books

1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1901.</p><p>The first Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded, to French poet Sully Prudhomme.</p><p>He devoted the bulk of the money he received to the creation of a poetry prize awarded by the Société des gens de lettres. He also founded, in 1902, the Société des poètes français with Jose-Maria de Heredia and Leon Dierx.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Prudhomme" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Prudhomme"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sully_Pr</span><span class="invisible">udhomme</span></a></p><p>Books by Sully Prudhomme at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7695" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7695"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/7695</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Sully-Prudhomme, René François Armand Prudhomme, known as (1839 - 1907), french writer.

In such portraits, he wears a suit with a high-collared shirt and tie, consistent with the fashion of the late 1800s. His facial features, including a prominent mustache and neatly groomed hair, contribute to the dignified and intellectual aura often associated with prominent writers of his time.

Autograph manuscript of “Science et poésie” published in the Nouvelle Revue internationale in 1898, then in Épaves in 1908.

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1y

<p>Alfred North Whitehead, who died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1947, was an English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known as the defining figure of the philosophical school known as process philosophy, which today has found application to a wide variety of disciplines, including ecology, theology, education, physics, biology, economics, and psychology, among other areas.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_N</span><span class="invisible">orth_Whitehead</span></a></p><p>Alfred North Whitehead at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/8283" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/8283"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/8283</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/philosophy/" rel="tag">#philosophy</a> <a href="/tags/mathematics/" rel="tag">#mathematics</a></p>

Alfred North Whitehead portrait.

Portraits of Alfred North Whitehead, the eminent mathematician and philosopher, often depict him as a distinguished and contemplative figure, reflecting his intellectual contributions to fields like logic, mathematics, and metaphysics.

A characteristic portrait of Whitehead would show him with a serious yet approachable expression, a high forehead emphasizing his scholarly demeanor, and neatly combed white hair, signifying his advanced years during his most influential period. The pose and setting often evoke an academic atmosphere, with books, a desk, or a study as part of the background, symbolizing his lifelong dedication to learning and teaching.

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1y

<p>Arthur Schopenhauer’s Idealism: Is Our World Just a Dream?<br>Schopenhauer argued that the world is but an intricate dream, and what he suggested lies beyond it may shock you.</p><p>By Maysara Kamal</p><p><a href="https://www.thecollector.com/arthur-schopenhauers-idealism-is-our-world-just-a-dream/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.thecollector.com/arthur-schopenhauers-idealism-is-our-world-just-a-dream/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.thecollector.com/arthur-sc</span><span class="invisible">hopenhauers-idealism-is-our-world-just-a-dream/</span></a></p><p>Books by Arthur Schopenhauer at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3648" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3648"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/3648</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/philosophy/" rel="tag">#philosophy</a></p>

Schopenhauer portrait.

A portrait of Arthur Schopenhauer typically depicts the German philosopher with a serious and introspective demeanor, reflecting his profound and often somber philosophy. His distinctive physical features include a high forehead, sharp cheekbones, and piercing eyes that suggest a deep intellectual presence.

Schopenhauer is often shown wearing formal 19th-century attire, such as a dark coat, white shirt, and cravat, emphasizing his scholarly persona. His hair is white and wild, framing his face in an untamed manner that has become iconic. The background in such portraits is usually subdued, with neutral tones or simple drapery, ensuring that the focus remains on the subject.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1899.</p><p>Robert Browning's book Asolando; Fancies and facts is published on the same day he dies at Ca' Rezzonico in Venice. He is buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.</p><p>His magnum opus, The Ring and the Book (1868–1869), is a 12-volume epic poem based on a real-life Italian murder trial. He is particularly celebrated for his dramatic monologues, which reveal the inner workings of his characters' minds.</p><p>Asolando<br><a href="https://archive.org/details/asolandofanciesf00browiala" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="archive.org/details/asolandofanciesf00browiala"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">archive.org/details/asolandofa</span><span class="invisible">nciesf00browiala</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/146" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/146"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/146</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Portrait by Herbert Rose Barraud, c. 1888.

A portrait of Robert Browning, the renowned Victorian poet, depicts him as a dignified and thoughtful figure, reflective of his literary prowess. Browning’s distinctive features include a broad forehead, expressive eyes, and a well-groomed beard, which frames his face with an air of intellectual sophistication.

Browning’s expression is typically captured as introspective or gently engaging, embodying the dual qualities of a deep thinker and an accessible conversationalist.

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212d

<p>📚 In the Lives of Puppets by: TJ Klune</p><p>In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a ...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/in-the-lives-of-puppets" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/in-the-lives-of-puppets"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/in-the-liv</span><span class="invisible">es-of-puppets</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/contemporaryfiction/" rel="tag">#contemporaryfiction</a> <a href="/tags/humorousfiction/" rel="tag">#humorousfiction</a> <a href="/tags/lgbtq/" rel="tag">#lgbtq</a></p>

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labeled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

An epic quest of rescue and discovery [with] the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweetness. Library Journal, starred review

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Manag

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1y

<p>📣 Reminder: <a href="/tags/meaction/" rel="tag">#MEAction</a> is giving away 2 copies (one paperback, one audiobook) of the book "Pillow Writers Anthology 1: Near-Life Experiences"</p><p>Their "Chronically Complex" podcast has extracts from the book:</p><p><a href="https://www.meaction.net/chronically-complex-meaction-podcast/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.meaction.net/chronically-complex-meaction-podcast/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.meaction.net/chronically-c</span><span class="invisible">omplex-meaction-podcast/</span></a></p><p>Deadline for entry is December 15, winners will be selected the next day</p><p>I can't find an announcement on the <a href="/tags/meaction/" rel="tag">#MEAction</a> website but here's a link to what they posted on Bluesky:</p><p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/meactnet.bsky.social/post/3lbkjfa4w6c2t" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bsky.app/profile/meactnet.bsky.social/post/3lbkjfa4w6c2t"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bsky.app/profile/meactnet.bsky</span><span class="invisible">.social/post/3lbkjfa4w6c2t</span></a></p><p>@mecfs </p><p><a href="/tags/mecfs/" rel="tag">#MEcfs</a> <a href="/tags/pwme/" rel="tag">#PwME</a> <a href="/tags/neisvoid/" rel="tag">#NEISvoid</a> <a href="/tags/writers/" rel="tag">#Writers</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/giveaway/" rel="tag">#Giveaway</a></p>

Free Giveaway!
One lucky winner will receive a free paperback copy of the book (limited to the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and Italy) and another winner will receive a free copy of the audiobook (limited to the US and UK).

* Listen to the episode.
* Email podcast@meaction.net by December 15th with "Pillow Writers Giveaway" as the subject heading.
* Please indicate whether you'd prefer the audiobook, paperback, or either version.
* Please include your name, and if you preference is for the paperback, please list your home address so we can mail it to you if you win.

The deadline for entries is December 15th. The winners will be selected the next day.

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1y

<p>The Long History of a Short Form.<br>The aphorism, from Hippocrates to Maggie Nelson.</p><p>By Ryan Ruby via @laphamsquart</p><p>For a word that literally means definition, the aphorism is a rather indefinite genre. It bears a family resemblance to the fragment, the proverb, the maxim, the hypomnema, the epigram, the mantra, the parable, and the prose poem. </p><p><a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/long-history-short-form" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/long-history-short-form"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.laphamsquarterly.org/round</span><span class="invisible">table/long-history-short-form</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/aphorism/" rel="tag">#aphorism</a></p>

Detail of Big Fish Eat Little Fish, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, engraving by Pieter van der Heyden, 1557. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917. This is among the first of Bruegel’s many illustrations of proverbs.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1854.</p><p>Wilkie Collins's "The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter", published as "The Fourth Poor Traveller" in The Seven Poor Travellers – the Household Words special Christmas number – is the first non-police detective fiction published in Britain.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkie_Collins" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkie_Collins"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkie_C</span><span class="invisible">ollins</span></a></p><p>The Lawyer's Story of a Stolen Letter at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1626" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1626</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

The Seven Poor Travellers by Wilkie Collins.

Being the Extra Christmas Number of Household Words, Christmas 1854, p. 1.

https://archive.org/details/householdwords10dick/page/1/mode/1up?q=seven+poor

Edited 1y ago

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1847.</p><p>Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey are published in a three-volume set under the pen names of Ellis and Acton Bell respectively, in London by T. C. Newby. Wuthering Heights will be Emily's only published novel, as she dies a year later, aged 30.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuthering_Heights" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuthering_Heights"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wutherin</span><span class="invisible">g_Heights</span></a></p><p>Wuthering Heights at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/768" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/768</a></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Grey" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Grey"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Gr</span><span class="invisible">ey</span></a></p><p>Agnes Grey at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/767" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/767</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Title page for the first volume of the first edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. Thomas Cautley Newby, publisher. Lowell 1238.5 (A), Houghton Library, Harvard University

First edition title page of Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. Volumes 1 and 2 of this edition are Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

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213d

<p>Did anyone else try out the Apple Voice Technology offered for free by Draft2Digital to produce audiobooks? I was amazed at how terrible and primitive the Apple Voice Technology actually is, considering what Apple is. Here's one clue about how terrible the technology is: I wrote a book in 2023 under the pen name N.J. Edwards. The computer-generated male voice introduced the audiobook this way: "This is an audiobook by author New Jersey Edwards. Granted, New Jersey Edwards is a fantastic pen name. I wish I'd thought of it. But that is not the author's name on the front of my book. The audiobook of my novel BEER POUR is so atrocious that there's actual computer code jibberish spoken in the middle of a dialogue scene. I could go on and on about all the flaws, but there's not enough room here. Go back to the drawing board, Apple. <a href="/tags/apple/" rel="tag">#Apple</a> <a href="/tags/audiobook/" rel="tag">#audiobook</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/mastodon/" rel="tag">#mastodon</a> <a href="/tags/book/" rel="tag">#book</a> <a href="/tags/novel/" rel="tag">#novel</a> <a href="/tags/novel/" rel="tag">#novel</a> <a href="/tags/voice/" rel="tag">#voice</a> <a href="/tags/tech/" rel="tag">#tech</a> <a href="/tags/technology/" rel="tag">#technology</a> <a href="/tags/author/" rel="tag">#author</a> <a href="/tags/newjersey/" rel="tag">#NewJersey</a> <a href="/tags/draft2digital/" rel="tag">#draft2digital</a> <a href="/tags/d2d/" rel="tag">#D2D</a> <a href="/tags/computergenerated/" rel="tag">#computergenerated</a> <a href="/tags/computer/" rel="tag">#computer</a> <a href="/tags/introduction/" rel="tag">#introduction</a> <a href="/tags/intro/" rel="tag">#intro</a> <a href="/tags/introductions/" rel="tag">#introductions</a> <a href="/tags/scribesandmakers/" rel="tag">#scribesAndMakers</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/writerscoffeeclub/" rel="tag">#writersCoffeeClub</a> <a href="/tags/writer/" rel="tag">#writer</a> <a href="/tags/publishing/" rel="tag">#publishing</a> <a href="/tags/mywork/" rel="tag">#MyWork</a> <a href="/tags/writersofmastodon/" rel="tag">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="/tags/writers/" rel="tag">#writers</a> <a href="/tags/writerslife/" rel="tag">#writersLife</a> <a href="/tags/indieauthor/" rel="tag">#indieAuthor</a> <a href="/tags/author/" rel="tag">#author</a> <a href="/tags/authors/" rel="tag">#authors</a> <a href="/tags/audio/" rel="tag">#audio</a> <a href="/tags/audiofiction/" rel="tag">#audiofiction</a> <a href="/tags/startup/" rel="tag">#startup</a></p>

I was commenting on how terrible Apple Voice Technology is for creating audiobooks. It can't even get the author's name right.

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1y

<p>"Man is not truly one, but truly two."</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> (and January 9) in 1886.</p><p>Robert Louis Stevenson's horror novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde appears in New York and London. Almost 40,000 copies are sold in the first six months. By 1901, it was estimated to have sold over 250,000 copies in the United States.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_</span><span class="invisible">Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde</span></a></p><p>The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/43" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/43</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Title page of the first London edition (1886) of
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

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167d

Do the 2000's Hugo Winners Still Hold Up?

watch?v=wBR9W3jsORA

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1911.</p><p>The U.K. Copyright Act consolidates copyright law in the British Empire and confirms the six libraries to which a copy of every book published in the U.K. must be deposited by the publisher: the British Museum Library (London); the Bodleian Library (Oxford); the Advocates Library (Edinburgh); the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth); Trinity College Dublin; and Cambridge University Library.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_1911" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_1911"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyrigh</span><span class="invisible">t_Act_1911</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/copyright/" rel="tag">#copyright</a></p>

Cover page of the British Copyright Act 1911, also known as the Imperial Copyright Act of 1911. "Part I Imperial Copyright. Rights. 1.(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, copyright shall subsist throughout the parts of His Majesty’s dominions to which this Act extends for the term hereinafter mentioned in every original literary dramatic music and artists work, if..."

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134d

<p>Ebook and paperback: <a href="https://books2read.com/TheInvertedGlass" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="books2read.com/TheInvertedGlass"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">books2read.com/TheInvertedGlas</span><span class="invisible">s</span></a></p><p>After encountering the worst life has to offer, including the death of his wife and child, destruction of his home world, an addiction forced on him by the one responsible and a third of the galaxy falling under the heel of that tyrant, Levi Jacobs, a wizard, seeks to unravel the secrets of time and fate.</p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span><br><a href="/tags/author/" rel="tag">#author</a> <a href="/tags/indieauthor/" rel="tag">#indieauthor</a> <a href="/tags/writing/" rel="tag">#writing</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefiction/" rel="tag">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="/tags/sff/" rel="tag">#sff</a> <a href="/tags/sciencefantasy/" rel="tag">#sciencefantasy</a> <a href="/tags/scifi/" rel="tag">#scifi</a> <a href="/tags/actionadventure/" rel="tag">#actionadventure</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a></p>

(Left) The cover of The Inverted Glass, by Owen Tyme.

The Background is a pink and purple nebula in space.

The foreground is largely line art, in white, with a black shadow outline.

At the center is an hourglass. The bottom has black sand, with a white figure standing in it. The top has is an inverted mirror image of the bottom, with a black figure in white sand.

The hourglass serves as the balance point for a set of scales, which hold a heart and a feather. The heart is on the left and the feather on the right. The heart is lower than the feather.

(Right) Lying in blue sand is a heart made of the same sand, full of cracks. It glows from the inside in a warm, yellow color. Over that is the following quote:

Nicole felt an extreme kind of loss, realizing she’d been stolen away from the afterlife, just before finding out if she deserved punishment or not!

“How dare you do this to me? Why?”

“I’m always in need of strong spirits and I’ve seen none stronger. You have unique talents I refuse to see go to waste.”

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

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1y

<p>" I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."<br>Have His Carcase</p><p>English author, poet, and playwright Dorothy L. Sayers died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1957. Sayers is most famous for her detective novels featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, an aristocratic amateur sleuth. She wrote several plays, including The Zeal of Thy House and The Man Born to Be King. Sayers also translated major works, notably Dante’s Divine Comedy. </p><p>Dorothy L. Sayers at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/45867" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/45867"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/45867</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Dorothy L. Sayers – English crime writer, playwright, essayist and Christian writer (1893-1957)

uncredited; published by Boni and Liveright in connexion with her 1925 release Whose Body - Publicity photo from her American publishers; copy at the National Portrait Gallery.

The focus is on Sayers' upper torso and face, with a neutral or slightly blurred background that ensures the viewer’s attention is drawn entirely to her.

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214d

<p>"Understand this, I mean to arrive at the truth. The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it."<br>The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)</p><p>Dame Agatha Christie died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> 50 years ago.</p><p>She wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_C</span><span class="invisible">hristie</span></a></p><p>Agatha Christie at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/451</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Agatha Christie as a young woman

Unknown author - The Christie Archive Trust

The image captures Christie leaning out of a window with decorative latticed or diamond-patterned glass panes. She is photographed from roughly chest level up, positioned in the window frame.

Christie appears youthful creating volume on top of her head. She wears a distinctive outfit featuring a striped blouse with bold vertical stripes, paired with what appears to be a polka-dotted. A decorative handkerchief or lace detail is visible near her collar area.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Agatha_Christie#/media/File:Agatha_Christie_as_a_young_woman.jpg

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1818.</p><p>Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus first appears anonymously in London. </p><p>Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankens</span><span class="invisible">tein</span></a></p><p>1818 edition at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/41445" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/41445</a><br>1831 edition<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/42324" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/42324</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Title page of first edition of Frankenstein, Volume I.

Author Mary Shelley; publisher Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones

It includes the following details:

Title: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
Volume Information: "In Three Volumes."
Quotation: A quote from Paradise Lost by John Milton:
Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me man? Did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me?

Volume Number: "VOL. I."
Publication Details:
Published in London.
Printed for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, located at Finsbury Square.
Year of Publication: 1818.

Victor Frankenstein becoming disgusted at his creation. Illustration from the frontispiece of the 1831 edition. Steel engraving (993 x 71mm) to the revised edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, published by Colburn and Bentley, London 1831. The novel was first published in 1818.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1873.</p><p>Louisa May Alcott's family satire "Transcendental Wild Oats" is published in the newspaper The Independent.</p><p>The work was first published in a New York newspaper in 1873, and reprinted in 1874, 1876, and 1915 and after. Alcott's view of male arrogance and female exploitation in this piece is paralleled in her novel Work, published in the same year as Transcendental Wild Oats.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_Wild_Oats" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_Wild_Oats"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcen</span><span class="invisible">dental_Wild_Oats</span></a></p><p>Transcendental Wild Oats at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34920" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34920</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

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214d

<p>finished reading <a href="https://eggplant.place/search?r=1&q=https://reviewdb.app/book/1K96Lbx17KNZhgebh4brNu" rel="nofollow">The Strangest Criminals: A Funny and Heartwarming Cosy Fantasy Mystery About Crime, Magic, and Found Family</a> 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 <br>by Blake Polden.</p><p>In a world where the Occult lives along side the Ordinary, a magical mafia family turns bad. Has potential, with some fresh creativity, but the writing is too choppy & disrupted.</p><p><a href="/tags/bookreview/" rel="tag">#BookReview</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#Bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/fantasy/" rel="tag">#Fantasy</a> <a href="/tags/sff/" rel="tag">#SFF</a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://aus.social/@wildwoila" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>WildWoila</span></a></span> <span class="h-card"><a href="https://wyrms.de/user/wildwoila" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>wildwoila@wyrms.de</span></a></span><br></p>

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214d

<p>Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure criticised university elitism – it still rings true today</p><p>by Shelley Galpin</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/thomas-hardys-jude-the-obscure-criticised-university-elitism-it-still-rings-true-today-266009" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="theconversation.com/thomas-hardys-jude-the-obscure-criticised-university-elitism-it-still-rings-true-today-266009"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theconversation.com/thomas-har</span><span class="invisible">dys-jude-the-obscure-criticised-university-elitism-it-still-rings-true-today-266009</span></a></p><p>Jude the Obscure at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Hardy - Jude the Obscure, 1896.

The illustration depicts a dramatic indoor scene with three figures. On the left, partially visible through what appears to be a doorway, is a man in formal Victorian attire with a bow tie, holding what looks like a candle or lamp, illuminating the scene. In the center and right of the composition stand two other figures - a man in dark clothing and a woman in a light-colored blouse or dress with a dark skirt, both dressed in typical late 19th-century fashion.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Jude_the_Obscure#/media/File:Hardy_-_Jude_the_Obscure,_1896_(page_135_crop).jpg

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214d

<p>Rare set of varied factors triggered Black Death</p><p>Volcanic eruptions in the mid-1340s triggered a chain of events that brought the Black Death to Europe.</p><p>by Jennifer Ouellette </p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/how-volcanoes-helped-spark-the-black-death/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/how-volcanoes-helped-spark-the-black-death/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">arstechnica.com/science/2025/1</span><span class="invisible">2/how-volcanoes-helped-spark-the-black-death/</span></a></p><p>Original paper:<br><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02964-0" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02964-0"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.nature.com/articles/s43247</span><span class="invisible">-025-02964-0</span></a></p><p>The Black Death at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/698" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/698"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje</span><span class="invisible">ct/698</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/environment/" rel="tag">#environment</a> <a href="/tags/epidemiology/" rel="tag">#epidemiology</a></p>

Pieter Bruegel's The Triumph of Death reflects the social upheaval and terror that followed the plague in medieval Europe.

A moral work depicting Death's triumph over worldly things, symbolized by a great army of skeletons ravaging the Earth. In the background is a barren landscape where scenes of destruction continue to unfold. In the foreground, Death, riding a red horse at the head of his armies, destroys the world of the living, who are led to an enormous coffin with no hope of salvation. All social classes are included in the composition, with neither power nor devotion able to save them.

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

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214d

<p>Peter Kropotkin’s Memoirs of a Revolutionist (1899)</p><p>“Many a man and many a woman have accomplished a great life-work without having led a great life”, the influential Danish literary critic Georg Brandes wrote in his introduction to Peter Kropotkin’s 1899 Memoirs of a Revolutionist. “Many people are interesting, although their lives may have been quite insignificant and commonplace. Kropotkin’s life is both great and interesting”.</p><p>Book at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73882" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73882</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Drawing of Peter Kropotkin.

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119d

<p>Another notable & interesting title mentioned in our April's newsletter:</p><p>A brief outline of the history of libraries by Justus Lipsius<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78256/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78256/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78256</span><span class="invisible">/</span></a></p><p>Written in 1602, Lipsius's Syntagma de Bibliothecis is a short Latin scholarly treatise tracing the history of libraries from antiquity. It surveys the great libraries of the ancient world — Egyptian, Greek, and Roman — describing their origins, collections, and fates.</p><p>PG's April newsletter:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/newsletter/" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/newsletter/</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/bibliography/" rel="tag">#bibliography</a></p>

A decorative title page printed in red and black. An architectural frame is flanked by two classical draped female figures holding garlands with tassels. At the top, a medallion contains a bust of Athena wearing a helmet. At the bottom, stacks of books flank an oval cartouche bearing the publisher's details.
The title reads: Literature of Libraries in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, V, edited by John Cotton Dana and Henry W. Kent, published by A. C. McClurg and Company, Chicago, 1907.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/78256/pg78256-images.html

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1y

<p>"Nothing is stranger to man than his own image."</p><p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1921.</p><p>World premiere of the science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti) by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a theater in Hradec Králové. It introduced the word "robot" to the English language and to science fiction as a whole.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.U.R" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.U.R</a>.</p><p>R.U.R. at PG:<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/59112" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/59112</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

Cover of the first edition of R.U.R. by Karel Čapek.

Unknown author - Karel Čapek: R.U.R.: Rosumovi Univerzální Roboti. Vydalo Aventinum, Prague 1920. via answcdn.com

This is the cover of the first edition of "R.U.R." (Rossum's Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek, a Czech playwright and author. Published in 1920, this science fiction drama is famous for introducing the word "robot" to the world. The play explores themes of industrialization, artificial intelligence, and the potential dangers of technological advancement.

Edited 1y ago

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213d

<p>Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2026: <a href="https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-most-anticipated-books-releasing-in-the-first-half-of-2026/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-most-anticipated-books-releasing-in-the-first-half-of-2026/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesda</span><span class="invisible">y-most-anticipated-books-releasing-in-the-first-half-of-2026/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/amreading/" rel="tag">#AmReading</a> <a href="/tags/tbr/" rel="tag">#TBR</a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>

Drawing of the outside of a blue multi-story building. Snow is falling gently outside as the street lamp glows dimly.Inside a window on the second story of this building, a pale-skinned man and woman who both have black hair sit by the window wearing sweaters and reading books in companionable silence.

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