Eggplant.place

303d

This week's #NewBooks at the library: I bought used copies at very sharp prices of Biology and #Evolution of #Crocodylians from Comstock Publishing Associates, and Imperial Nature: #JosephHooker and the Practices of Victorian Science from the University of Chicago Press, and adopted a damaged copy of @bugmanjones's Shieldbugs from HarperCollins.

#Reptiles #Herpetology #Crocodiles #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #HistSci #Entomology #Insects #Books #Scicomm #Bookstodon @bookstodon

A photo of three hardback books standing on a small, brown, wooden table. The out-of-focus background shows black shelves full of books and part of the beech-coloured laminate floor.

On the left, Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians, showing a photo of a crocodile in water, with only its head visible.

In the middle, Imperial Nature: Joseph Hooker and the Practices of Victorian Science, showing dark red wooden shelves densely packed with folders containing dried plants. In the foreground are two herbarium sheets with dried plants

On the right, Shieldbugs, showing a colour drawing of a red-and-black shieldbug.

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303d

📚 Hansel and Gretel by: Stephen King

The haunting tale of two brave children lost in a dark and dangerous forest is reimagined by literary legends Stephen King and Maurice Sendak in an all-new picture book.

Let Stephen King, global bestselling and award-winning author of The Long Walk, and Maurice Sendak...

https://bookblabla.com/book/hansel-and-gretel

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #juvenilefiction #actionadventure #family #holidayscelebrations #socialthemes

The haunting tale of two brave children lost in a dark and dangerous forest is reimagined by literary legends Stephen King and Maurice Sendak in an all-new picture book.

Let Stephen King, global bestselling and award-winning author of The Long Walk, and Maurice Sendak, beloved creator of the Caldecott Medal-winning Where the Wild Things Are," guide you into the most deliciously daring rendition of the classic Grimm fairy tale yet. But will you find your way back out?
With a personal introduction from Stephen King, the beautiful book has been created in close collaboration with The Maurice Sendak Foundation. This stunning storybook makes the perfect gift for fans of King, Sendak, and the Brothers Grimm.

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!
An Instant #1 Indie Bestseller!

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302d

I been re-watching ‘Stranger Things’, to prepare to for the show shutting down. Like the show, but it seems almost like a ‘Steven King’ knock off, more so with every sense begun. I also love the original ‘Twilight Zone’ best SciFi stories ever made, better than any TV & Movies ever made. I cannot tell you how many timesI have watched them, but give me $100 each episode I have watched & I would become the richest person in the world. I really liked the original ‘Amazing Stories’ as well. I liked all the remakes of both series that followed. So, here is my idea- Create a TV series that takes ‘Steven King’s stories, mostly the books, & makes at least one-entire season out of each of his stories. Maybe, need to increase seasons’ at least 1+-Hr. episodes to at least 20. Maybe, even do more than 1-‘Steven King’ stories at a time, already doing that for other famous authors.

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306d

Well, my book on TDDA has become slightly more real:

It’s not expected to be available until April, but you can see it on the publisher’s website at

https://www.routledge.com/Test-Driven-Data-Analysis/Radcliffe/p/book/9781032897158

Although the publisher won’t let you pre-order till the end of March, the paper copy is listed on Blackwells and Waterstones:

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Test-Driven-Data-Analysis-by-Nicholas-J-Radcliffe/9781032897158

https://www.waterstones.com/book/test-driven-data-analysis/nicholas-j-radcliffe/9781032897158

and Amazon will let you pre-order paper or Kindle copies.

#TDDA #books #data #analysis #testing #datascience #quality #AI #ML

The cover of the book Test-Driven Data Analysis by Nicholas J. Radcliffe.
It is published by Chapman and Hall, part of CRC Press, from Taylor & Francis Group, and is part of the DATA SCIENCE SERIES.

The cover is black with mostly white text and a white graphic.

The graphic is a 3-row by 4-column grid of squares.
Each sqwuare contains a number of dots laid out on a regular 32x32 grid.

The top-left square has 1024 dots ("full") and working along each row
in turn, the number of dots roughly halves each time, apparently at
random (and, actually, pseudo-randomly).

The last rows boxes have six, two, two, and one dot.

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302d

Did Charles Dickens see A Christmas Carol as an anti-slavery story?

A Christmas Carol is usually read as a Victorian morality tale about capitalism and compassion. Yet an autographed script written by Charles Dickens during the American Civil War raises the possibility he may also have understood the story as speaking to the cause of ending slavery in the US.

By Lucy Whitehead

https://theconversation.com/did-charles-dickens-see-a-christmas-carol-as-an-anti-slavery-story-272292

Christmas Carol at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46

#books #literature

"The Ghost of Christmas Present" from the original edition, 1843

Scrooge's third visitor, from Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. With Illustrations by John Leech. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition. This image is one of four hand-coloured etchings included in the first edition.

The illustration depicts the Ghost of Christmas Present as a jolly giant robed in green, surrounded by festive abundance including food and drink.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol#/media/File:Scrooges_third_visitor-John_Leech,1843.jpg

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302d

"Art is at least in part a way of collecting information about the universe. "
The Strange Necessity: Essays and Reviews (1928)

~Rebecca West, born #OTD in 1892.

About Rebecca West:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_West

#books #literature

Rebecca West papers.

The image is a black-and-white, grainy portrait photograph, likely from the early 20th century. It shows a young woman in close-up, facing slightly to the viewer’s left, with a calm, serious, and introspective expression. Her gaze is steady and directed just past the camera.

She wears an ornate, beaded headpiece that fits closely around her head and extends down the sides, with strands of beads hanging near her ears. Her hair is mostly concealed beneath it. She is dressed in a dark garment with a simple neckline, which contrasts with her pale complexion and draws attention to her face.

https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/rebecca-west-papers

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301d

If you're looking for a polyam romance, I've narrated a good one.

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155d

"Some More Birthdays": some of the older works of the Folger catalog

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302d

At Marcel Proust's table

To immerse oneself in In Search of Lost Time is a bit like becoming a guest of the narrator. The table plays a significant role in the novel, perpetuating a distinctly French literary tradition, evident at least since Rabelais.

By Junko Meguro

https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/article/bf46724d-829b-4391-85e1-2efbce656fd6-table-marcel-proust?fbclid=IwVERFWAO0ipZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeuo9WZsk_SJ-_hI_7LiBjP3WDozkF_DuWHzmybBHIoHBBGBObdz9YFDA0FKM_aem_-N3e4IEhNZb99CCDERQs_g

In Search of Lost Time at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=+In+Search+of+Lost+Time
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=a+la+recherche+du+temps+perdu

#books #literature #cooking

Marcel Proust in 1895.

A formal black and white portrait photograph of Marcel Proust taken in 1895, showing the young French novelist at age 24 with his characteristic mustache, slicked hair, and contemplative pose with hand near his chin.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80_la_recherche_du_temps_perdu#/media/Fichier:Marcel_Proust_1895.jpg

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301d

5 Christmas Poems That Have Been Treasured Since the 1800s

https://www.thecollector.com/19th-century-christmas-poems/

"A Visit From St. Nicholas (Twas the Night Before Christmas)" at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=A+Visit+From+St.+Nicholas

Alfred Tennyson at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2987

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/16

Christina Rossetti at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7041

#books #poetry #literature

Illustration from "Twas the Night before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas" at PG. It shows a mantel with Christmas stockings hanging from it. On top of the mantel is a clock and two vases on each side.

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301d

Philosopher of pride

For Mandeville, humankind has a bottomless need to be liked: it is this perennial craving that forms the foundation of society

By Andrea Branchi

https://aeon.co/essays/the-hidden-role-of-pride-and-shame-in-the-human-hive?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=de76c78df1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

Mandeville at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2543

#books #literature #history

Possible portrait of the writer Bernard Mandeville.

Mandeville is shown from the waist up, turned slightly to the side but looking directly at the viewer.

He has long, softly curled brown hair falling to his shoulders, pale skin, and a calm, reserved facial expression.

He wears an elegant blue satin or silk coat with elaborate gold embroidery and decorative fastenings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Mandeville#/media/File:Unknown_man,_formerly_known_as_Sir_James_Thornhill_by_John_Closterman.jpg

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301d

50% off @ #Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1667520

The Hunter seeks peace and quiet to mourn the loss of her best friend in a world that seems bound and determined to make that task impossible. Enemies attack when she’d rather be alone, allies can’t take a hint and the arch-demon Wrath seeks the Hunter’s hand in marriage, even though she’d sooner kill him.

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #actionadventure #fiction #books #EOYSale25 #ebook #sale #books2read #indiebooks

(Left) The cover of She Seeks Peace, by Owen Tyme.

The background is a snow-capped, craggy mountain with green, grassy hills at its base, which feature yellow and blue flowers.

The foreground is dominated by the round symbol for peace, in gold. Along the bottom of it are two olive branches. At the top is a dove in flight. Arranged on the lower three spokes of it are three figures based on the AIGA symbol for a woman. The figure on the right is blue. The one in the middle is a very dark gray, bordering on black, which includes a top hat. The figure on the left is red and has horns, like a demon.

(Right) The background is a view from the interior of a gun's barrel, with the rifling very apparent and the following quote over the top:

Reggie looked down the barrel of one of his own pistols, which the girl held in both hands, because the M1911 was a little large for someone so small.

There was a long, silent moment as the girl giggled and met his gaze. The murderous look was gone, replaced by something more playful, like a cat toying with a mouse.

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

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1y

Dracula author's lost story unearthed after 134 years.

An amateur historian has discovered a long-lost short story by Bram Stoker, published just seven years before his legendary gothic novel Dracula.

By Maia Davies @BBCNews

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g9119l64qo

"Gibbet Hill" published in Supplement to the Daily Express in 17th December 1890 is available here:
https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000924296

Books by Bram Stoker at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/190

#books #literature

Gibbet Hill by Bram Stoker (early short story) published in
Supplement to the Daily Express.
17th December 1890

Source: https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000924296

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299d

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin."
Opening lines.

#OTD in 1925.

Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story in the London Evening News for Christmas Eve.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098

#books #literature

Illustration to page 3 of Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by artist E. H. Shepard.

The scene shows Winnie-the-Pooh sitting on a log at the base of a large tree. He’s leaning back slightly, head tilted upward, with a thoughtful, mildly puzzled expression.

To Pooh’s left is a wooden signpost attached to the tree, with a bell on a cord hanging from it. The sign bears the name “MR SANDERS”, hinting at Pooh’s misunderstanding that this must be the name of whoever lives there. Below it, another small sign is partially visible. At the base of the tree are a few round objects, reinforcing the cozy, woodland setting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh#/media/File:Pooh_Shepard1928.jpg

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302d

Too many novels is definitely how I want to go, but I'm probably more likely to suffer from a stong bout of drawing-room anguish 😜😂

#NotAllBooksAreCreatedEqual

@bookstodon @books @humor @humor@lemmy.world @aiop

#Litterature
#Book #Books #BookMemes #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Novel #Novels #Bookshelf #Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #FantasyBooks

Historic painting of a woman lying in bed.
Caption: Things Women In Literature Have Died From

The list:
Cold hands
Pony exhaustion
Beautiful face
Strolling congestion
Missing slippers
Sherry served too cold
Wrist fevers
Ship infidelity
Night brain
Going outside at night In Italy
Shawl Insufficiency
Clergyman's dropsy
Too many pillows
Flirting headaches
Garden troubles
River unhappiness
Someone said "No" very loudly
General bummers
Letter-reading fits
Mmmf
Drawing-room anguish
Beautiful chestnut hair
Not enough pillows
Spinal degeneration as a result of pride
Haven't seen the sea In a long time
Parents too happy
Too many novels
The Unpleasantness

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301d

📚 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by: Philip K. Dick

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, bir...

https://bookblabla.com/book/do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #apocalypticpostapocalyptic

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and 'retire' them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force.

A masterpiece ahead of its time, a prescient rendering of a dark future, and the inspiration for the blockbuster film Blade Runner

Praise for Philip K. Dick

The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world. John Brunner

A kind of pulp-fiction Kafka, a prophet. The New York Times

Philip K. Dick sees all the sparkling—and terrifying—possibilities that other authors shy away from. Rolling Stone

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206d

Spotify and Labels Seek $322 Million Default Judgment Against Anna’s Archive

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301d

📚 Sunset at Zero Point by: Simon Stålenhag

Beginning in 2024, yet set largely during the early 2000s, Sunset at Zero Point unfolds on a secluded Swedish island, home to a secret weapon lab that has been off-limits for years, evoking the bestselling works of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation and Emily St. John Ma...

https://bookblabla.com/book/sunset-at-zero-point

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #sciencefiction #cyberpunkfiction #worldliterature #sweden

Beginning in 2024, yet set largely during the early 2000s, Sunset at Zero Point unfolds on a secluded Swedish island, home to a secret weapon lab that has been off-limits for years, evoking the bestselling works of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven.

Stålenhag’s masterful storytelling and hyper-realistic art transports you to an alternate history revealing his most intimate work to date, delving into themes of masculinity, friendship, and sexuality through the lens of a queer science fiction tale. The story spans decades following two young men, stuck in the past and each other’s orbit, as fleeting moments become defining memories as they set out to explore the forbidden zone together.

From the renowned creator of The Electric State and Tales from the Loop, Stålenhag returns with his long-awaited new work of retro-futuristic dystopia within the mysterious zone of an abandoned Swedish military facility.

Set against the backdrop of Stålenhag’s native Sweden and based on the alternate version of Mälaröarna outside of Stockholm, Sunset at Zero Point juxtaposes giant futuristic machines with the inner turmoil of its characters facing a social dystopia, crafting a narrative that is both visually stunning and emotionally resonant.

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2y

Do you enjoy reading? Join the DP Smooth-Reading Team & be a part of making free e-books available to everyone. Simply visit our SR Pool, select a book that interests you while making notes of possible errors in the story or its format. When you finish reading the book, just upload your list of potential errors to the project manager. If you start reading a book & find it you don't like it, just choose a new book & start a new one. via @DProofreaders

Join us at
https://www.pgdp.net/c/tools/post_proofers/smooth_reading.php

#books

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283d

finished reading To Be Taught, If Fortunate 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
by Becky Chambers.

A small crew of scientists leave Earth, and their time period, forever to explore life on distant planets. But what will they do when Earth goes silent? An ode to science, discovery and the inherent worth of knowledge. The lack of interpersonal conflict under such trying conditions feels unrealistic.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SciFi

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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2y

#OTD in 1849.

American writer Edgar Allan Poe died under mysterious circumstances at Washington Medical College four days after being found on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, in a delirious and incoherent state.

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

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

#books #literature

Edgar Allan Poe. Quarter-plate portrait daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe taken by William Abbott Pratt in Richmond, Virginia, September 1849. The two daguerreotypes Pratt made of Poe in this sitting are the last to have been made of the writer before his death in Baltimore in October 1849.

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299d

The Best Books I Read in 2025

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1y

"Tupi or not tupi - That is the question."
Manifesto Antropófago, 1928.

Brazilian poet, novelist and cultural critic Oswald de Andrade died #OTD in 1954.

Andrade was one of the founders of Brazilian modernism and a member of the Group of Five, along with Mário de Andrade, Anita Malfatti, Tarsila do Amaral and Menotti del Picchia. He participated in the Modern Art Week (Semana de Arte Moderna).

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

#books #literature

Escritor brasileiro Oswald de Andrade/Brazilian writer Oswald de Andrade

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300d

Free @ #Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1462617

Having an abusive assassin for a sister was bad enough, but when Lyra’s older sister, Nicole, becomes obsessed with killing the teenage troll, her life becomes a special kind of nightmare. Will she escape, or become just another victim of the unstoppable woman?

@bookstodon
#author #indieauthor #writing #fantasy #scifi #sciencefiction #sff #sciencefantasy #scifi #actionadventure #fiction #books #EOYSale25 #ebook #sale #books2read #indiebooks