Eggplant.place

209d

#OTD in 1824.

Lord Byron falls ill at Missolonghi while taking part in the Greek War of Independence. He dies of fever on April 19. The Greeks mourned Lord Byron deeply, and he became a hero.

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

Books by Lord Byron at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1708

A Narrative of Lord Byron's Last Journey to Greece by Pietro Gamba (1825):
https://catalogue.beic.it/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9926855804741&context=L&vid=39BEIC_INST:39BEIC_INST&lang=it&search_scope=Library&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,A%20Narrative%20of%20Lord%20Byron%27s%20Last%20Journey%20to%20Greece%20by%20Pietro%20Gamba%20(1825)

#books #literature

The reception of Lord Byron at Missolonghi.

Theodoros Vryzakis - https://www.nationalgallery.gr/artwork/i-ypodochi-tou-lordou-vyrona-sto-mesolongi/

Byron is depicted in a grand and heroic manner, wearing traditional Greek attire, symbolizing his deep admiration for the Greek cause.

Byron is surrounded by Greek freedom fighters, dressed in traditional foustanella skirts, capes, and turbans, showing the diverse Greek factions.

Greek Orthodox clergy are present, emphasizing the role of the Church in the revolution.

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209d

In February 1827.

Thomas De Quincey's essay On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts is published in Blackwood's Magazine. The essays are a satirical account of a gentleman's club that celebrates homicide from an aesthetic perspective. The Ratcliff Highway murders committed by John Williams in 1811 are a keystone throughout the series.

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

At PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/10708

#books #literature

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine 1827-02: Vol 21 Iss 122

Publication date 1827-02

Topics Language & Literature, Magazines, microfilm

Publisher Blackwood Pillans and Wilson

https://archive.org/details/sim_blackwoods-magazine_1827-02_21_122/page/199/mode/1up

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180d

Unearthed notebooks shed light on Victorian genius who inspired Einstein

Michael Faraday’s illustrated notes that show how radical scientist began his theories at London’s Royal Institution to go online

by Donna Ferguson

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/15/notebooks-michael-faraday-victorian-scientist-einstein

#books #science

Portrait of Michael Faraday.

Faraday is seated and dressed formally in 19th-century attire, wearing a dark suit with a waistcoat, a white shirt, and a bow tie.

His expression is calm and contemplative, and he is resting his head on his hand, which adds an intellectual, thoughtful mood to the portrait.

His hair is parted and brushed back, showing his distinctive hairstyle—slightly tousled and graying.

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176d

finished reading Home Fire 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
A British-Pakistani family gets caught (& distraught) on the three horns of identity, politics & jihad. Deeply immersive for a range of perspectives.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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214d

I don't typically post about non fiction but I finished Meditations last month and it is one of my first forays into philosophical literature. It's very much worth your time to read, learning about the mentality and inner thoughts of how one of the foremost Roman Emperors managed to keep his head about him and work through his problems.
⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
@bookstodon #books #ClassicLiterature #marcusaurelius #bookstadon #bookphotography

don't typically post about non fiction but I finished Meditations last month and it is one of my first forays into philosophical literature. It's very much worth your time to read, learning about the mentality and inner thoughts of how one of the foremost Roman Emperors managed to keep his head about him and work through his problems.
⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
@bookstodon@a.gup.pe #books #ClassicLiterature #marcusaurelius #bookstadon #bookphotography

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165d

#OTD in 1836 (dated April)

The first monthly part of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens is issued in London. On April 20, the original illustrator, Robert Seymour, shoots himself and Dickens has more freedom to develop the story in his own way.

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

The Pickwick Papers at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=The+Pickwick+Papers&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Cover of serial, "Pickwick Club" by Charles Dickens.

Typical cover illustrations depict Mr. Samuel Pickwick, the kind-hearted and portly founder of the club, along with his fellow club members—Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle. They are often dressed in 19th-century attire, engaged in comical or exaggerated activities, such as traveling in a carriage, engaging in lively discussions, or encountering eccentric characters.

Many editions feature artwork inspired by the original illustrations by Hablot Knight Browne (known as Phiz) or Robert Seymour, who initially illustrated the novel. The scenes on the cover typically capture the novel’s lighthearted and satirical tone, emphasizing Dickens’s signature blend of humor and social commentary.

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170d

#OTD in 1920.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald sets him up as a writer and celebrity. An initial 3,000 copies sell out in three days. The book's reputation dims in later years, but Dorothy Parker will recall that it was seen as innovative when it first appeared.

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

This Side of Paradise at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/805

#books #literature

Cover of Fitzgerald's 1920 novel, This Side of Paradise, by illustrator W. E. Hill. The cover's title text is in white font, and the background is dark yellow.

The cover depicts a haughty young woman wearing a white dress and holding a hand fan with large white feathers.

Behind her, a dashing young man in a dark suit, white shirt, and black bow tie is leaning forward as if to whisper in her ear.

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210d

Strip the DRM from your Kindle books, simple effective, free, online https://dedrm.com/

#Kindle #Amazon #DRM #books

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170d

"She belonged to a different age, but being so entire, so complete, would always stand up on the horizon, stone-white, eminent, like a lighthouse marking some past stage on this adventurous, long, long voyage, this interminable — this interminable life."

#OTD in 1915.

Virginia Woolf's first novel, The Voyage Out, is published in London by the firm of her half-brother, Gerald Duckworth.

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

The Voyage Out at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/144

#books #literature

Cover of the first edition of w:Virginia Woolf's w:The Voyage Out, Duckworth & Co., London, 1915.

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208d

Literary Genius: Who Was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the most influential German literary figure in history. Learn more about his life, science, and philosophy.

By Maysara Kamal

https://www.thecollector.com/literary-genius-who-was-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/

Books by Goethe at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/586

#books #literature

Goethe in 1828, by Joseph Karl Stieler.

He is dressed in a dark, buttoned-up coat with a white high-collared shirt underneath, reflecting the refined fashion of the early 19th century.

A decorative chain and a red brooch adorn his attire, indicating his status and prestige.

In his right hand, he holds a piece of paper with handwritten text, symbolizing his literary and intellectual contributions.

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165d

#OTD in 1862.

The first two volumes of Victor Hugo's epic historical novel Les Misérables appear in Brussels, followed on April 3 by Paris publication, with the remaining volumes on May 15. The first English-language translations, by Charles Edwin Wilbour, are published in New York on June 7, and by Frederic Charles Lascelles Wraxall, in London in October.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables

Les Misérables at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Les+Mis%C3%A9rables&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Émile Bayard, Cosette sweeping, 1862, reproduced in Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (London, G. Routledge and Sons), 1887. Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria.

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68d

Time Interpolated

A companion essay to our partner podcast Proust Curious, hosted by Emma Claussen and Hannah Weaver.

via @lithub

https://www.publicbooks.org/time-interpolated/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01JZ8JEHVTREMXDDYHMPZ4W5ZA&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

In Search of Lost Time at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=In+Search+of+Lost+Time

#Books #Literature

First galley proof of A la recherche du temps perdu: Du côté de chez Swann with handwritten revision notes by Marcel Proust (1871 - 1922).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_Lost_Time#/media/File:MS_A_la_recherche_du_temps_perdu.jpg

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208d

Lost and Found: A Newly Discovered Poem by Robert Frost

Nothing New,” which the American poet wrote in 1918, is published for the first time in The New Yorker’s Anniversary Issue.

By Jay Parini

https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/lost-and-found-a-newly-discovered-poem-by-robert-frost

#books #literature #poetry

Frost in 1949

Walter Albertin, World Telegram staff photographer - Library of Congress. New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection.

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c20741

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Frost_NYWTS_4.jpg

Frost appears as an elderly man with white, slightly disheveled hair, deep-set eyes, and a contemplative expression.

His face shows signs of age, with visible wrinkles that add to his distinguished and wise appearance.

He is dressed in a suit and tie, reflecting his formal yet approachable persona.

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170d

A Journey Through Dante’s Inferno: A Brief Guide

by Thom Delapa

Dante’s Inferno is hailed as a medieval masterpiece and a precursor to the Renaissance, with T.S. Eliot having ranked it alongside Shakespeare.

https://www.thecollector.com/journey-through-dante-inferno/

#books #literature #medieval

Inferno, Canto XXXIII–XXXIV by Andrea di Cione di Orcagna

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169d

finished reading Record of a Spaceborn Few 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Centuries after sending colonies into space as insurance against Earth's collapse, humans have integrated into alien civilisation. But now what purpose do those colonies serve, and what happens to their distinctive communal culture? Good premise & great world-building but not much plot, with a few too many characters.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SciFi #SFF

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

Edited 169d ago

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139d

"People are deeply imbedded in philosophical, i.e., grammatical confusions. And to free them presupposes pulling them out of the immensely manifold connections they are caught up in."

~Ludwig Wittgenstein (26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951)

Ludwig Wittgenstein at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1861

#books #philosophy

Moriz Nähr, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Portrait for the conferment of the Trinity College scholarship 1929, 1928/29.

Wittgenstein is shown seated, facing slightly to the side but with his gaze sharply directed toward the camera. His expression is deeply serious, almost severe, with tightly pressed lips and piercing, contemplative eyes — as if caught mid-thought in an intense inner dialogue.

He wears a modest, slightly rumpled jacket over a simple shirt, open at the collar without a tie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Wittgenstein#/media/File:Ludwig_Wittgenstein_1929.jpg

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207d

Lewis Carroll collection given to his Oxford college in surprise US donation

Exclusive: Christ Church college taken aback to receive hundreds of the author’s letters, photos and rare items

By Dalya Alberge

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/16/lewis-carroll-oxford-surprise-us-donation

Lewis Carroll at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7

#books #literature

1863 photograph of Lewis Carroll by Oscar G. Rejlander.

The image is a black-and-white portrait showing Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, dressed formally in a dark suit with a white bow tie.

He has wavy, neatly styled hair and a calm, contemplative expression. His gaze is directed slightly downward and to the side.

He is holding an object, possibly a jar or small container, wrapped in a cloth, adding a slightly mysterious element to the composition.

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140d

The Medieval Manuscript That Features “Yoda”, Killer Snails, Savage Rabbits & More: Discover The Smithfield Decretals

https://www.openculture.com/2025/04/the-medieval-manuscript-that-features-yoda-killer-snails-mischievous-devils.html

#books

Crouching Rabbit by Antoine-Louis Barye - bronze sculpture

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117d

#VirtualJaneCon is happening July 19-20. Didn't make previous cons or want to catch up? All videos are on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/virtualjanecon #AmReading #AmWriting @bookstodon #books #Bookstodon #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Regency #Georgian #JaneAusten @romancelandia

White Background with a black diamond shape. In that shape, in dark pink color, says “Virtual JaneCon.”

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207d

What Are Wilkie Collins’ Contributions to Victorian Literature?

Wilkie Collins (1824 -1889) was a significant figure in Victorian Literary circles. He is perhaps best known today for his sensation novel The Woman in White as well as his influential detective novel The Moonstone.

By Lauren Jones

https://www.thecollector.com/wilkie-collins-contribution-to-victorian-literature/

Wilkie Collins at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/98

#books #literature

Carte-de-visite mounted albumen photograph of author Wilkie Collins. Dimensions, including mount: 11 x 7 cm

Adam Cuerden - Digital Commonwealth (Massachusetts) / Boston Public Library

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166d

18th-Century Portuguese Library Has Bats That Protect the Priceless Books Housed Inside

By Eva Baron

https://mymodernmet.com/biblioteca-joanina-bats-pest-control/

The Bat, a poem by D.H. Lawrence at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/60337/pg60337-images.html#BAT

#books #library

Line art drawing of a bat.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bat_%28PSF%29.jpg

This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Pearson Scott Foresman.

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166d

"Someone has a great fire in his soul and nobody ever comes to warm themselves at it, and passers-by see nothing but a little smoke at the top of the chimney and then go on their way."

Quote in his Letter (no. 155), June 1880.

~Vincent van Gogh, born #OTD in 1856.

Van Gogh's letters are available online at:
https://vangoghletters.org/

Books by Van Gogh at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Vincent+van+Gogh&submit_search=Search

#books #art #literature

"Van Gogh painted this self-portrait in the winter of 1887–1888, when he had been living in Paris for nearly two years. Since his arrival in the city he had devoted much study to the dotted Pointillist technique, thereby learning how he might apply it in his own fashion. His use of brushstrokes running in a variety of directions created a self-portrait with a halo-like circle round his head. This variation and the dynamics it created were Van Gogh’s own contribution to the new style of painting." (Van Gogh Museum notice)

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206d

#OTD in 1885.

Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published in the US for the 1st time, in New York by Charles L. Webster, illustrated by E. W. Kemble, the 1st impression having been delayed for replacement of an unauthorized obscene alteration to one of the illustrative plates. Its first-person narrative in colloquial language is initially controversial but ultimately influential in the development of realism in American literature.

At PG
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/76

#books #literature

Cover of the book «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» by Mark Twain, 1884

E. W. Kemble (1861–1933)

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206d

"The name of the one was Obstinate and the name of the other Pliable."

#OTD in 1678.

The first part of English nonconformist John Bunyan's Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, partly written while he was imprisoned for unlicensed preaching, is published in London.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/131

#books #literature

Title page of Pilgrim's Progress Date: 1678 Author: John Bunyan (1628-1688).

The text on the page includes the full title, which describes the work as an allegory delivered "under the Similitude of a Dream." The book details the journey of a Christian pilgrim from "this world" to "that which is to come," emphasizing spiritual struggles and redemption.

The title page also includes a biblical reference (Hosea 12:10) and publication details, indicating that the book was printed in London for Nathaniel Ponder.

Additionally, there is a handwritten inscription at the top of the page with the name "Joseph Middleton" and the year "1784," likely indicating a former owner of this copy.

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121d

📚 **Are students reading less than we used to?**

David Wignall

_A few months ago, a professor told me that she had cut another book from her course’s assigned reading list. “When I started teaching at Williams,” she said, “I assigned a book per week. No way I could do that now.”_

🔗 https://williamsrecord.com/469974/opinions/are-students-reading-less-than-we-used-to/.

#Reading #Books #Bookstodon #Education #Learning @bookstodon

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