books

This black-and-white portrait of Katherine Anne Porter presents the American author with a composed and introspective demeanor.

Her face is framed by neatly styled hair, parted in the center and swept back, lending a classical elegance to her appearance.

Porter wears a simple, dark garment accented by a double-strand metallic necklace, adding a subtle touch of sophistication.

Her gaze is directed slightly off-camera, creating a reflective, distant expression that conveys both poise and intellectual depth.

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

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Citoyenne_(journal)

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

165d

#OTD in 1881.

The first issue of the feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is published by Hubertine Auclert in France.

The newspaper was a forceful and unrelenting advocate for women's enfranchisement, demanding changes to the Napoleonic Code that relegated women to a vastly inferior status. Notable feminists such as Marie Bashkirtseff wrote articles for the paper.

Hebertine Auclert at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/54842

La Citoyenne, n° 21, 3 juillet 1881.

Hubertine Auclert — https://bibliotheques-specialisees.paris.fr/ark:/73873/pf0000538600/1881-07-03?

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

165d

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard.
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!"

#OTD in 1898.

The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde was published by Leonard Smithers, under the name "C.3.3.", which stood for cell block C, landing 3, cell 3.

Ballad of Reading Gaol at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/301

#books #literature #poetry

Cover of The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1904).

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

125d

#OTD in 1811.

The University of Oxford expels the 1st-year undergraduate Percy Bysshe Shelley after he & Thomas Jefferson Hogg refuse to answer questions on The Necessity of Atheism, a pamphlet they have published anonymously. Earlier this year, Shelley, has published in London Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things, containing a 172-line anti-monarchy, anti-war poem in support of Peter Finnerty & dedicated to Harriet Westbrook.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1529

#books

Portrait by Alfred Clint, 1819.

Alfred Clint’s 1819 portrait of Percy Bysshe Shelley depicts the Romantic poet with a contemplative expression, his dark, wavy hair framing his face.

He is dressed in a white, open-collared shirt and dark coat, evoking a sense of intellectual intensity and sensitivity.

The soft lighting and subtle brushwork highlight his delicate features, reinforcing his ethereal and visionary persona.

#books #literature #poetry

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

124d

"They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars—on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places."

'Desert Places'

~Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)

Robert Frost at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1091

"Robert Frost, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front", c. 1910.

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

136d

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

Viereck interview (1929)

~Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955)

Books about or by Einstein at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=albert+einstein&submit_search=Search

#books #science #physics

Albert Einstein
Photograph by Orren Jack Turner, Princeton, N.J.

The image captures Einstein in his later years, characterized by his iconic unruly white hair, a thick mustache, and a contemplative expression.

He is dressed in a textured, buttoned-up coat with a rounded collar.

The lighting and focus emphasize the lines on his face, highlighting his age and the wisdom often associated with him.

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

Edited 136d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

136d

#OTD in 1889.

August Strindberg's naturalistic drama Miss Julie (Fröken Julie), 1888, is first performed, by the Scandinavian Experimental Theater at the University of Copenhagen. His wife Siri von Essen plays the title rôle.

Miss Julie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14347

Photograph of the first production of Miss Julie at The People's Theatre in November 1906.

Unknown photographer, 1906 - Strindberg and the Five Senses, bu Hans-Goran Ekman.

On the left, a woman dressed in traditional servant attire appears to be engaged in a kitchen task, emphasizing the play’s working-class setting.

In the center-right, a woman in a long white dress (likely portraying Miss Julie) is interacting closely with a man in a formal suit (likely the character Jean), highlighting the tension and intimacy central to the plot.

The set design features modest furniture, utensils hanging on the wall, and exposed wooden beams, reflecting the realistic and detailed staging typical of early 20th-century naturalist theatre.

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

136d

"Les moeurs sont l'hypocrisie des nations."
"Manners are the hypocrisy of nations."

Part I, Meditation IV: Of the Virtuous Woman, aphorism XVI

#OTD in 1850.

Honoré de Balzac marries Ewelina Hańska at Berdyczów. The marriage ends with his death only five months later.

Although he married late in life, Balzac had already written two treatises on marriage: Physiologie du Mariage and Scènes de la Vie Conjugale.

Balzac at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/251

Portrait of Balzac in his famous dressing gown, by Louis Boulanger.

Balzac stands confidently, his arms crossed over his chest, embodying a bold and defiant posture.

He wears a long, flowing, white dressing gown that gives him a somewhat mystical, almost priestly appearance—reflecting both his eccentric personality and the near-sacred importance he placed on his literary work.

His facial expression is serious and focused, with a determined gaze that underscores his larger-than-life persona and his belief in the power of the writer.

Portrait of Ewelina Hańska by Holz von Sowgen, 1825, miniature on ivory. Maison de Balzac. Inv. : 34.

She is depicted with a calm and composed expression, exuding refinement and aristocratic poise.

Her hairstyle and attire reflect the fashion of the 1820s, with a carefully styled coiffure and a delicately ornamented dress, likely adorned with lace or fine embroidery.

The use of ivory as a painting surface lends a luminous quality to the portrait, enhancing the softness of her skin tones and giving the image a subtle glow—a hallmark of high-quality miniatures from this period.

https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-story-anglo-saxon-chronicle/

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

136d

What Is the Story of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?

by Alexander Roberts

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a history of the Anglo-Saxon kings, and it has an interesting history of its own.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle at PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/657

and

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/75186

#books #literature #history

A map of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1601966301?ls=1

Edited 136d ago

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

165d

📚 Introducing @storylines - Your all-in-one tracker for books and comics!

Keep tabs on everything you're reading, from novels to manga. Track your progress, set reading challenges, share your ratings & reviews, and organise your entire collection in one beautiful app. With home screen widgets, statistics and reading reminders, staying on top of your reading has never been easier.

Available now on iOS, iPadOS and macOS!

#Reading #Books #Comics #iOS #apps

0 0 1 View Post & Replies See Original

132d

The Age of Wonder Meets the Age of Information

What can past eras of information overload teach students about critically consuming content in the present?

By: Whitney Barlow Robles

https://daily.jstor.org/the-age-of-wonder-meets-the-age-of-information/

#books #naturalhistory #stem

Engraving from Ferrante Imperato, Dell'Historia Naturale (Naples 1599)

(Anonymous, for Ferrante Imperato) - http://www.ausgepackt.uni-erlangen.de/presse/download/index.shtml

This iconic engraving presents a richly detailed interior view of Ferrante Imperato’s cabinet of curiosities—an early precursor to the modern museum. The scene depicts a room overflowing with natural specimens and rare artifacts.

Shelves line the walls, densely packed with seashells, minerals, fossils, botanical specimens, taxidermied animals, and jars of preserved creatures. From the ceiling hang various exotic fish and the skins of reptiles, creating a sense of immersive discovery.

At the center, a group of visitors—likely scholars or gentlemen—observe and discuss the collection, reflecting the Renaissance spirit of inquiry and the human desire to catalog and understand the natural world.

https://lithub.com/an-american-faerie-queene-the-uncertain-lives-of-nathaniel-and-una-hawthorne/

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

164d

An American Faerie Queene: The Uncertain Lives of Nathaniel and Una Hawthorne

Megan Marshall on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Family, Edmund Spenser, and Biographical Lies

Photographic portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1860s.

The image captures him with his characteristic intense gaze, distinctive wavy hair, and formal attire typical of the period.

Photograph of Una, Julian, and Rose, Nathaniel Hawthorne's children.

Una Hawthorne (left) is seated, wearing a dark dress with a light-colored skirt, her hands resting on her lap.

Julian Hawthorne (center) stands behind a small table, dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt, exuding a poised and formal demeanor.

Rose Hawthorne (right) stands next to Julian, wearing a checkered dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt, her hand resting on the table.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Flame_(play)

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

135d

#OTD in 1920.

The Blue Flame, a four-act play by George V. Hobart and John Willard after Leta Vance Nicholson, opens at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway before a year's U.S. tour. Though described by a critic as "one of the worst plays ever written," it is a commercial success, largely due to Theda Bara as the central character of a vamp.

George V. Hobart at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4454

Cover of the sheet music for "The Blue Flame Theme Song" by William Frederic Peters and Ballard MacDonald. Shows actress Theda Bara, star of the play The Blue Flame.

Alfred S. Campbell Art Co. - This image is available from the New York Public Library's Digital Library under the digital ID g99c794_001: digitalgallery.nypl.org → digitalcollections.nypl.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Aiglon

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

135d

"Ce n'est pas une cause
Que j'attaque ou que je défends
Et ceci n'est pas autre chose
Que l'histoire d'un pauvre enfant."

#OTD in 1900.

Sarah Bernhardt stars in premiere of Edmond Rostand's l'Aiglon. The title of the play comes from a nickname for Napoleon II, the French word for "eaglet" (a young eagle).

L´Aiglon at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66793

Sarah Bernhardt in the title role (1900)

Aimé Dupont - Catalog Photo

Full-length vertical format portrait of the actress turned toward the left. She is dressed in a military uniform and holds a whip behind her back.

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

135d

#OTD in 1773.

Oliver Goldsmith's comedy She Stoops to Conquer is performed for the first time, at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.

Initially the play was titled Mistakes of a Night and the events within the play take place in one long night. In 1778, John O'Keeffe wrote a loose sequel, Tony Lumpkin in Town.

She Stoops to Conquer; Or, The Mistakes of a Night at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/383

Kyrle Bellew and Eleanor Robson in a scene from the 1905 play She Stoops to Conquer.

Photographer uncredited, digitized by Google Books - Harper's weekly, Volume 49; Harper's Magazine Co., 1905; page 692

Bellew, portraying the gallant yet socially awkward Charles Marlow, stood with an air of refined discomfort, his posture slightly stiff, betraying his character’s nervousness in the presence of genteel women.

Opposite him, Eleanor Robson, in the role of the clever and spirited Kate Hardcastle, exuded poise and intelligence. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she subtly played upon Marlow’s misconceptions, her graceful movements underscoring the lightness and irony of the moment. Dressed in a richly embroidered satin gown with a delicate bodice and flowing skirts, Robson’s presence was commanding yet playful.

https://www.vox.com/culture/402406/great-gatsby-f-scott-fitzgerald-centennial-100

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

135d

The great American classic we’ve been misreading for 100 years
The Great Gatsby is more than cocktail parties and color symbolism.

by Constance Grady

The Great Gatsby at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64317

The front dust jacket art of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, with title against a dark sky. Beneath the title are lips and two eyes, looming over a city.

Original cover illustration by Francis Cugat (1893–1981) and published by Charles Scribner's Sons.

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

3 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

134d

"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true."

#OTD in 1850.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's historical novel The Scarlet Letter is published by William Ticknor and James T. Fields in Boston, Massachusetts, where it is set. It sells 2,500 copies in ten days.

The Scarlett Letter at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/33

Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of "The Scarlet Letter" (1850), regarded this painting, which William Walters commissioned from Merle in 1859, as the finest illustration of his novel.

Set in Puritan Boston, the novel relates how Hester Prynne was publicly disgraced and condemned to wear a scarlet letter "A" for adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister who fathered her child, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's elderly husband, appear in the background.

Merle's canvas reflects some of the same 19th-century historical interest in the Puritans as Hawthorne's book, a fascination that reached its peak with the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863.

By depicting Hester and her daughter, Pearl, in a pose that recalls that of the Madonna and Child, Merle underlines "The Scarlet Letter"'s themes of sin and redemption.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

134d

"Il y a aujourd'hui trois cent quarante-huit ans six mois et dix-neuf jours que les parisiens s'éveillèrent au bruit de toutes les clochés sonnant à grande volée dans la triple enceinte de la Cité, de l'Université et de la Ville."

#OTD in 1831.

Victor Hugo's historical romantic Gothic novel Notre-Dame de Paris, known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, is published by Gosselin in Paris.

Notre-Dame de Paris at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/2610

The main characters depicted in a frontispiece illustration by Aimé de Lemud (Notre-Dame de Paris, Perrotin éditeur, Garnier frères, 1844).

Aimé de Lemud - This image comes from the Gallica online library under ARK identifier bpt6k15139651/f13

illustration by Aimé de Lemud for the frontispiece of Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris, Perrotin éditeur, Garnier frères, 1844.

Illustration from Victor Hugo et son temps (1881)

Luc-Olivier Merson (1846–1920) - Here

Drawing of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, showing the recently restored galerie des chimères.

A cloaked figure, likely Claude Frollo, the archdeacon in Hugo's novel, is standing on a high balcony or gallery of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

He is leaning against the balustrade, looking pensively over the cityscape of medieval Paris, with rooftops, chimneys, and the Seine River visible in the background.

Surrounding him are several gargoyle sculptures, which are iconic elements of Gothic architecture and Notre-Dame itself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman%27s_Library

1 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

163d

"Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords."
Letter (8 June 1762) [to an unnamed recipient], p. 103

#OTD in 1906.

J. M. Dent and Co. initiates the U.K. Everyman's Library series, edited by Ernest Rhys. The first title is Boswell's Life of Johnson.

Life of Samuel Johnson at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1564

Title page to the 1791 first edition The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D, as found on the Google Books scan of the Bodleian Library copy.

Henry Baldwin - https://books.google.com/books?id=P-INAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA327#v=onepage&q&f=false

The title is in a large, serif font, with variations in font size and capitalization for emphasis.

"The Life of Samuel Johnson" is prominently displayed.

“LL.D.” follows Johnson’s name, denoting his honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Boswell’s name is given with "Esq." (Esquire), a common 18th-century honorific.

A Latin quotation (often included in scholarly works of the time) appears below the author’s name.

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

163d

#OTD in 1894.

French anarchist Martial Bourdin accidentally kills himself while attempting to plant a bomb at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, a fictionalised version of which appears in Joseph Conrad's novel The Secret Agent (1907). Bourdin's motives remain a mystery as does his intended target, which may have been the Greenwich Observatory.

The Secret Agent at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/974

First US edition of The Secret Agent.

The book cover has a striking Art Nouveau-style design with symbolic elements reflecting the novel's themes of espionage, political conspiracy, and anarchism.

A long-haired figure at the top, possibly representing Fate or an anarchist figure, holds a pair of scissors cutting a string.

The string leads downward to a compass-like object, forming a triangle that frames the book’s title.

The triangle may symbolize secret societies, conspiracies, or anarchist cells.

https://wordsmarts.com/dickensian-words/

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

134d

Beyond “Dickensian”: 7 Quirky Words Created by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens at PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/37

#books #authors #literature

Cover of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_(play)

Edited 134d ago

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

163d

#OTD in 1857.

The play Demetrius, left unfinished at Schiller's death in 1805, is premiered at the Hoftheater in Weimar. It is based on the life of Demetrius, briefly Russian czar between 1604 and 1605.

Demetrius at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6800

Portrait of Friedrich Schiller by Ludovike Simanowiz (1794).

Schiller is shown in a three-quarter view, facing slightly to the left.

His gaze is distant and thoughtful, reflecting his intellectual and poetic nature.

He has an air of melancholy and contemplation, often associated with Romanticism and the Sturm und Drang movement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Schiller#/media/File:Friedrich_Schiller_by_Ludovike_Simanowiz.jpg

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

163d

#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.

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)

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.

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

163d

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.

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

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

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

0 0 0 View Post & Replies See Original

163d

"... the increase of known truths stimulates the investigation, establishment, and growth of the arts; not their diminution or destruction."

Galileo was born #OTD in 1564. One of the key figures of the scientific revolution, his name is associated with important contributions in physics & astronomy. Also of primary importance was his role in the astronomical revolution, with support for the heliocentric system & Copernican theory.

At PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/39014

#books

Phases of the Moon drawn by Galileo in 1616.

Frontispiece in a 1632 copy of "Dialogo...sopra I due Massimi Sistemi del Mondo Tolemaico, e Copernicano" by Galileo Galilei. Copy located in the Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, in College Park, Maryland.

Galileo Galilei - https://libserv.aip.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?