AEON KEYS
CATALOGUE OF THE STACKS
Kept at the desk. Revised by each keeper in turn. Not to leave the room.

A note on reading this catalogue: entries are listed in the order they
were lifted from their crates, not in the order a sensible person would
shelve them. The keepers have always insisted this is deliberate.


THE DESK
Not an accession. These were here before the shelves were.

    Ledger, founding, calf, 212 leaves
    Pen case, ebony, empty
    Seal matrix, bronze, the key device


SHELF I.1 -- THE FIRST ACCESSION, CHARTS
Received from no sender. Entered in the register before arrival.
Catalogued by A. Venn, night keeper, alone.

    Charts, vellum, nine sheets, one coast
    Folder, oiled cloth, stamped in violet
    Sheet, vellum, unmarked on both faces


SHELF I.2 -- THE FIRST ACCESSION, INSTRUMENTS
Found beneath the charts, wrapped in sailcloth. Venn lifted these last
and would not say why he took them in this order.

    Weights, lead, a set of six
    Almanac, nautical, spine gone
    Tracing linen, one bolt, foxed
    Etching needle, bone handle
    Rule, parallel, brass, seized


SHELF I.3 -- THE FIRST ACCESSION, REGISTER
One volume. Final leaf sewn shut by the keeper. Do not cut the thread.

    Register of the accession, one volume
    Thread, waxed, the remainder of the spool


SHELF II -- EMPTY
Cleared and dusted. A label has been pinned to the upright in a hand
nobody at the desk recognises. It gives a date, and the date is soon.