Quarter Deck Library

[Twynkle]

Time to have another think about The Library on QE2.

Did anyone else find it useful?
Those old books full of maritime history....
Some were first editions, full of illustrations and thousands of facts about ships, shipping and the sea.

It's design was interesting - it was a bit noisy, but hey - we were on holiday!
Hope it's survived in its entirety.

[Rob Lightbody]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lightbody/2833438951/

[Malcolm]

Did anyone else find it useful?

On the WC they used to put all the books they had on the next few days upcoming ports on that table by the librarians desk. You weren't supposed to take them out of the library because those books were in great demand but you could look at them there. As the cruise progressed they found that people were just taking those books so, by the end, you had to ask if you wanted to see one

[cunardqueen]

Time to have a think about The Library on QE2.

Did anyone else find it useful?

Nope I never  used the Library,to me it was a waste of space, the very last thing l wanted to do was be engrossed in a book onboard, so from my point of view it was never required. However the souvenir selection and books to buy l did find interesting. There was little enough time as it was to be messing about reading
 And if anyone can remember June Applebee, she was a gem of a lady in there.

[Chris]

And if anyone can remember June Applebee, she was a gem of a lady in there.

I remember June - her and Peter Warwick (Social Director) got my family a day pass aboard QE2 in 1999

[Twynkle]

Hello!

This is a question about the current position of the old, valuable and important books in QE2's Library.

Please would it be possible for us to know whether these books, particularly those in the Maritime sections have been kept in their original state?
They are of immense historical significance as an archive, and many would be irreplaceable.

It would be really helpful to have the reassurance that the collection remains unharmed and in tact

Rosie



 

[Malcolm]

the old, valuable and important books in QE2's Library.

They are of immense historical significance as an archive, and many would be irreplaceable.

Two questions: Were they? and were they? 

I was always under the impression that the books were only there as something that provided light reading to passengers.

[Twynkle]

Hello Malcolm!

Yes and Yes...almost certainly!
(Unless my memory is really on the blink - always a possibility, I s'pose!

For example, the pre-war maritime / nautical reference books are now well out of print and are full of history.
There will be copies in the British Library, and probably Greenwich at the National Maritime Library but otherwise difficult to locate - and as mentioned above, some have been placed in the Library of Queen Mary 2.
I'm fairly sure there were some old, well used first editions - and it would be good to know how, and where these are now!
They were on the right hand side of the bookcase in the 'middle', to the left of the man is standing in Rob's great photograph above.

I was really asking for confirmation from the new owners, hopefully they will be able to help.

Rosie

[Rob Lightbody]

Does anyone have a few photos of the original upper deck library?  From the few photos I've seen, it looks superb - spacious and luxurious.  Terrible shame that special spaces like this were lost as the ship became more and more open plan - far too much in my view.

[Twynkle]

I have discovered from a particularly reliable source that although some of the books from the Library on QE2 were shared between 'The Mary' and qv, these didn't include any of the older nautical / maritime books mentioned above.

Should any Forum reader discover the whereabouts of these, since they were disguarded, please do let us know.

Many thanks

[Alex Tarry]

Not sure if this helps, but on our last voyage (No 806 across the Atlantic) there were a number of NEW books in the library, I remember reading one of them (from Dragon's Den) and all these were stamped CUNARD not QE2 like all the old ones, we thought that rather cleverly these had a service life beyond QE2!!

I do recall reading another (about the salvage of gold from HMS Edinburgh) and whilst excellent did remark on how tatty a lot of the older books were becoming - I am not sure what the title was but I religously found the section on one old book about RMS Queen Elizabeth leaving the Clyde "for sea trials" and once at sea being directed at full steam ahead to New York, complete with launch gear attached to here hull - fantastic!!

Old books can be sourced pretty easily these days and they'll have to the minute she re-opens - just look at the original British Library, thanks Paul Hamlyn....

Alex....

[Twynkle]

Thank you, Alex

I have been in touch with Brian Hawley.
(luxurylinerrow@yahoo.com)
He has recently advertised some other old maritime books and 
he might just come across them.

Rosie

[Cruisemarsh]

One of the best stocked libraries afloat in terms of nautical books. The book shop was excellent too and was very well stocked with books and not just QE2 ones but also QM2, Queen Mary and Titanic. Was always a place of interest on every cruise we sailed on QE2.

[richc1977]

I saw some books in there that I hadn't seen for years, the last time I had access to copies was when there were in my local library, but they disappeared from there eventually.

Does Dubai have charity shops?  I hope they've not been disposed of as I think throwing out books is a crime.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Does Dubai have charity shops?  I hope they've not been disposed of as I think throwing out books is a crime.

You will find some discussion of the discarded items, here :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,289

Many of the books were apparently given to the Mission to Seafarers in Dubai.