Eggplant.place

92d

Reading books is not just a pleasure: it helps our minds to heal

Through my own struggles and in teaching bibliotherapy to students, I know that books can help to heal minds and hearts

By Peter Leyland

https://psyche.co/ideas/reading-books-is-not-just-a-pleasure-it-helps-our-minds-to-heal?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1bcb6802bf-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_04_29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-39282928e4-72664972

#books #literature #poetry

Ornament from a 1923 magazine

Anonymous - The Story World and Photodramatist (https://archive.org/details/storyworldphotod51phot)

Books and Scroll Ornament with Open Book.

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88d

"Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever."

'Lost, Two Golden Hours' in Common School Journal November 1844

~Horace Mann (May 4, 1796 – August 2, 1859)

Horace Mann at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70681

#books #literature

Original daguerreotype of Rep. Mann (Mass.) from Mathew Brady's a studio, c. 1849

Mathew Benjamin Brady - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3g07396. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing.

Horace Mann, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to right. Whig and Free Soil Congressman from Massachusetts, 1848-1853; President of Antioch College.

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

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110d

The Literary Inspirations for Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique

The creative works on which Hector Berlioz drew when writing his macabre and revolutionary symphony were fantastic indeed.

By: Angelica Frey

https://daily.jstor.org/the-literary-inspirations-for-berliozs-symphonie-fantastique/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_content=email&utm_term=Symphonie%20Fantastique&utm_campaign=jstordaily_04102025

Books by or about Berlioz at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=berlioz&submit_search=Search

#books #literature #music

Symphonie fantastique. Un bal.

Fantin-Latour, Henri, 1836-1904

In a ballroom, in the foreground, sitting on an ottoman, a young woman is seen from behind. Behind her, seen from the front but in shadow, is the hero of the work (Berlioz). He is standing in black coat with his left arm extended and his right hand on his heart. Hangings are on the right and the left, raised on the right by a kiss. In the background, under the whiteness of the chandelier, the whirlwind of the ball.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Symphonie_fantastique._Un_bal_-_DPLA_-_02c48804aee34f8e91110d7dae094351.jpg

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110d

"[…], la parole est un laminoir qui allonge toujours les sentiments."

#OTD in 1857.

Gustave Flaubert's first novel Madame Bovary was published complete in book form by Michel Lévy Frères in Paris.

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

Madame Bovary at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=madame+bovary&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Title page of the first edition of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary (Lévy, Paris, 1857).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Madame_Bovary_(roman)?uselang=fr#/media/File:Madame_Bovary_1857_(hi-res).jpg/2

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Emma Bovary and Rodolphe. Composition by Alfred de Richemont etched by Carlo Chessa for Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary, Paris, A. et F. Ferroud. Librairie des Amateurs, 1905.

The image shows Emma Bovary and Rodolphe Boulanger in a moment of private closeness, likely set in a salon, reflecting the romantic ideals Emma clings to. Rodolphe appears attentive and composed, while Emma leans slightly toward him, her posture and gaze conveying a mix of longing, vulnerability, and illusion.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Madame_Bovary_(roman)?uselang=fr#/media/File:Alfred_de_Richemont_-_Madame_Bovary_-_Emma_Bovary_et_Rodolphe.jpg

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86d

The Voynich Manuscript revealed: five things you probably did not know about the Medieval masterpiece

Scholars have speculated for centuries about the meaning behind the 15th-century codex and its peculiar illustrations

By Garry Shaw

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/05/05/the-voynich-manuscript-revealed-five-things-you-probably-did-not-know-about-the-medieval-masterpiece

More information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript

#books #oldmanuscript

A page from the mysterious Voynich manuscript, which is undeciphered to this day.

Page 175; f99r, of the pharmaceutical section

Unknown author - Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University.

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95d

Green Queer Erotic Love Magic is the sometimes poetic and sometimes discursive imagination of a green queer erotic love-based anarchy. It discusses the meanings of green, queer, erotic and love and argues for the imagination to create "anarchy".

https://archive.org/details/gqelm-c

#politics #green #queer #erotic #love #anarchy #magic #imagination #pagan #art #writing #books

Black book cover which reads Green Queer Erotic Love Magic in rainbow colours

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91d

4 Must-Read Works by Edgar Allan Poe (& Why You Should Read Them)

Edgar Allan Poe was a master of Gothic literature. Although his stories are filled with gloom and mystery, they also contain universal truths.

by Andrew Olsen

https://www.thecollector.com/edgar-allan-poe-works-must-read/

Edgar Allan Poe at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/481

#books #literature

An illustration from Jules Verne’s essay “Edgard Poë et ses oeuvres” (Edgar Poe and his Works), by Frederic Lix or Yan’ Dargent, 1862.

Looming above the scene is a massive, spectral figure cloaked in flowing robes, wielding a giant scythe—a clear personification of Death. The ghostly figure seems to emerge from the vertical torrent of rain or water, merging with the storm itself.

The engraving is dense with vertical lines, conveying the relentless downward motion of rain or divine force. The sense of movement and chaos is heightened by the wind-swept garments, crashing waves, and circling seabirds.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Edgard_Po%C3%AB_et_ses_oeuvres%27_by_Lix_and_Dargent_6.jpg

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91d

#OTD in 1930.

"Pluto" is officially proposed for the name of the newly discovered dwarf planet by Vesto Slipher in the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular. The name quickly catches on.

It was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh, making it the first known object in the Kuiper belt. However, its planetary status was questioned when it was found to be much smaller than expected.

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

Books about Pluto at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=pluto&submit_search=Search

#books #science #astronomy

Discovery photographs of Pluto.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto#/media/File:Pluto_discovery_plates.png

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109d

Apollonius of Rhodes: The Man Who Changed Greek Literature for Ever

By Nick Kampouris

https://greekreporter.com/2025/04/12/apollonius-rhodes-man-change-greek-literature/

Books by Apollonius of Rhodes at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/433

#books #literature

"The Argonautica" by Apollonius Rhodius is an epic poem composed in the 3rd century B.C.

It centers on the mythological quest of Jason and his band of heroes, collectively known as the Argonauts, as they embark on a perilous journey to retrieve the golden fleece from the distant land of Colchis.

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88d

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is a dark parable about coercive control

By Katy Mullin and Hannah Roche

https://theconversation.com/emily-brontes-wuthering-heights-is-a-dark-parable-about-coercive-control-253866?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20May%201%202025%20-%203359834264&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20May%201%202025%20-%203359834264+CID_13448bac8f25132d36fbf0c25b322159&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Emily%20Bronts%20Wuthering%20Heights%20is%20a%20dark%20parable%20about%20coercive%20control

Wuthering Heights at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/768

#books #movie #literature

Photo of Sir Laurence Olivier knighted 1947-page 144 and Merle Oberon from the 1939 film Wuthering Heights.

Olivier, in rustic clothing and seated on a rocky outcrop, gazes into the distance with a pensive, determined expression. Oberon, draped in a shawl, looks upward beside him with a soft, luminous gaze, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder, symbolizing both connection and tragic yearning.

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

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109d

Today's Distributed Proofreader's blog celebrates the 49,000th unique title Distributed Proofreaders has posted to Project Gutenberg: The Trail of the Serpent, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

https://blog.pgdp.net/2025/04/12/celebrating-49000-titles/

The Trail of the Serpent at PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/75840

Distributed Proofreaders

https://www.pgdp.net/c/

#books #dp #dpblog

Cover of the book "The Trail of the Serpent" by M. E. Braddon.

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91d

Today's DP Blog shines a spotlight on the Noël Coward play, "Hay Fever"

https://blog.pgdp.net/2025/05/01/hay-fever/

#dp #dpblog #books #plays

Cover of Hay Fever: A Play in Three Acts by Noel Coward

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91d

Why Are There So Many Folk Songs About Maypoles?

Happy May 1st!

https://wordsmarts.com/folk-song-maypole/

Books by Nathaniel Hawthorne by PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/28

#books #music

Img. 2501 Schools, Maypole activity at Parks School ca. 1924. School girls around a Maypole in a classroom. - from the Internet Archive

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88d

This Plaintive Song Is From a Land Without Lullabies

A rare tribe lacks music for dancing or soothing their young ones

By Kristen French

https://nautil.us/this-plaintive-song-is-from-a-land-without-lullabies-1207655/

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/16

#books #literature #music

Lullaby by François Nicholas Riss .

The composition centers on a young mother seated beside a cradle suspended from the ceiling by ropes. She delicately dangles a lullaby above her infant, who lies nestled beneath a patterned cloth canopy, one tiny hand reaching upward. Her expression is gentle and attentive, conveying maternal affection and calm. In her lap, she holds knitting needles, suggesting the multitasking rhythm of caregiving.

To her left, a barefoot young boy leans against the window, absorbed in his own quiet activity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lullaby#/media/File:Fran%C3%A7ois_Riss_Lullaby.jpg

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86d

Beatrix Potter is best remembered for her charming tales of Peter Rabbit, but did you know she also studied #science?

Potter collected & examined beetles, butterflies, plants, bird eggs, shells, rocks, fossils & especially fungi. She conducted experiments & wrote a scientific paper with her own illustrations, presented at the Linnean Society of London. However, as a woman in the Victorian era, she couldn’t even attend the meeting.#history #art #books

Potter aged fifteen with her springer spaniel, Spot. Source: Wikipedia

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Drawings by Potter of a ground beetle, Credit: Victoria and Albert Museum, London, via Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

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76d

finished reading Mind of My Mind 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
by Octavia Butler.

The god-like mutant Doro finally breeds his race of super-powered telepaths. Can they hold it together, and can he tolerate them? Not much narrative tension or interesting characters, and not a lot happens.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SFF #OctaviaButler

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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108d

Selected works. #grickledoodle #horror #ghost #library #books #cartoon #art #drawing #funny

A cartoon illustration of a couple looking at a free library box in front of an old house with a ghost in it. Caption reads "Weird. They're all horror books."

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90d

One great short story to read today: Franz Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”

By Emily Temple

https://lithub.com/one-great-short-story-to-read-today-franz-kafkas-in-the-penal-colony/

In der Strafkolonie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25791

#books #literature #translation

Kafka as a Doctor of Law, around 1906.

A young Franz Kafka is shown posed with composed seriousness, wearing formal academic attire. His hair is neatly combed, and his face bears the thoughtful, introspective expression often associated with his later literary persona.

Kafka is dressed in a dark academic robe or formal suit, possibly accompanied by a white collar or shirt, denoting his recent graduation. The formal wear and subdued tone of the image mark the ceremonial significance of the occasion.

Atelier Jacobi: Sigismund Jacobi (1860–1935) - http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/news/2008_july_02 Franz Kafka: Pictures of a Life by Klaus Wagenbach (1984), p. 58; sourced to Klaus Wagenbach Archiv, Berlin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka#/media/File:Kafka1906.jpg

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107d

finished reading Anxious People 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
by Fredrik Backman.

A bunch of charming idiots (i.e. everyday people) get thrown together and muddle their way through a crisis in the only way humans can: messily, and hilariously. Occasionally heavy-handed but the portrayal of people and their idiosyncrasies is a joy.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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