CAN I HELP YOU DEAR?

In a small public library in East Anglia, one that has so far escaped the onslaught of the barbarians, there is a librarian who looks as if she should have retired many, many years ago. You might hesitate before asking her a question about a book, as she looks like she might be vague and she has food on her un-ironed blouse and what appear to be thistles in the pocket of her cardigan, but do go ahead, she’ll answer your question. Most people don’t ask her, and if they do, they’ll ask her about a book, which is a shame, as she can and must answer any question put to her, even if it is an answer that nobody else in the world knows. She’s known everything even before there were books, or indeed even before there were languages that they could be written in.