Celebration of library will be on epic scale

A MARATHON reading of an epic poem about hell and Satan is to be held at Merchiston Castle School tomorrow, as part of celebrations for the library's tenth anniversary.

Pupils will mark the anniversary with an uninterrupted reading by staff of John Milton's Paradise Lost, starting at 7am and continuing throughout the day until 6pm.

The final 50 lines of the poem will be read by Magnus Linklater, a former editor of The Scotsman, who officially opened the library in June 2000. The eleven-hour reading has been set up to enable pupils to listen to the poem between classes.

Assistant head academic, Dr Nigel Mortimer, said: "Merchiston's Milton Marathon is a novel way in which we can appreciate this masterpiece, while bringing the school community together to celebrate the success of the Spawforth Library over the last ten years.

"As a boys' school Merchiston bucks the trend for private reading among teenage boys, and I am sure that the library facility has contributed significantly to this tradition over the past decade."

The reading marathon is part of a series of events to celebrate the library's anniversary. Since it opened the volume of books and periodicals has developed extensively, with holdings in books alone now numbering more than 16,000.