28 November 2016
Episode 268
30 minutes
It’s not often that you get your hands on a manuscript, whether it’s the first draft of a novel or an ancient text etched on vellum. On the show today we get to know stories in their original formats and discover what can be learned by experiencing them first hand.
28 November 2016
Share episode
DownloadChapter 1
10 minutes
15
15
/
We pay the Parker Library at Cambridge University a visit to discover some of the UK’s oldest manuscripts. Here we meet fellow librarian Christopher De Hamel, who explains his passion for old books and why the journey that an ancient text has been on is almost as interesting as what is written on the page.
10 minutes
Share chapter 1
Chapter 2
9 minutes
15
15
/
Walter Donohue is an experienced editor at one of the UK’s best publishing houses. Robert Bound speaks to him about the feeling he gets when a new manuscript – whether from an established name or a first-time novelist – lands on his desk.
9 minutes
Share chapter 2
Chapter 3
7 minutes
Photo: Éditions des Saints Pères
15
15
/
Editions des Saint Pères is a Parisian publishing house that’s reprinting the original manuscripts of classic novels. So far it has made beautifully bound books of the scribblings of Voltaire, Carroll and Cocteau and it is about to publish the first draft of Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre’. Co-founder Jessica Nelson speaks to Holly Fisher about what you get from a book in its original format.
7 minutes
Share chapter 3
Want more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
Monocle on Culture - latest episodes
The best cultural releases of 2025
We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home…
‘Nickel Boys’ and ‘Babygirl’
We start the year off with a bang by celebrating the release of two fantastic new films. We hear from director RaMell Ross about ‘Nickel Boys’, a formally inventive and beautifully rendered adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize…
The year in review
Laura Snapes, Toby Earle and Mia Levitin join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the best of this year’s albums, TV and books.
The best of 2024
We share highlights from this year's programme, including interviews with the likes of Hans Zimmer and Maggi Hambling, and a very special session with folk duo The Staves.
The best Christmas music of 2024
Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson join Robert Bound in the studio for our annual review of the season’s best festive music releases, including albums and singles from Orville Peck, Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Fallon.
Takashi Murakami and Tate Modern’s ‘Electric Dreams’
We visit two new London exhibitions. ‘Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami’ at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill outpost offers the contemporary artist’s interpretations of Edo-era artworks. We sit down with Murakami to…
New documentaries: ‘The Bibi Files’ and ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’
We cover the release of two fascinating and revealing documentaries. Both take a sideways look at men we’re familiar with from their public – and vastly different – profiles: one as a world leader and the other as an icon…
Hank Willis Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas is a US artist who works across media to explore themes including identity, popular culture and mass media. We meet him at his exhibition of collages, ‘Kinship of the Soul’, at London’s Pace Gallery.
Steve McQueen and ‘Blitz’
Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is known for his in-depth, human exploration of characters and history, which is executed with an artist’s eye. We speak to McQueen about the release of his new film, ‘Blitz’, which…
20 years of Nonclassical
We celebrate 20 years of music promoter, record label and events producer Nonclassical. Over the past two decades, the organisation has been at the forefront of classical, experimental and electronic music, leading the way…
‘Box Office Poison’
We sit down with Tim Robey, author of the new book ‘Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops’. This alternative history of cinema recounts the industry’s biggest bombs, including how they came to be made…
Walla Walla Foundry, a new Italian film and French pop star Zaho de Sagazan
We head to Rome to find out about a new film dedicated to the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s before visiting one of the world’s largest contemporary art foundries in Walla Walla. Plus: an interview with French pop…
Gran Turismo Folgore: A Lucca Roadtrip
As this special episode pauses to consider elements of great design, it is important to not overcomplicate matters. Sometimes, all you need is four wheels and a beating heart. Monocle’s Italian odyssey concludes with a…
A new ballet based on the life and writing of Oscar Wilde
We find out about ‘Oscar’, a ballet based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Plus: artist Sophie Matisse tells us about designing chess sets, and writer and translator Bruna Dantas Lobato discusses her new book, ‘Blue…
Asymmetry and Heartland at Noma
We venture from Monocle’s Marylebone HQ to London’s Dalston to learn about an organisation looking east. Asymmetry is an unusual, forward-thinking foundation dedicated to developing cultural knowledge in and about Asia.…