Keep Calm And Carry On With “All Things Downton”

Need some help to get through the off season of Downton Abbey?  Chin up, we have a new library display entitled “All Things Downton.”  As you enter the library you will be greeted by a comprehensive selection of period literature and dvds exploring 20th century British fiction and history.  Read-alikes/view-alikes to the Downton Abbey PBS series are showcased throughout the display.  Featured videos include The Cazelets, Brideshead Revisited, The Forsyte Saga, and, of course,Upstairs, Downstairs.  When not on reserve, our dvd sets for seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Downton Abbey may also be borrowed.

Fans of biographies might enjoy reading Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey detailing the life of the fifth Countess of Carnarvon and events at Highclere Castle during the First World War.  Noteworthy fiction apropos of the times or dealing with similar topics can be found throughout the display. Here you may borrow Howard’s End, The Remains of the Day, or The Buccaneers, for instance.  

In addition, please browse or take our original, complimentary bookmarks for Downton Abbey subject matter or for British historical fiction.   These bookmarks are included in the display and will serve as helpful reminders of what to read next.  And don’t forget to visit “The British Collection” area of our dvd shelving to find other great series as well.

Stiff Upper Lip

Royalists, are you feeling rather flat after the finale of the queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration this week?  All that pomp and circumstance, all that ceremony and tradition, over and done with so soon. Well, if you're lucky enough to  live in our vicinity, pop on over to Bernardsville Library's very own British Collection for your fix of all things British in the medium of film. Click here for more information about the British Collection. Then put the kettle on for a nice spot of relaxing tea.

Queen of The British Collection

Bernardsville Public Library's renowned collection of British films and television series continues to attract a borrowing public looking for shows with that special British humor, flair, historical interest and literary depth.  Staff member Susan Popper, a fan of  British film, recognized the public's growing demand for these items five years ago and created a section among our videotapes and dvds devoted entirely to the British material.  She named it The British Collection, and the rest was history.

Our customers can't get enough of these great series and films, and we can rely on them to return week after week for more viewing material.  They especially appreciate the broad selection of PBS and BBC productions as well as independent movies and television shows.  And there is so much variety to chose from, even within a particular theme!  For instance, ecclesiatical humor and charm bless those who watch the Ballykissangel, Father Ted, and The Vicar of Dibley series.  Medicine is served up with wildly different bedside manners in Doc Martin, Doctor Finlay, and All Creatures Great and Small.

Contrast the older family saga, Poldark, with the newer Monarch of the Glen.  Criminal inspector series such as George Gently, Midsomer Murders, Prime Suspect, and Inspector Lynley, offer a modern counterpoint to the many classic Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple and Poirot films in the collection.  Hyacinth Bucket carries on her silly class humor in Keeping Up Appearances while the main character in the BBC series Lovejoy hones his eye for antiques, lovely ladies and intrigue, all at the same time.

Espionage and military themes appear in the series, Reilly, the Ace of Spies, and Foyle's War, but we also offer a number of BBC military histories and documentaries.  For the literary crowd, movies based on the works of Dickens, Austen, Thackeray, Bronte, and other noted authors are popular choices.  And don't forget those old PBS chestnuts, such as Upstairs Downstairs and Brideshead Revisited, which still contend with the newer productions.

For more information on what's available in The British Collection, click on this link to our catalog.

Religion Lite

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

Join the many fans of British television series Ballykissangel, Father Ted, and The Vicar of Dibley who have "seen the light" and who thank heaven for a good laugh. Ecclesiastical humor, inspired characters, and heavenly scenery combine in these shows to provide a divine experience for faithful viewers. To have your own moment of conversion, check out a season or two of epidsodes, now on dvd at Bernardsville Public Library. You are sure to chortle, guffaw, and titter over these situational comedies which, more often than not, bring the headlining priests down from their pulpits and into the spiritual morass of village life. Father Ted and Ballykissangel take place in Ireland, and The Vicar of Dibley, featuring a female Anglican priest, is set in rural England.

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

Look for these dvd sets in The British Collection, a specially designed area of Bernardsville Public Library's video section where BBC and other British film and television productions can be found. There are many temptations awaiting you there.

Are You Looking For Something Good To Watch?

Exasperated with the state of U.S. television, a number of patrons have discovered our very own antidote - The British Collection, featuring a wide selection of British television series and PBS adaptations. Assembled by staff member Susan Popper, the British Collection contains both dvds and videotapes of popular older British TV series such as All Creatures Great and Small as well as newer shows, including
Rosemary and Thyme, a series about female horticulturalists who take on amateur detective work

and Campion, showcasing the sleuthing skills of debonair Albert Campion. Bernardsville Public Library is happy to share these items with you. Come into our video section and look for the Union Jack stickers marking The British Collection.