RICHARD FREEMAN: Sticking it to the man

I recently offered to finish writing a book on the wendigo, the Ojibwa/Cree cannibal spirit/monster. Mike Hallowell was writing it but his recent ill health was hindering the project. I had sourced several in-depth texts on the subject but Mike was unable to get them from the library in Newcastle and when he tried ordering them he was just messed around for weeks on end.

When I took over the project I ordered three texts at the library in Exeter. Two of the books were found in the British Library very quickly and I rushed to pick them up when they arrived at Exeter.

However, they told me that taking them out was not permitted - this was annoying but at least I could photocopy them. Then I was told that I was not allowed to photocopy them either!

Libraries are supposed to be about the dissemination of knowledge not the greedy, pointless hoarding of it. It was not as if these were old or fragile books that might be damaged by photocopying; one was from 1981 and the other from the early 1960s.

So what did I do I hear you ask, oh, gentle reader.

I said **** the British Library and photocopied them anyway; the whole lot. It cost about £25!

Previously I had failed to find these books for sale,but the day after I finished photocopying them I found both on ABE Books!

The British Library is sending me the third text as - guess what - a photocopy!