DP25030 Persephone Books - Bath V01 121125

 Persephone Books

Persephone Books

Web

Address: 8, Edgar Buildings, Bath BA1 2EE, United Kingdom

Phone: +441225425050

Here’s a detailed look at Persephone Books in Bath—what it is, why it’s special, and what you might enjoy if you visit.

What & Where

• Persephone Books is both an independent publisher and a bookshop, based at 8 Edgar Buildings, Bath BA1 2EE. 

• The shop is in a Grade II listed building built around 1761; its basement still retains features from that era (like an original fireplace, bread oven, York flagstones). 

• Opening hours (as of their website): Monday – Friday 10:00-18:00; Saturday 11:00-17:00. 

What Makes Them Unique

• Persephone publishes and sells books that are mostly neglected fiction and non-fiction, primarily by women writers from the mid-20th century. 

• Each book in their numbered collection features a distinctive format: a grey jacket, patterned end-papers inspired by the era of first publication, and a matching bookmark. 

• The shop doesn’t just sell books: it hosts book groups, small events, and offers a calm, curated environment. 

Why It’s Worth Visiting

• For book lovers: If you’re intrigued by lesser-known authors (especially women) and want to discover “hidden gems” rather than mainstream bestsellers, this is a great place.

• For the ambience: The historic building, elegant book design, thoughtful presentation and gentle atmosphere make it more than just a commercial bookshop. 

• For the set-up: Because the shop is directly tied to the publisher, you’ll find the full catalogue and perhaps deeper knowledge from staff about each title.

• For a visit in Bath: Located in a city that’s already rich in literary heritage, the shop adds on nicely to a walk around Bath with a visit to a special independent store.

Practical Tips if You Go

• It’s a small-scale shop, so give yourself a bit of time to browse slowly rather than rushing.

• Check their book groups: for example, they hold an Evening Book Group (2nd Wednesday of the month at 18:00) and a Morning Book Group (3rd Thursday at 10:30) at the shop. 

• If you’re buying one of their grey-jacket titles: part of the appeal is the design (end-papers, etc), so take the time to look beyond the jacket.

• If you can’t visit in person: their website offers full catalogue and mail-order. 

• If you’re planning a trip to Bath: the shop is centrally located, so you could combine it with other literary or architectural sightseeing.

If you like, I can check the latest books they’ve published, or find special events happening at the Bath shop soon. Would you like me to?

 

DO25029 Scanning 35mm film strips. V01 311025

 Great question — digitizing 35 mm negatives is one of those projects where automation can save a lot of time and produce much more consistent results than doing each frame manually. Let’s go through how you can automate scanning 35 mm negative strips into digital files, from low-cost DIY setups to semi-professional workflows.

🧩 Overview: What’s Involved

To automate scanning negatives, you need to automate three tasks:

1. Feeding and positioning the negative strip.

2. Capturing the image (either via a scanner or a camera).

3. Processing and inverting the raw scans into positive images.

🔧 Option 1: Dedicated Film Scanner with Batch/Strip Feeder

🏷️ Examples

• Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED + SF-210 or SF-200 strip feeder

• Plustek OpticFilm 135i (semi-automated feed)

• Pacific Image PrimeFilm XA (auto-feed for strips and slides)

⚙️ Automation

• These scanners automatically feed 6-frame strips, scan each frame, and save files.

• Software like VueScan or SilverFast allows:

• Batch scanning all frames automatically.

• Automatic naming (Film_YYYYMMDD_Frame01.tif etc.).

• Automatic inversion for color negatives (with film profiles).

✅ Pros

• Excellent quality (4000 DPI+)

• Fully automated scanning + saving.

• Handles color correction and dust removal (Digital ICE).

❌ Cons

• Expensive ($800–$2500 used)

• Slower per frame than a camera setup.

• Hardware availability can be limited.

📸 Option 2: DSLR/Mirrorless Camera + Automated Film Transport

If you already have a good camera, this route offers speed + flexibility.

🧱 Components

• DSLR/mirrorless camera with macro lens (e.g., 1:1 magnification).

• Light source: LED light pad (CRI > 95, uniform light).

• Film holder: Essential for flatness (e.g., Negative Supply, Valoi, Essential Film Holder).

• Motorized film transport system (optional but ideal for automation):

• Negative Supply Film Carrier MK2 + Motor Module

• Valoi Advancer + stepper motor DIY mod

• Arduino/ESP32 film transport controller for DIY builds.

🧠 Automation Workflow

1. Use a motorized film advancer to move the strip one frame at a time.

2. Use tethered shooting software:

• DSLR Remote Pro, Capture One, or Smart Shooter for automatic capture + file naming.

• Trigger next-frame advance via Arduino or USB relay after each capture.

3. Post-process automatically:

• Use Negative Lab Pro (Lightroom plugin) or FilmLab to batch-invert and color correct negatives.

✅ Pros

• Extremely fast (1–2 sec per frame).

• Can be fully automated with code + stepper motor.

• Produces 4K–8K equivalent digital scans.

❌ Cons

• Requires DIY setup or expensive automation hardware.

• Need to calibrate exposure and white balance carefully.

🧰 Option 3: DIY Full Automation with Raspberry Pi or Arduino

If you like to build your own system:

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi + Camera Module or DSLR (controlled via USB).

• Stepper motor + 3D-printed film holder + rollers.

• LED backlight.

• Micro switch for frame detection or image-based alignment (OpenCV).

Software

• Python + gPhoto2 for camera control.

• Stepper motor control via GPIO pins.

• OpenCV to detect frame boundaries automatically.

• Optional: Batch processing scripts for inversion and color correction.

This can get very close to a commercial scanner in automation if tuned well.

🖼️ Post-Processing Automation

Once you have your negatives digitized:

• Auto inversion:

• Negative Lab Pro (Lightroom)

• FilmLab

• ColorPerfect (Photoshop plugin)

• Python + OpenCV script for DIY inversion

• Auto cropping & frame detection:

• OpenCV or ImageMagick batch scripts.

⚙️ Recommended Automation Stack (Mid-Budget, High Quality)

Component Recommendation

Camera Any 24 MP+ mirrorless or DSLR

Lens 60–100 mm macro

Light source LED panel (CRI ≥ 95)

Film holder Valoi 35mm + Advancer

Automation Arduino + stepper motor

Software Smart Shooter (trigger), Lightroom + Negative Lab Pro

Processing Batch export to TIFF/JPEG

If you tell me:

• your budget,

• whether you already own a camera, and

• how many rolls you want to digitize,

…I can recommend an exact setup (ready-to-buy components or a DIY parts list with wiring diagram and scripts).

Would you like me to outline a DIY automated film scanning rig (with Arduino + camera) or focus on commercial semi-automated scanners?