Dear readers,
The Thomas J. Watson Library might be the quietest place in New York City. You can hear a person’s stomach rumble at a distance of 20 feet. This jewel is found inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and features a staggering array of rare manuscripts, monographs, pamphlets, letters, journals and so forth. To gain access, you simply register for a free library card online and fetch it in person. Easy. (Well, easy if you’re in N.Y.C. If not, check out the library’s Instagram for a steady drip of riches.)
I initially joined because I thought it would be fun to create a “themed” section of my garden containing herbs used in medieval medicine — wormwood, hedgenettle, etc. — and wanted a crack at primary, or at least secondary, sources. In the process I picked up many useful poison recipes. And in a moment of unrelated whispering with a fellow patron, I was recommended the Patrick Süskind book below — proving, once again, that libraries are the ultimate serendipity machines.
—Molly
