Emma Smith chaired by Val McDermid - Portable Magic: A History of Books and their Readers
- THIS EVENT HAS EXPIRED
- Tickets
-
£13.44 (£12 ticket charge plus £1.44 Booking Fee)
- Dates and times
-
Saturday 20th May 2023
12:45PM
- Age
- Adult, Over 14s only. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Emma and Val
will be exploring the unexpected and unseen
consequences of our love affair with books
Most of what we say about books is really about the words inside them: the rosy nostalgic glow for childhood reading, the lifetime companionship of a much-loved novel. But books are things as well as words, objects in our lives as well as worlds in our heads. And just as we crack their spines, loosen their leaves and write in their margins, so they disrupt and disorder us in turn. All books are, as Stephen King put it, 'a uniquely portable magic'. Here, Emma Smith shows us why.
Portable Magic unfurls an exciting and iconoclastic new story of the book in human hands, exploring when, why and how it acquired its particular hold over us. Gathering together a millennium's worth of pivotal encounters with volumes big and small, Smith reveals that, as much as their contents, it is books' physical form - their 'bookhood' - that lends them their distinctive and sometimes dangerous magic. From the Diamond Sutra to Jilly Cooper's Riders, to a book made of wrapped slices of cheese, this composite artisanal object has, for centuries, embodied and extended relationships between readers, nations, ideologies and cultures, in significant and unpredictable ways.
In
association with the Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS)
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Dispatch Charges
E-tickets - Free of charge
Fulfilment Fee - £1.95
Transaction Charges apply as follows
- Online up to £1.50
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Tickets Booking Line:
0141 353 8000.
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Restoration fund
From 1 September 2024, for any new events going on sale at our Concert Halls venues (Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, City Halls and Old Fruitmarket and Kelvingrove Bandstand), a new Restoration Fund of £1.50 per ticket may be added at checkout. To view the full Restoration Fund T&Cs please click here
Accessible toilets
There are several accessible toilets in this venue. For more information on the location and features of these toilets, please use the AccessAble guide.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome at the venue, but please be aware that noise levels can be high during some events. At the time of booking please let our Box Office Team know if an assistance dog will be accompanying you to the venue, or email the Venue Team at GRCHVM@glasgowlife.org.uk
Hearing loop
The stalls of the Main Hall and New Hall are equipped with induction loop systems, but operation is dependent on each individual event or performance, so provision can vary. Headsets can be supplied during your visit. For more information about the availability of induction loop systems at the venue please email our Venue Team: GRCHVM@glasgowlife.org.uk
Wheelchair access
Wheelchair access is from the Killermont Street entrance (North Entrance) only. From this entrance, there is Lift access to all levels.
Each performance space has designated seating for wheelchairs and a companion is welcome to sit with you. Please contact our box office team for more information at box_office_enquiries@glasgowlife.org.uk
Wheelchairs are available on request. For use of a venue wheelchair, please email our Venue Team at GRCHVM@glasgowlife.org.uk
Emergency Evacuation
If you have accessible requirements and wish to discuss a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) please contact the venue management team: GRCHVM@glasgowlife.org.uk
Baby changing
There are baby changing facilities in the café toilets and exhibition corridor toilets (next to the Box Office)
Baby feeding
Breastfeeding is welcome at the venue.
Cafe or restaurant
Full table service is not available, food or drinks are ordered from the service counter. However, food and drinks can be brought to the table.
There is not a lowered section at the counter.
No tables are permanently fixed. No chairs are permanently fixed. Some chairs have armrests.
Drinking straws are available.
Menus are hand held and wall mounted. Menus are not available in Braille. Menus are not available in large print. Picture menus are not available.
Café Opening hours are 10am-4pm Monday to Saturday. The café also will be open for events to ticketholders only. For more information contact our Venue Team at GRCHVM@glasgowlife.org.uk
Parking
There is no on-site parking but there are nearby car parks:
Concert Square Car Park - visit their website
Buchanan Galleries Car Park - visit their website
Please note Buchanan Galleries close at 9pm.
Meter Street parking is also available. Read parking information on Glasgow City Council's website
Photography and video recording
At times, Glasgow Life will be on the premises to film and take photos.
The public are only permitted to record and take photos where explicit permission has been granted in advance.
Free wifi
Yes, there is free public Wifi access. To connect, visitors have to register with the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Public Wifi which should pop up on their browser. After that visitors will only need their password for future uses.
Location Map
Here at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, we take your safety and security seriously. That’s why we’re supporting Counter Terrorism Policing’s campaign to encourage everyone to help keep each other safe this winter.
We have security measures you can see and, of course, ones you can’t. We ask you to help by staying alert and trusting your instincts.
While you’re with us, you will see our security team and front of house staff, who are there to help you if you need it. If something doesn’t feel right, tell them straight away and they will do the rest. You won’t be wasting our time.
In an emergency, call 999. Let’s keep each other safe.
With many different rooms and breakout areas available, the complex can accommodate meetings and conferences from 12 - 2000 delegates. Visit the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall's venue hire web page to find out more.
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