books

345d

Book Review: A Mouthful of Dust by Nghi Vo
A deeply unsettling addition to the series, bringing the connecting thread of food up to the forefront of the story.
@chloroform_tea has our review at the NOAF blog
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2025/11/book-review-mouthful-of-dust-by-nghi-vo.html

@bookstodon #bookstodon #fantasy #books #review

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343d

📚 The El by: Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

An ordinary day in August 1979 dawns hot and humid in Chicago. Teenager Teddy is living with his dad after being kicked out of his mom’s house due to his gang activity. But Teddy has thrived in the Simon City Royals, and today, he'll be helping to lead a posse of the group's younger members south across the city...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-el

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #indigenousfiction #crimefiction

An ordinary day in August 1979 dawns hot and humid in Chicago. Teenager Teddy is living with his dad after being kicked out of his mom’s house due to his gang activity. But Teddy has thrived in the Simon City Royals, and today, he'll be helping to lead a posse of the group's younger members south across the city to Roosevelt High School to attend a gathering of gangs forming “the Nation”—a bold new attempt at joining forces across racial lines. This holds particular importance for Teddy, as his branch’s only Indigenous member.

But when the meeting breaks up in gunshots and police sirens, Teddy must guide the Royals back across hostile territory, along secret routes and back alleys, and stop by stop on the thundering tracks of the El. In the face of violence from rival gangs and a secret Judas in the Royals’ ranks, Teddy is armed only with a potent combination of book smarts and street smarts, and by the guiding spirit of Coyote, who has granted him the power to glimpse a future only he may survive to see.

Immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the author’s beloved city, The El will transport you to that singular sun- and blood-soaked day in Chicago. It is a love letter to another time, to a city, and to a group of friends trying to find their place and make their way in a world that doesn’t want them.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHIRBY AWARD IN FICTION - From the co-editor of the bestselling anthology Never Whistle at Night, a semi-autobiographical nov

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344d

"Read all about it: What to know ahead of the 2025 Portland Book Festival"

https://theconversation.com/can-a-new-blood-test-really-detect-me-cfs-an-expert-unpacks-new-research-267099

"Hosted by nonprofit Literary Arts, the festival covers all things literary..."

Saturday, November 8, 10 am to 6 pm

#Oregon #PDX #Portland #Books #Bookstodon #PDXBookFestival

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with events taking place at 10 stages across six venues in downtown Portland’s South Park Blocks.

Adult admission is $18 in advance and $25 on the day of, plus fees. Full-priced admission includes a $5 book voucher redeemable at the book fair on the day of the festival. Those aged 17 and younger can attend for free.

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2y

#OTD in 1598.

William Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice (under the title "the Marchaunt of Venyce or otherwise called the Jewe of Venyce") is entered on the Stationers' Register. By decree of Queen Elizabeth, the Stationers' Register licensed printed works, giving the Crown tight control over all published material.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venice

The Merchant of Venice at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1515

#books #literature #theatre

Title page of the first quarto of The Merchant of Venice Transcript The moſt excellent Hiſtorie of the Merchant of Venice. VVith the extreame crueltie of Shylocke the Iewe towards the ſayd Merchant, in cutting a iuſt pound of his fleſh: and the obtayning of Portia by the choyſe of three cheſts. As it hath beene diuers times acted by the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. Written by William Shakeſpeare. AT LONDON, Printed by l. R. for Thomas Heyes, and are to be ſold in Paules Church-yard, at the ſigne of the Greene Dragon. 1600.

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344d

Ebook and paperback: https://books2read.com/TheThirdWish

Spies, aliens, trolls, wizards and a disowned prince use a time machine, to improve their place in history, but Levi Jacobs, stands in their way, despite having just lost his parents in war. Will he stop them or will the time travelers kill his father at a pivotal moment, on which the fate of the galaxy hangs?

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books

(Left) The cover of The Third Wish, by Owen Tyme, illustrated by Ryan Johnson.

A wizard in a black robe that glitters with hints of gold stands on a mountain and looks down at a city of sky scrapers covered in greenery. In his shadow lurks a creature with glowing red eyes.

In the background, the sun is setting and stars are becoming visible.

(Right Background) A table prepared for cooking, including some chopped green vegetables and a bowl of grated cheese.

(Right Foreground) Loosely mix the following in a bowl:
1 deposed prince
1 spy/scientist
1 spy/wizard
2 troll serial killers
1 alien pirate
Hatred of the current timeline
1 time machine

In separate bowl, place:
1 young wizard (bottom of bowl)
Weight of the World (on top)

Apply downward pressure to weight of world.
Add contents of first bowl.
Observe at safe distance.

(Bottom) https://books2read.com/TheThirdWish

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344d

📚 I'm Glad My Mom Died by: Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother's dream was for her only daughter to become a star, whatever it took, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what her mother called "calorie restriction"...

https://bookblabla.com/book/im-glad-my-mom-died

#books #reading #libraries #biographyautobiography #parenting #dysfunctionalfamilies

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother's dream was for her only daughter to become a star, whatever it took, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what her mother called "calorie restriction", weighing herself five times a day and ultimately shrinking down to 89 pounds. She endured extensive at-home makeovers using knockoff whitening strips, hot curlers, eyelash tint, and gobs of bleach to enhance her natural beauty.

She was showered by her mother until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, an email account, and all her earnings. The dream finally comes true when Jennette is cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly and is thrust into fame. But for Jennette, the dream is a nightmare.

Practically overnight, her fake smile and cheesy airbrushed hair-do is plastered on billboards across the country. And though her mom is ecstatic, ordering her to smile for the paparazzi (with whom she's on a first-name basis) and sign endless autographs for fans who only know her by her character's name, Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction and a series of unhealthy relationships.These issues only get worse when Jennette's mother dies of cancer.

Finally, after discovering therapy and coldly examining the relationship with her mother, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wan

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2y

"Science has "explained" nothing; the more we know the more fantastic the world becomes and the profounder the surrounding darkness."

Along the Road, Part II. Views of Holland (p. 108)

~Aldous Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963)

Books by Aldous Huxley at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/780

#books #literature

Huxley in 1954.

Aldous Huxley - A Case For ESP, PK and PSI. Life Magazine. 11 January, 1954.

Aldous Huxley the English writer, novelist, philosopher was also a psychical researcher. He published an article in 1954 supporting extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (PK) experiments.

Aldous Huxley is likely seated, engaging with the camera or deep in thought, fitting the contemplative nature of the subject matter (extrasensory perception and related phenomena). His expression is serious and reflective, matching the investigative and speculative tone of the article.

Huxley is dressed in mid-20th century attire, possibly a suit or a casual yet sophisticated outfit appropriate for a public intellectual of his stature. His clothing is neat and professional.

His hair is styled in a manner consistent with the time, possibly combed back. He may be wearing glasses, as he was known for his distinct eyewear.

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309d

📚 Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick by: Jason Pargin, David Wong

Zoey Ashe is like a fish so far out of water that it has achieved orbit. After inheriting a criminal empire, the twenty-three year-old finds herself under threat from all sides as a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life enemies think they smell w...

https://bookblabla.com/book/zoey-punches-the-future-in-the-dick

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #humorousfiction #superheroes

Zoey Ashe is like a fish so far out of water that it has achieved orbit. After inheriting a criminal empire, the twenty-three year-old finds herself under threat from all sides as a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life enemies think they smell weakness.

On the eve of the world's most lavish and ridiculous Halloween celebration, a steamer trunk-sized box arrives at Zoey's door and she is shocked to find that it contains a disemboweled corpse. She is even more shocked when that corpse, controlled by an unknown party, rises and goes on a rampage through the house. Speaking in an electronic voice, it publicly accuses Zoey of being its murderer. This is the kind of thing that almost never happened at her old job.

The city was already a ticking time bomb of publicity-hungry vigilantes with superhuman enhancements and Zoey knows this turn of events is unlikely to improve the situation. Now, she and her team of high-tech tricksters have to solve this bizarre murder while simultaneously keeping Tabula Ra$a from descending into chaos.

Biting humor and blatant digs at modern society overlay a subtly brilliant and thoughtful plot” (Publishers Weekly) in John Dies at the End author Jason Pargin’s first installment of the Zoey Ashe Series, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. Now, one of today’s great satirists (Nerdist) is back with Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick, the second installment in a Technicolor tomorrowland. (Kirkus Reviews)

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

New Yo

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309d

"From sweeping historical novels to tragicomic romps to speculative dystopias, Elese's Eleven will submerge you in the way only very special fiction can." Check out Elese of Flyleaf Books 2025 Gift Guide (which includes The Expert of Subtle Revisions!)

#books #writing #writersofmastodon #WritingCommunity #bookstodon @bookstodon

https://flyleafbooks.com/2025-elese-favorites

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147d

📚 We Dance Upon Demons by: Vaishnavi Patel

As a reproductive health care worker in Chicago, Nisha is barely staying afloat in the ocean of abortion bans, screaming protestors, and her own all-consuming depression.

When she escapes to the Indian art exhibit at her favorite museum for a brief respite, Nisha sud...

https://bookblabla.com/book/we-dance-upon-demons

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #contemporaryfiction #urbanfiction #feministfiction

As a reproductive health care worker in Chicago, Nisha is barely staying afloat in the ocean of abortion bans, screaming protestors, and her own all-consuming depression.

When she escapes to the Indian art exhibit at her favorite museum for a brief respite, Nisha suddenly finds herself bleeding, disoriented, and collapsed on the ground. The last thing she remembers is the statue that beckoned her to touch it. In the days that follow, Nisha feels a strange power coursing within her, one that attracts a host of dangerous and enigmatic characters who covet it for themselves.

Facing threats both otherworldly and distinctly human, Nisha must navigate uncertain alliances to piece together the centuries-old mystery of her odd and terrifying abilities. And as danger closes in on her loved ones, community, and the clinic she’s determined to protect, Nisha must make a choice about the life she wants—and fight all the demons standing in her way to get it.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi, a galvanizing stand-alone contemporary fantasy following a burnt-out reproductive health care worker as she fights back against escalating attacks on her clinic and the malevolent forces in hot pursuit of her newly acquired power.

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216d

1/

Lots of new connections. Hence, a re-introduction to a hopeful story, "A New Faith," available to read online or download (EPUB and PDF) for free at: https://tinjar.ghost.io/a-new-faith

#bookstodon #books #book #novel #story #fiction #hopepunk #solarpunk #climatefiction #sciencefiction #speculativefiction #mystery #thriller #detective #women #climate #climatechange #climatecrisis #extinction #survival #adaptation #migration #immigration #indie #indieauthor

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2y

Canadian writer Mazo de la Roche died #OTD in 1961.

Her first novel, "Possession," was published in 1923. Although it did not achieve significant success, it marked the beginning of her career as a novelist. De la Roche achieved international fame with the publication of "Jalna" in 1927. The "Jalna" series comprises 16 novels, written over a span of more than three decades.

Books by Mazo de la Roche at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/31212

#books #literature

Photo of Mazo de la Roche taken by Melvin Ormond Hammond on December 18, 1927.

Mazo de la Roche is depicted in a formal and composed manner. She is seated, facing slightly to the side but with her gaze directed towards the camera, creating a sense of engagement with the viewer.

Her expression is thoughtful and serene, reflecting the introspective nature of a writer. There is a hint of a smile, suggesting a moment of quiet confidence and contentment.

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2y

Italian draughtsman and printmaker Stefano della Bella died #OTD in 1664.

He received significant support from Cardinal Giovanni Carlo de' Medici. His early works included small prints & book illustrations. Della Bella lived in Paris (1639-50), where he worked for publishers & collected engravings. After returning to Florence in 1650, he continued to produce prints & drawings. He also taught etching & drawing, including Pietro Testa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefano_della_Bella

#books #engraving #illustrations

Portrait of the painter Stephanus de la Belle in the book 'Het gulden cabinet vande edel vry schilder const inhoudende den lof vande vermarste schilders, architecten, beldthouwers ende plaetsnyders, van dese eeuw' (587 p.) - (translated as "The Golden Cabinet of the Noble Free Art of Painting Containing the Praise of the Most Famous Painters, Architects, Sculptors, and Engravers of This Century").

Stephanus de la Belle is presented in a formal pose, looking directly at the viewer or slightly to the side, which was customary to convey the subject's dignity and intellect. His expression is composed and thoughtful, befitting an artist known for his intricate and imaginative works. He is dressed in contemporary clothing, likely a doublet with a collar, which reflects his status and the fashion of the time. His hair is neatly styled, possibly curly or wavy, and he may have a beard or mustache, features that were often included to add character to the portrait.

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344d

Would I read this crossover, hell yes I would! 😂
@bookstodon @books @humor @humor@lemmy.world @aiop @bookstodon

#Hemingway #Vs #MontyPython
#Book #Books #BookMemes #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Novel #Novels #Bookshelf #Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove

Picture of the cover of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" with an inserted photo from Monty Python's "Holy Grail" where the Black Knight has just had his arms chopped of and it's apprently just a scratch....

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218d

The book was good, its story compelling.

But the desire to close her eyes -- for just . . . one . . . moment . . . -- was stronger.

Somnolent canvas print -- https://fineartamerica.com/featured/somnolent-steve-henderson.html?product=canvas-print

#art #artwork #mastoart #fediart #buyintoart #ayearforart #reading #nap #sleep #home #bedroom #relax #fedigiftshop #books #woman #beauty

Woman falling asleep on a settee.

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2y

#OTD in 1887.

L. L. Zamenhof published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language.

First published in Russian on July 26 [O.S. July 14] 1887, the publication of Unua Libro marks the formal beginning of the Esperanto movement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unua_Libro

Books in Esperanto at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/34

#books #literature

This is the cover page of Dr. Esperanto's International Language, the 1889 translation of Unua Libro by Richard Geoghegan, which is also the standard English translation.

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2y

#OTD in 1928.

The novel The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

Publication, originally scheduled for late 1928, was brought forward when he discovered that another novel with a lesbian theme, Compton Mackenzie's Extraordinary Women, was to be published in September. The Well appeared on 27 July, in a black cover with a plain jacket.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_of_Loneliness

The Well of Loneliness at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/73042

#books #literature

Cover of The Well of Loneliness
Radclyffe Hall - Banned Books (Cornell University Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections)

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342d

📚 Old School Indian by: Aaron John Curtis

Abe Jacobs is Kanien’kehá:ka from Ahkwesáhsne―or, as white people say, a Mohawk Indian from the Saint Regis Tribe. At eighteen, Abe left the reservation where he was raised and never looked back. He met the love of his life, started writing poetry, and began an open marriage.

No...

https://bookblabla.com/book/old-school-indian

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #indigenousfiction #literaryfiction #ownvoices

Abe Jacobs is Kanien’kehá:ka from Ahkwesáhsne―or, as white people say, a Mohawk Indian from the Saint Regis Tribe. At eighteen, Abe left the reservation where he was raised and never looked back. He met the love of his life, started writing poetry, and began an open marriage.

Now at forty-three, Abe is suffering from a rare disease―one his doctors in Miami believe will kill him. Running from his diagnosis and a marriage teetering on collapse, Abe returns to the Rez, where he’s persuaded to undergo a healing at the hands of his Great Uncle Budge. But Budge, a wry, recovered alcoholic prone to wearing punk T-shirts isn’t all that convincing. And Abe’s time off the Rez has made him a thorough skeptic.

To heal, Abe will undertake a revelatory journey, confronting the parts of himself he’s hidden ever since he left home and wrestling with the imprint left by his once-passionate marriage.

Delivered with crackling wit and heart-wrenching tenderness, Old School Indian is a striking exploration of the power and secrets of family, the capacity for healing and intimacy, and the ripple effects of history and culture.

A novel of pure heart and mastery. Morgan Talty, bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez and Fire Exit

A Kirkus Editor’s Pick. A Most Anticipated Book of 2025: Cowboys & Indians | Brit + Co | Debutiful

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - INDIE NEXT PICK

An entrancing new voice... Aaron John Curtis will be your new literary obsession. Marion Win

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340d

Hey hey fellow #LegendsAndLattes fans, Brigands & Breadknives comes out tomorrow! 🎉🎉🎉

Travis Baldree is such a great narrator that I'm getting my copy on audio at libro.fm.

#BrigandsAndBreadknives #TravisBaldree #Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon

Cover of book, a horse, an elf, a mouse, and a...goblin? around a campfire

Edited 340d ago

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2y

British novelist and scientific Agnes Giberne died #OTD in 1939.

She is best known for her popular science books on astronomy. Her most famous work, Sun, Moon, and Stars: Astronomy for Beginners (1879), became a significant educational resource, introducing countless readers to the basics of astronomy. She also authored numerous Christian books, including religious biographies and devotional literature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Giberne

Agnes Giberne at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/47772

#books #literature

Artist's impression of midnight on Saturn from Giberne's popular astronomy book Sun, Moon and Stars.

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340d

David Szalay wins 2025 Booker prize for ‘dark’ Flesh

david-szalay-wins-2025-booker-prize-for-dark-flesh

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2y

I wish old books were properly digitised and available as ePubs.

My brain suddenly had a hankering to read "The Intergalactic Omniglot".

It seems there's only a 2nd hand paper-version for sale 😢

Also - isn't it cool how the kid on the cover has a foldable device? Pretty cool for 1988.

#Books #Bookstodon

Paperback book cover. A UFO rises behind a young man. The Boy is holding what looks like a foldable Gameboy.

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342d

📚 Girl Warrior by: Joy Harjo

An inspirational work of wisdom, warmth, and generosity from a three-term US poet laureate.

To know ourselves is the most profound and difficult endeavor. Though we are all made of the same questions, we have individual routes to the answers, or to reframing the questions. Why is there evil in the world? Why do people suf...

https://bookblabla.com/book/girl-warrior

#books #reading #libraries #biographyautobiography #indigenous

An inspirational work of wisdom, warmth, and generosity from a three-term US poet laureate.

To know ourselves is the most profound and difficult endeavor. Though we are all made of the same questions, we have individual routes to the answers, or to reframing the questions. Why is there evil in the world? Why do people suffer, and some more than others? Why are we here? What are we doing here? What happens after death? Does anything mean anything at all? Who am I and what does it matter?” writes Joy Harjo, renowned poet and activist, in this profound work about the struggles, challenges, and joys of coming of age.

In her best-selling memoir Poet Warrior, Harjo led readers through her lifelong process of artistic evolution. In Girl Warrior, she speaks directly to Native girls and women, sharing stories about her own coming of age to bring renewed attention to the pivotal moments of becoming including forgiveness, failure, falling, rising up, and honoring our vast family of beings.

Informed by her own experiences and those of her ancestors, Harjo offers inspiration and insight for navigating the many challenges of maturation. She grapples with parents, friendships, love, and loss. She guides young readers toward painting, poetry, and music as powerful tools for developing their own ethical sensibility. As Harjo demonstrates, the act of making is an essential part of who we are, a means of inviting the past into the present and a critical tool young women can use to sh

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2y

"Zum Hassen oder Lieben
Ist alle Welt getrieben,
Es bleibet keine Wahl,
der Teufel ist neutral."

"To hate or to love
All the world is driven,
There is no choice,
the devil is neutral."

~Clemens Brentano (9 September 1778 – 28 July 1842)

#books #literature #poetry

Portrait by Emilie Linder, painted in 1835; printed in from Meyer's Encyclopedia, 1906
Emilie Linder - Zeitschrift: Damals, Jg. 45, Ausgabe 5/2013, Artikel: "Volkspoesie" aus Grimm’scher Feder

In the portrait, Clemens Brentano is depicted with a reflective expression, gazing slightly to the side. His face is characterized by thoughtful eyes and a contemplative demeanor, suggesting a deep engagement with his inner thoughts or creative processes.

Brentano is dressed in formal 19th-century attire, which includes a dark coat, a high-collared shirt, and a cravat. His clothing reflects the fashion of the period and his status as a respected literary figure.

Emilie Linder’s painting style is meticulous and realistic, capturing both the physical features of Brentano and a sense of his personality. The detailed rendering of his facial features, including his hair and the slight furrow of his brow, conveys a sense of his introspective nature.

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2y

Introducing Beatrix Potter.

Beatrix Potter remains one of the world's best-selling and best-loved children's authors. She wrote and illustrated 28 books, including her 23 Tales which have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. In her later years, she became a farmer and sheep breeder and helped protect thousands of acres of land in the Lake District.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/introducing-beatrix-potter

Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943)

#books #literature

Beatrix Potter with a border terrier at Lingholm, Keswick, by Rupert Potter, 3 October 1897, albumen photograph, given by Joan Duke. Museum no. E.765-2005. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

In the photograph, Beatrix Potter is seen seated, accompanied by a border terrier. The dog is sitting attentively beside her, adding a touch of warmth and companionship to the scene.

Beatrix is dressed in typical late 19th-century attire, wearing a long dress with a high collar and possibly a shawl or jacket. Her clothing is modest and practical, reflecting her love for the countryside and outdoor activities.

The photograph is taken outdoors at Lingholm, a country estate near Keswick in the Lake District.

Rupert Potter, Beatrix's father, was an amateur photographer who often captured images of his family and their life in the Lake District.

Edited 2y ago

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