Now our younger readers may not remember a time before the internet and all this social media, when researchers either had to buy a lot of books, or go out to the local library. This may have changed, but the library is still as useful, and often allows their members to have free home access to a range of invaluable online research tools.
Here we have a very unusual library indeed, shown here as the Library Khedivial, in Cairo. This was also the Egyptian National Library, first suggested, in 1870, by the ruler of Egypt at that time, Isma'il Pasha, or Ismail the Magnificent. Now at that time he might have been a ruler, but he was not a King, he was known as a Khedive, which is where the name of the library originates. He was also the ruler of Sudan, and he remained in charge of both countries until 1879, when Great Britain and France came along and ousted him. Sadly, this was caused through his own desire to have better links with Europe and Great Britain, and to model the constitution of his country on theirs. In other words he asked for help, and ended up being taken over.
Yet it is him that we have to thank for building the Suez Canal, and making it so successful - plus the growth, and Westernisation of Cairo.
The library was originally sited on the lower floor of his brother`s Palace, at Darb Al Gamamiz, but later moved to .better facilities inside the same, Then the books and other historical artefacts grew too many for the area of the library, and so it was suggested that a new building be designed - however this took five years to complete, and it was not opened until 1904. This building is still there, but is no longer the library, it is a museum. There is a new library, with a separate archives department, which was built in the late 1960s
This set appears in our original World Tobacco Issues Index under the issues of Scerri, Malta - the heading for which says "Cards inscribed "John Scerri", "Scerri`s Cigarette Factory", "Scerri`s Cigarettes", or brand issues inscribed "Black Spot Cigarettes", "Galata and Senator Cigarettes". Issued 1920 - 40." However our set quite clearly states "Scerries Cigarettes", a permutation which is not included in that list. Our set is described as :
INTERESTING PLACES OF THE WORLD. Sm. 60 x 40. Black and white. Nd. (52) ... S32-7
In our updated World Tobacco Issues Index there is still no mention of "Scerries". However the text remains the same, only the code has altered, to S147-375