Eggplant.place

1y

Limited restock of all signed copies of my poetry books are now available at https://www.nihtgengapress.com
#poetry #books #indie

Thank you for supporting an independent indigenous poet directly!

3 books in a line on a pine table top. Disremembering, threnody, and library on fire by Michelle Joy Gallagher soffe.

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1y

Das erste Buch aus der #Bücherwabe ist „Ferdinand der Stier“. Es erschien 1936 und war radikal bzgl. seines Verständnisses von Männlichkeit und dem hohen Wert von Individualität. Auffällig ist, dass Ferdinand nie Teil einer Gesellschaft ist. Er ist der glückliche Außenseiter, der nicht kämpfen will, sondern viel lieber (allein) an Blumen riecht.
Ferdinands Pazifismus bleibt für ihn folgenlos, ganz im Gegenteil zu dem Buch, das wir als nächstes vorstellen. #books #literatur #politik #chemnitz

$Ein Bild der Bücherwabe im Schaufenster der Buchhandlung am Brühl. Es sind neun Bücher zu sehen: Ursula K. LeGuin: The Word for World is Forest, Stefan Heym: Schwarzenberg, Leaf\Lawson: Ferdinand, Norbert Bobbio: Rechts und Links, Arne Semsrott: Machtübernahme, Magdalena Sorger: Ameisen, Hannah Arendt: Menschen in finsteren Zeiten, Cory Doctorow: Little Brother (Aufstand), Mely Kiyak: Werden sie uns mit FlixBus deportieren?"$

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34d

Today is Burns' birthday, let's celebrate!

'There's no other poem like it': Why this Robert Burns classic is a masterpiece

Tam O'Shanter is a rip-roaring tale of witches and alcohol, but it has hidden depths. On Burns Night this Sunday – and 235 years after the poem was published in 1791 – Scots everywhere may well be treated to a masterwork with a unique, universal appeal.

By Nicholas Barber

https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20260122-why-this-robert-burns-poem-is-a-masterpiece

Tam O'Shanter at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25733

#books #literature #poetry

Fronstispiece of the book Tam O' Shanter. by Robert Burns.

Decorations by Harry L. Miller.

Published by The Saalfield Publishing Company.

The artwork is done in a highly decorative, ornate, and gothic style, with intricate linework. The entire page is framed by a border made of twisting thorny branches, leaves, and vines. The illustration has a dark fairy-tale and folkloric atmosphere.

The border contains small human and supernatural figures, animals, and symbolic elements: A small seated figure near the top left; Hanging figures or effigies suspended from branches; Witch-like and goblin-like creatures placed around the frame; Small animals such as cats or owls, enhancing the eerie tone; The thorny branches curve around to form an elaborate rectangular frame.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25733/pg25733-images.html

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1y

"Thus the wise and worthy singer
Sings not all his garnered wisdom;
Better leave unsung some sayings
Than to sing them out of season."
Epilogue, line 20

#OTD in 1835.

The Finnish language epic poetry Kalevala, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from oral sources, is first published in the Grand Duchy of Finland, becoming influential in the Fennoman movement.

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

Kalevala at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/5186

#books #literature #poetry

Inside front title page of The "Old" Kalevala, Finnish national epos, collection of old Finnish poems, by Elias Lönnrot. First edition; volume 1, 1835.

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1y

Anactoria is a woman mentioned in the work of the ancient Greek poet Sappho, who wrote in the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE. Sappho names Anactoria as the object of her desire in a poem numbered as fragment 16. Another of her poems, fragment 31, is traditionally called the "Ode to Anactoria", although no name appears in it.

Algernon Charles Swinburne wrote a long poem, "Anactoria", published in his 1866 collection Poems and Ballads.

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

#books #literature #poetry

Sappho and Alcaeus (1881), painted by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Anactoria's name is visible near the middle of the painting.

The scene is set in a marble amphitheater overlooking the sea, with lush pine trees framing the background.

Alcaeus, seated to the right, is playing a kithara (a type of lyre) and singing, clad in a pinkish tunic with golden sandals. He appears engaged in performance, his fingers on the strings, as he sings to an enraptured audience.

Sappho, seated on a stone bench to the left, leans forward with her chin resting on her hand, listening intently. She wears a flowing pale green gown and a dark headband. A small altar-like table in front of her holds a laurel wreath, possibly a prize for poetic excellence.

Behind Sappho, a group of women, possibly her companions or disciples, are dressed in elegant, classical garments and adorned with floral crowns.

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34d

Robert Burns and Mary, Queen of Scots: how the poet shaped the enduring cultural legacy of the executed monarch

The queen was the source of much debate among 18th-century thinkers.

by Kate Kane

https://theconversation.com/robert-burns-and-mary-queen-of-scots-how-the-poet-shaped-the-enduring-cultural-legacy-of-the-executed-monarch-273950?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Weekender%20-%203653437321&utm_content=The%20Weekender%20-%203653437321+CID_43c6452557555cbd4df21443bb065cc9&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk

Robert Burns at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/583

#books #literature #poetry

Portrait of Burns by Alexander Nasmyth, 1787, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

This half-length portrait of Burns, framed within an oval, has become the most well-known and widely reproduced image of the famous Scottish poet. Nasmyth's painting, commissioned by the publisher William Creech, was to be engraved for a new edition of Burn's poems. He is shown fashionably dressed against a landscape, evoking his rural background in Alloway, Ayrshire. Burns and Nasmyth had become good friends, having been introduced to one another in Edinburgh by a mutual patron, Patrick Miller of Dalswinton. Nasmyth, pleased to have recorded Burns' likeness convincingly, decided to leave the painting in a slightly unfinished state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns#/media/File:PG_1063Burns_Naysmith.jpg

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François Clouet - Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87)

Mary wears a pink gown decorated with vertical gold striping and small jeweled embellishments. The bodice is tightly fitted and fastened down the center with a line of pearls or gemstone buttons. A crisp white ruff collar frames her neck. Her sleeves are full and carefully tailored.

Her hair is light brown and drawn back smoothly, partially covered by a jeweled headband adorned with pearls. She wears modest jewelry, including a pearl necklace, small earrings, and a ring. Her hands are delicately posed at her waist, fingers gently touching.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots#/media/File:Fran%C3%A7ois_Clouet_-_Mary,_Queen_of_Scots_(1542-87)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

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34d

"#JulianBraveNoisecat’s debut memoir, #WeSurvivedTheNight [...] begins with an act of literary resistance in the face of colonial erasure. NoiseCat’s father was born and then abandoned as an infant at St Joseph’s Mission, an Indian boarding school in Canada now known to be the site of generations of systemic state violence against #Indigenous children and their families."

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/julian-brave-noisecat-memoir-sugarcane-leila-nadir-interview/

#FirstNations #NativeAmericans #oralTraditions #coyoteStories #memoirs #books @bookstodon

Tricksters and the Spirit World

Julian Brave NoiseCat discusses ‘We Survived the Night,’ his genre-bending revival of the ‘Coyote epic,’ with Leila Nadir.

By Leila NadirJanuary 24, 2026

[tags] CULTURAL STUDIES ENVIRONMENT

image: photo of author and cinéaste Julian Brave Noisecat

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33d

Did Edison accidentally make graphene in 1879?

Rice University chemists replicated Thomas Edison’s seminal experiment and found a surprising byproduct.

by Jennifer Ouellette

https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/01/did-edison-accidentally-make-graphene-in-1879/

Thomas Edison at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3325

#books #science #technology

Edison carbon filament lamps, early 1880s.

There are four glass bulbs mounted upright on a base, each with slightly different shapes and proportions.The bulbs have:

Rounded, bulbous glass envelopes, some more spherical than others

Visible carbon filaments inside (thin, looped or arched)

Darkened glass near the tops, likely from carbon deposits caused by early filament evaporation

Primitive bases and sockets

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33d

📚 Departure by: A. G. Riddle

En route to London from New York, Flight 305 suddenly loses power and crash-lands in the English countryside, plunging a group of strangers into a mysterious adventure that will have repercussions for all of humankind.

Struggling to stay alive, the survivors soon realize that the worl...

https://bookblabla.com/book/departure

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #dystopianfiction #thrillers #technologicalfiction #suspensefiction

En route to London from New York, Flight 305 suddenly loses power and crash-lands in the English countryside, plunging a group of strangers into a mysterious adventure that will have repercussions for all of humankind.

Struggling to stay alive, the survivors soon realize that the world they’ve crashed in is very different from the one they left. But where are they? Why are they here? And how will they get back home?

Five passengers seem to hold clues about what's really going on: writer Harper Lane, venture capitalist Nick Stone, German genetic researcher Sabrina Schröder, computer scientist Yul Tan, and Grayson Shaw, the son of a billionaire philanthropist.

As more facts about the crash emerge, it becomes clear that some in this group know more than they’re letting on answers that will lead Harper and Nick to uncover a far reaching conspiracy involving their own lives. As they begin to piece together the truth, they discover they have the power to change the future and the past to save our world... or end it.

A wildly inventive and propulsive adventure full of hairpin twists, Departure is a thrilling tale that weaves together power, ambition, fate, memory, and love, from a bold and visionary talent.

From the author of the #1 bestselling The Atlantis Gene comes a new novel in which the world’s past and future rests in the hands of five unwitting strangers in this definitive edition of A. G. Riddle's time-traveling, mind-bending speculative thriller.

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363d

Discover the Self-Taught Genius of Leonardo da Vinci

By Shiori Chen

https://mymodernmet.com/self-taught-leonardo-da-vinci/

Leonardo da Vinci at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1629

#books #art #history

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Author (1452-1519)
Treatise on painting, by Leonardo da Vinci : published in Paris in 1651 by Raphael du Fresne : with a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci and explanatory drawings

This portrait is based on an engraving by Raphael Morghen (1758–1833), an Italian engraver known for his detailed and refined prints. Morghen's engraving itself was inspired by what was believed to be a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. However, the accuracy of this attribution has been debated by art historians.

The original self-portrait attributed to Leonardo is a red chalk drawing on paper (circa 1512), housed in the Royal Library of Turin, Italy. It depicts an elderly man with long hair and a flowing beard, often considered to represent Leonardo in his later years.

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29d

finished reading The Veiled Throne 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
by Ken Liu.

A silkpunk epic full of far-fetched but fun battles - of both the naval and MasterChef kind! A refreshing change from the usual fantasy fare, although rather too long & detailed. Explores the mess of identity, culture & colonisation.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #SilkPunk #SFF

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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362d

#OTD in 1924.

Seán O'Casey's drama Juno and the Paycock opens at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. It is set in the working-class tenements of Dublin in the early 1920s, during the Irish Civil War period.

It is the second of his "Dublin Trilogy" – the other two being The Shadow of a Gunman (1923) and The Plough and the Stars (1926).

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

#books #literature #drama #theatre

Poster for the 1930 film “Juno and the Paycock” (alternate title “The Shame of Mary Boyle”).

Since it was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on Seán O’Casey’s acclaimed play, the poster have been designed in the early sound era’s style, featuring bold typography and theatrical imagery.

A strong central image, possibly depicting key characters like Juno Boyle (a struggling mother) and Captain Boyle (her irresponsible husband).

A somber or dramatic color scheme reflecting the film’s serious tone.

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274d

Why G.K. Chesterton?

What was it that this non-expert, the funny fat man, had to say? Why did his works become for many a sort of bible? How was it that an artist-turned-journalist was accepted as the idea man as well as the entertainer of people?

By Leo R. Ward

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2025/05/gk-chesterton-leo-r-ward.html

G.K. Chesterton at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=G.K.+Chesterton

#books #literature

Chesterton in his office

Unknown author - Crisis Magazine: http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/new-study-marred-by-old-cliches-about-preconciliar-catholic-writers

He is seen seated, likely at a desk, with his characteristic imposing figure, round face, and thick spectacles. His hair is tousled and he wears a typical dark suit, with a cravat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Chesterton#/media/File:G._K._Chesterton_at_work.jpg

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362d

#OTD in 1912.

Frieda Weekley meets D. H. Lawrence in Nottingham. She met D. H. Lawrence, a former student of her husband's; they soon fell in love and eloped to Germany. During their stay Lawrence was arrested for spying; after the intervention of Frieda's father, the couple walked south over the Alps to Italy. In 1914, following her divorce, Frieda and D.H. Lawrence married.

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

D.H. Lawrence at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/123

#books #literature

David Herbert Lawrence & Frieda von Richthofen, 1914.

The image typically shows them sitting close together, reflecting their deep and unconventional relationship.

David Herbert Lawrence, known for his intense gaze and bohemian appearance, is often depicted with unkempt hair and a beard, dressed in simple, rugged clothing that suggests his rejection of traditional societal norms.

Frieda, who came from an aristocratic German background, appears confident and free-spirited, sometimes wearing a long dress or a coat suitable for the countryside.

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1y

Currently reading Agatha Christie's "The Murder on the Links" which I downloaded free of charge thanks to @gutenberg_org

A top-notch book. Hercule Poirot mysteries are such a joy. Thoroughly enjoying it. Get your copy at:

https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/58866

#Books #Bookstodon

A book cover for The Murder On The Links by Agatha Christie

The image is of a narrow dagger, surmounted by an eagle with spread wings on the end of the handle. Behind it is an orange circle on a white background.

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28d

Jack Kerouac’s 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned

The draft – one of the Beat Generation’s defining artefacts – will be part of a wider sale of pieces from the Jim Irsay Collection at Christie’s in March

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/30/jack-kerouac-on-the-road-first-draft-scroll-to-be-auctioned

Naval Reserve Enlistment photograph of Jack Kerouac

#books #literature

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362d

‘He contains the whole of literature’: is Dickens better than Shakespeare?

After rereading the entire works of the great Victorian novelist during the pandemic, Peter Conrad became convinced – whisper it – that Dickens is an even greater writer than that other British literary giant, the Bard.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/02/is-dickens-better-than-shakespeare

Shakespeare at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/65

Charles Dickens at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/37

#books #literature

Portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor.

The portrait shows Shakespeare with a slightly melancholic yet confident expression, dark eyes, and a mustache with a small pointed beard.

He is dressed in Elizabethan attire, wearing a black doublet or jacket with a wide, white collar. A gold hoop earring is visible in his left ear, a fashionable accessory among poets and playwrights of the time.

The background is dark, which emphasizes his face and adds a sense of depth and drama to the portrait.

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Portrait of Charles Dickens by Jeremiah Gurney, c. 1867–1868.

In the portrait, Dickens is dressed in formal Victorian attire, typically a dark suit with a vest and a neatly tied cravat.

His hair is slightly disheveled, and his full beard and mustache frame his face, giving him a distinguished yet somewhat weary appearance.

His eyes, often described as piercing and thoughtful, add to the emotional depth of the image.

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32d

Entwinings

Literature and History, Fathers and Sons, Writers and Readers

by Adam Garfinkle

https://hedgehogreview.com/issues/place-and-revolution/articles/entwinings

Wharton & Fitzgerald & Stoddard at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/104
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/420
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3837

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29d

Over 32,000 medieval manuscripts transcribed in four months using AI

Medievalists can now access automated transcriptions of 32,763 digitised medieval manuscripts, produced in just four months as part of a project called CoMMA—a large-scale corpus designed to make manuscript texts searchable and analysable at a scale that would be impossible to tackle by hand.

https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/32000-medieval-manuscripts-transcribed-using-ai/

Original paper:
https://inria.hal.science/hal-05299220

The CoMMA website:
https://comma.inria.fr/homepage

#books #old_manuscripts

First page of Chronicon Pictum, the "Illuminated Chronicle" from the court of King Louis the Great of Hungary from 1358.

Main illumination shows:

A multi-paneled scene within an elaborate architectural frame
Central figure: A crowned king (likely representing Hungarian royalty) seated on a throne
Left panel: Armed warriors or knights
Right panel: Groups of courtiers or nobles
Rich colors: deep blues, reds, golds, and ochres
Gothic architectural elements including towers and arches

Latin text in two columns
Red lettering (rubrics) for important headings and initial words
Black text for the main chronicle
Beautiful calligraphy in Gothic script

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript#/media/File:K%C3%A9pes_kr%C3%B3nika_els%C5%91_lapja.jpg

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32d

📚 The Friend of the Family by: Dean Koontz

The human "oddities" in the Museum of the Strange are less wondrous than the gawking rubes had been promised. But Alida is something else. The real thing. Traveling Depression-era America from carnival midways to speakeasies, Alida is resigned to an exploited and lonely l...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-friend-of-the-family

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #historical #20thcentury #thrillers #suspensefiction

The human "oddities" in the Museum of the Strange are less wondrous than the gawking rubes had been promised. But Alida is something else. The real thing. Traveling Depression-era America from carnival midways to speakeasies, Alida is resigned to an exploited and lonely life on the road as the museum's golden ticket. Until she's rescued by two compassionate strangers.

Franklin and Loretta Fairchild see in Alida a gifted and uncannily well-read girl in need of a loving touch and a family. With the openhearted couple and their three precociously imaginative children, Alida finds it. Yet despite everyone's overwhelming generosity and acceptance, Alida knows she is still a very different kind of girl. Her dreams bear that out. They're vivid, unsettling, and threatening. Alida fears that they're also warnings. And that it's the Fairchilds who may need rescue from a bad, bad world.

Alida will do anything to help those she now holds nearest and dearest. Empowered with a purpose to vanquish evil, she will not fail her family.

A girl liberated from a carnival sideshow discovers her mysterious purpose in a moving novel about family, sacrifice, and transcendent love by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.

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32d

I love that The Expert of Subtle Revisions is on a list with Octavia Butler, Emily St. John Mandel, Emma Straus, Audrey Niffenegger and so many other great writers.

Let's Time Travel with 60 Reality-Bending Novels:

"a collection of interesting time-travel stories and temporal mischief. This specially curated list deliberately draws from all genres, and it’s actually pretty fascinating to see the range of styles and themes in circulation."

#books #writing #writersofmastodon #WritingCommunity #bookstodon @bookstodon

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3028-let-s-time-travel-with-60-reality-bending-novels

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32d

📚 Jade City by: Fonda Lee

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for—and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kau...

https://bookblabla.com/book/jade-city

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #epicfiction #thrillers #crimefiction

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for—and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone—even foreigners—wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones—and of Kekon itself.

Praise for Jade City:

In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.

Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time

An epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book. Ken Liu, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author

"A beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning aut

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333d

finished reading Howl’s Moving Castle 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
A young woman gets caught up in magical machinations and is turned old & fabulously crotchety. Great characters and vibe but I lost track of the plot a bit (disclaimer: listened to this as a sleep story), and wasn't really into the romantic ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8eOjQ3JrXk&list=PLp6dwtXsi8Pu6G7MT4ajMGB1YrumzQRZ9

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #Fantasy #SFF #AudioBook #SleepStory

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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359d

In March 1881.

Ambrose Bierce contributes to the weekly satirical San Francisco magazine The Wasp & resumes his column "Prattle" and the series of cynical definitions which he first calls The Devil's Dictionary.

Bierce's witty definitions were imitated & plagiarized for years before he gathered them into books, first as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906 & then in a more complete version as The Devil's Dictionary in 1911.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Dictionary

At PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/972

#books #literature

Title page of The Cynic's Word Book by Ambrose Bierce.

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32d

finished reading My Cat Yugoslavia 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
by Pajtim Statovci.

Interleaves the story of a young Albanian refugee in Finland, excluded & traumatised, with that of his mother's wedding & her hopes for a future filled with love. The symbolism of the cats & snakes is a bit weird but I think I finally got my head around it. Mostly interesting for its depictions of Albanian culture and Finnish xenophobia.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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