The Elephant House, Edinburgh

I've been in Edinburgh the past two weeks doing research. This evening (my last in Edinburgh) I decided to do something touristy, so I went the the Elephant House for a lovely slice of cake and a hot chocolate with a touch of Baileys Irish cream.  The Elephant House's tag line is the "Birthplace of the first Harry Potter Novel," since this is where JK Rowling, while a single mother on welfare with her first baby in-tow, used to sit and write.  I ended up at a table next to a Canadian flight attendant, named Jake, and we talked about Harry Potter.  The table where we were sitting had drawers full of Harry Potter fan mail.

So here is my yummy food and drink, and some of the lovely letters.  I don't envy the person who's job it will be to archive this latter. : )  But considering all the letters and journals and financial records I've been going through at the W. & R. Chambers archive, these letters were such a treat to read.

Transcript of this letter:

Dear JK Rowling: 
Thank you for my childhood, for my happiness, & for making a shy and quiet 8-year old feel like she could be a Hermione.  The impact your words have had on my life are inexplicable.  You've united the world through the love of your imagination.  There truly are no worlds to explain what an effect Harry Potter has had on me.  I cannot thank you enough for bringing magic into my life.

Thank you (One last time in writing), 
Courtney Smith
Sunberry Austraila
28/10/2014

When my new flight attendant friend took off, I sat quietly and read more from my book on the history of the OED.  It's background reading for my PhD, you know, 19th century stuff.

A drawing of Harry's Owl Hedwig kept me company, and looked on in approval.