I was amongst the Boffins again last week. Warwick Arts Centre had wangled me an invitation to a reception (again) at the university’s Centre for the History of Medicine. The plan was to talk to more clever folk about The Anatomy of Melancholy, this mission was accomplished along with great glimpse into the world of academia plus many tasty nibbles (mostly miniature versions of larger dishes – on reflection they may have been the results of experiments in another part of campus) and some sparkling booze.

The most notable element of the evening was a retiring professor bequeathing his library to the Centre – a bold statement of retirement. I was gratified to see a volume had been co-authored by Mr. / Mrs. (maybe even Dr. or Prof. Boring ). Maybe getting shot of his library wasn’t such a wrench after all.