to the hotel I ran into him. Specifically, I rode "by" him: it was a statue of Martin Luther. Now usually, I'm enchanted by statues of any sort, and even more taken by statues of individuals carrying or holding books. But think about this: Martin Luther carrying a book!? Well, this was sort of the "great book" statue to some extent, for a librarian working at a Lutheran seminary! I pulled over and took a few snapshots of the statue for all of you to see today. The statue stands in front of the First Lutheran Church of Louisville, which is located at 417 E. Broadway. The Church is an ELCA church, whose present (interim) pastor is the Rev. Judy Brennan. It was founded in 1872, originally with 14 members.

The Luther statue dates from 1960, when an educational unit was added to the church. It is one of only ten Luther statues in the United States and was sculpted by Frederick Soetebier of Germany. For a more full history of the church and other related information, see the following URL: http://www.thewelcomeplace.com/ and then go to the "interesting history" link.

It's surprising where some bike rides will take you--or even what sort of things you will find!
But I'm convinced that there are books around every corner, whether real or bronze, like this one. Just keep looking!

Books and Barbaro!...at Churchill Downs

A Hot Day at the Racetrack

Continuing on my little visit to Louisville last month, I took one afternoon to visit the track and facilities of Churchill Downs, the famed location of the Kentucky Derby. I didn't realize that it was actually in Louisville itself, and is fairly easy to access. It is situated in the southern portion of the city, near the Louisville airport. The day that I went on the tour it continued to be blazing hot in Louisville, and I attempted to find a place to hide from the relentless sun. A group from the ATLA conference took a bus (with air-condition!) to the track and headed in quickly to the inside of the Churchill Downs buildings, where the Kentucky Derby Museum was located. Unfortunately, we didn't spend much time indoors, instead we went out back to see the stables, but again most of us retreated for shade during the tour of the grounds.

There were a few books on premises, so I snapped some images for your viewing pleasure. Most of them were in the book shop, such as this one called "Gallopalooza!"

Some horses resting in the museum stable area.

And everyone had a designated "parking space," though it was unclear if this was for their car or their horse?

The area where bets are placed (above) and continuation of the massive complex (below).





























Above the view from the stands, as well as others viewing the track below (on the tour).





























The bibliotourist pauses to take shelter from the sun.















The track is really a remarkable piece of engineering, even though it is an old dirt/sand track. Here's an eye-level view.





























Again, pausing for photos. Below we discovered old-technology emissions. And I must announce that I was not the only one on this tour photographing these processed piles of equestrian product! It was as if the tour group had seen thoroughbred gold! Snap! Snap! Snap!





























We retreated back into the cool-air museum to rest and enjoy the history, before getting back on the bus. Below we find an exhibit of ladies' hats and jockey uniforms.











































Finally some books!--here was a book display of some Stephen Foster artifacts, which were quite interesting. Specifically "My Old Kentucky Home!"





























Of course, there were some more desirable biblio-items in the book and gift shop. And I figured these would bring us back to our biblio-earth. For those of you who enjoy the photos, I've kept the writing down today. I figured I wouldn't...pardon me..."horse around" with some extra verbiage. And I've got a whole lot more to write about this week. So stay tuned and enjoy!