Eggplant.place

284d

Charles Butler’s The Feminine Monarchie, or the History of Bees (1634 edition)
history-of-bees

The earliest full-length work of apiculture published in English, which popularised the discovery that bee colonies have queens instead of kings.

by Hunter Dukes

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/history-of-bees/?utm_source=newsletter

The Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4511

#books #entomology

Charles Butler, The Feminin’ Monarchi’, or, the History of Bees (Oxford: William Turner, 1634).

The title page is printed on aged, yellowed paper with a honeycomb pattern subtly visible in the background. The title is presented in a typical 17th-century typographical style with varied font sizes for emphasis.

The full title reads: "THE Feminin' Monarchie, OR THE HISTORIE OF BEES.

SHEWING Their admirable Nature, and Properties; Their Generation and Colonies; Their Government, Loyaltie, Art, Industrie; Enimies, VVars, Magnanimitie, &c.

TOGETHER With the right Ordering of them from time to time: and the sweete Profit arising thereof."

The page indicates it was "Written out of Experience By CHARLS BUTLER, Magd."

There is a Latin quote from Plaut in Trucul, Act 2, Sc. 6: "Pluris est oculatus testis unus, quàm auriti decem" (which translates approximately to "One eye-witness is worth more than ten who have heard").

At the bottom, it states "OXFORD, Printed by WILLIAM TURNER, for de Author. M.DC.XXXIV." (1634).

On the right side of the page is a small illustration or bookplate showing what appears to be a bird or eagle with wings spread above what might be a shield or decorative element with ornate scrollwork.

This work is historically significant as one of the earliest comprehensive English-language treatises on beekeeping, notable for identifying the ruler of the hive as female (the "feminin' monarchie"), which was an advanced scientific understanding for its time.

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270d

finished reading The Man Who Died Twice 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
by Richard Osman.

More fun times with the crime-solving (& committing!) pensioners. The stakes are higher but doesn't feel so fresh. A bigger role for the inscrutable Bogdan is welcome. Laughs off some pretty substantial abuse of the justice system.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #CrimeFiction

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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283d

Natalie Jenner, author of "Austen at Sea," discusses how Austen's works reverberated as far back as the mid-19th C, influenced lawyers on both sides of the pond.

https://lithub.com/the-power-of-persuasion-why-lawyers-love-jane-austen/

#AmReading #AmWriting @bookstodon #books #Bookstodon #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Regency #Georgian #JaneAusten @romancelandia

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283d

Book number 9 for the year finished!

This time I read The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang. It was quite good! I loved all the characters and the different shops in the market! It was a very chill book with surprising action. I also appreciated the twists and turns at the end. I even teared up a little bit!

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5!

Only 26 books left until my goal!

#books #reading #bookstodon #readingchallenge

Image shows the cover of The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang.

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270d

Moby-Dick doesn’t deserve the ‘difficult’ label – this sea romance was once loved by office workers, sailors and children

Early readers knew Moby-Dick for what it was: an extreme and ambitious form of popular genre fiction.

By Edward Sugden

https://theconversation.com/moby-dick-doesnt-deserve-the-difficult-label-this-sea-romance-was-once-loved-by-office-workers-sailors-and-children-252764?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20June%203%202025%20-%203399134654&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20June%203%202025%20-%203399134654+CID_883bf765c02875a3531f2b057c9fd507&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=Moby-Dick%20doesnt%20deserve%20the%20difficult%20label%20%20this%20sea%20romance%20was%20once%20loved%20by%20office%20workers%20sailors%20and%20children

Moby Dick at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701

#books #literature #literarycriticism

Illustration of the final chase of Moby-Dick in a 1902 edition.

The scene is dramatic and chaotic, set against a stormy sea. At the center is Captain Ahab, standing defiantly on the deck of the whaleboat or leaning forward with harpoon raised, his face twisted with obsession and fury.

The great white whale, Moby-Dick, dominates the composition—immense, ghostly pale, and terrifying, thrashing violently as it breaches the ocean surface.

Ahab’s ship, the Pequod, is shown in the distance or beginning to sink, impaled or struck by the whale’s massive bulk.

I. W. Taber - Moby Dick - edition: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick#/media/File:Moby_Dick_final_chase.jpg

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284d

We NEED more sci-fi like Firefly in the shelves... 😁 If you have recommendations I'm looking 😊

@bookstodon
@scifi @speculativefictioncomedy @bookbubble
@humour

#SciFiMemes #SciFi #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Inspirational #Comedy #Western
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

Post by SciFi RoundTable
Caption: I was excited until I realized these are three separate categories.
A Picture of a library sign:
INSPIRATIONAL
SCIENCE FICTION
WESTERNS
->

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12d

📚 This Book Is Full of Spiders by: Jason Pargin, David Wong

Warning: You may have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull. THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR.

You will dismiss this as ridiculous fear-mongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fear-mongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection, the ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/this-book-is-full-of-spiders

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #horror #generalfiction #humorous #thrillers

Warning: You may have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull. THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR.

You will dismiss this as ridiculous fear-mongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fear-mongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection, the creature stimulates skepticism, in order to prevent you from seeking a cure. That's just as well, since the "cure" involves learning what a chainsaw tastes like. You can't feel the spider, because it controls your nerve endings. You won't even feel it when it breeds. And it will breed.

Just stay calm, and remember that telling you about the spider situation is not the same as having caused it. I'm just the messenger. Even if I did sort of cause it. Either way, I won't hold it against you if you're upset. I know that's just the spider talking.

"Like an episode of AMC's The Walking Dead written by Douglas Adams of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...Imagine a mentally ill narrator describing the zombie apocalypse while drunk, and the end result is unlike any other book of the genre. Seriously, dude, touch it and read it." –Washington Post

Kevin Smith's Clerks meets H.P. Lovecraft in this exceptional thriller... [Jason Pargin] is a fantastic author with a supernatural talent for humor. If you want a poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, disturbing, ridiculous, self-aware, socially relevant horror novel than This Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It is the one and only book for you. SF Signal

F

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14d

The Cross-Dressing Marquess Who Made Arthur Conan Doyle Turn Detective

"Henry Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, who loved expensive costumes and jewelry, turned to Arthur Conan Doyle when his jewels mysteriously disappeared"

https://www.thecollector.com/henry-paget-arthur-conan-doyle/

Books by Doyle at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/69

#history #books #literature #lgbtqia

"Photo portrait of Henry Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey by John Wickens" - picryl.com

He is dressed in a theatrical costume. It is a long stripped robe with an elaborate headdress. He is holding a stick with ribbons tied around it.

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261d

Salt Lake City Public Library, public library in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

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

#libraries #books #map

A photo of or from a library from the linked website, overlaid on a cropped world map where it's located.

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269d

I think flirting is everyone's trade!

#AmReading #AmWriting @bookstodon #books #Bookstodon #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #Regency #Georgian #JaneAusten @romancelandia

Top image is of the Bronte sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) and Jane Austen. Below them, it says, "Flirting is a woman's trade, one must keep in practice." and below that it says, "Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë."

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12d

Finished a books page. Now audiobook fans can gush over the same narrators I do! https://sightlessscribbles.com/fav-books/ @bookstodon #Books #Audiobook #Audiobooks

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265d

My review of the 2025 Free Comic Book Day issue of Conan the Barbarian just went up! My 60th review at Grimdark Magazine.

The prelude to this fall’s Scourge of the Serpent event will weave together three Robert E. Howard classics.

(As always, boosts are appreciated!)

https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-conan-the-barbarian-free-comic-book-day-2025-scourge-of-the-serpent/

#BookReview #Books @bookstodon #Comics @comics #Conan #SwordAndSorcery @fantasy #Fantasy

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282d

Ham-fisted construction is my favourite 😂

@bookstodon @fantasybookstodon @speculativefictioncomedy @bookbubble @humour

#FantasyMemes #Fantasy #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Low #High #Epic #Science #Comedic #Whatever #GiveMeAllYouveGot
#Book #Books #Novel #Novels
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

abridged fairy tales by John Atkinson, Wrong Hands
Goldilocks: Home invader has ceral, breaks stuff, then falls asleep.
Hansel and Gretel: Some kids eat an old lady's house. Also cannibalism.
Beauty and the beast: Stockholm syndrome girl falls for ugly guy. Except he isn't.
Princess and the pea: Mattresses piled on a vegetable determine fitness to govern.
Cinderella: Wardrobe malfunction prompts strange footwear mating ritual.
Three little pigs: Ham-fisted construction keeps wolf at the door.

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282d

Out of the fog

It’s a ‘failed painting’ that obscures the profound power of German Romanticism. Why do we love the ‘Wanderer’ so much?

By Gianluca Didino

https://aeon.co/essays/why-caspar-david-friedrichs-wanderer-is-a-failed-painting?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=138e1ff597-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_05_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

German Romanticism at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=German+Romanticism

#books #art #literature

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (c1817) by Caspar David Friedrich.

The hiker stands as a back figure in the center of the composition. He looks down on an almost impenetrable sea of fog in the midst of a rocky landscape - a metaphor for life as an ominous journey into the unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog#/media/File:Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog.jpeg

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282d

Your Brain on Books: Scientists Reveal What Happens in Our Heads When We Read

By Livia Pereira

https://mymodernmet.com/research-brain-reading/

Original paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763425001666?via%3Dihub

#books #neuroscience

From the 1543 book in the collection in National Institute of Medicine. Andreas Vesalius' Fabrica, showing the Base Of The Brain, including the cerebellum, olfactory bulbs, optic nerve.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain#/media/File:1543,_Andreas_Vesalius'_Fabrica,_Base_Of_The_Brain.jpg

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270d

If a book hasn't been banned somewhere is it even worth reading? 🤔😁

@bookstodon @fantasybookstodon @bookbubble @humour @reading

#IReadBannedBooks
#BannedBook #Book #Books #BookMemes #Memes #Humor #Humour
#Novel #Novels #Bookshelf
#Mastobooks #BooksofMastodon #Bookstodon #Bookworm #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon #BookLove #BoostingIsSharing

Picutre of a bookshelf with a sign saying,
Banned Books: Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.
-Isaac Asimov
The shelf features books and has signs explaining what each one was banned for.

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282d

“The Tale of Genji:” 1,000 Years of Romance

Posted by: Neely Tucker

This Japanese work is considered the world's first novel.

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2025/05/the-tale-of-genji-1000-years-of-romance/

Books by Murasaki Shikibu at PG

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Murasaki+Shikibu

#books #literature

"Scenes from the Tale of Genji, late 1700s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper; image: 154.4 x 351.2 cm (60 13/16 x 138 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William G. Mather 1948.124

Folding screens served as temporary dividers in traditional Japanese open-plan architectural spaces. This pair was inspired by Japan’s most celebrated work of literature, the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu, an attendant to the empress in the early 11th-century imperial court. The novel follows the love life of the “Shining Prince” Genji and delves into the psychological states of his many companions. Distinct episodes are nestled within a matrix of golden clouds and landscape elements. Each screen includes six episodes presented in a nonlinear fashion, capturing scattered highlights of the story." - from the Internet Archive

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282d

The Secret Link Between Raymond Chandler and P.G. Wodehouse

Arvind Ethan David on the Surprising Connection Between Two Legendary Authors

https://lithub.com/the-secret-link-between-raymond-chandler-and-p-g-wodehouse/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01JVWWXN4FM4JT4W1X4BY8VY6F&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

#books #literature #literarycriticism

American author Raymond Chandler circa 1943.

Back cover of the dust jacket of The Lady in the Lake (1943), published by Alfred A. Knopf.

This black-and-white portrait of American author Raymond Chandler, taken circa 1943, features him in a formal pose, wearing a suit and tie. His expression is composed and introspective, reflecting the cool, cerebral demeanor often attributed to his famed detective fiction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler#/media/File:Raymond_Chandler_(Lady_in_the_Lake_portrait,_1943).jpg

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Image of the writer PG Wodehouse from 1930.

This 1930 photograph by P.G. Wodehouse shows the British author in a non-formal pose, dressed in a suit and a fitted tie. Underneath his jacket, he is wearing a V-neck sweater. His expression is calm and slightly smiling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse#/media/File:P.G._Wodehouse,_1930.jpg

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Edited 282d ago

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262d

New sapphic audiobook review: Kiss of Seduction by Rawnie Sabor, narrated by Allie Shae

https://judeinthestars.com/2025/06/12/kiss-of-seduction-by-rawnie-sabor-narrated-by-allie-shae/

Video review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKzoL-VCAsR/

#book #books #LGBTBooks #lgbt #sapphic #BookLover #BookAddict #BookRecommendations #wlw #SapphicReads #BookReview #lesfic #BookReviewer #SapphicBookReview #QueerLit #BookToot #Bookstodon #SapphFic

@sapphicbooks @bookstodon

On white sheets, an iPhone playing Kiss of Seduction by Rawnie Sabor, narrated by Allie Shae, coming out of a black velvet pouch, with pink satin lining. Next to the phone is a leather handcuff with silver buckles.

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272d

New #Introduction post!

Hello I'm Noelle! I'm a blogger and reader who also plays musical instruments (guitar, keyboard) and takes photos. I believe that Meta and Google are not only killing the planet through their data centers but also democracy through the division their products have created. They are also taking over our lives by how much time we spend a day with their products (email, social media, YouTube).

#Mastodon #fediverse #Google #Meta #blogger #reader #books #photographer

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269d

“I Reunite Architecture and Perspective”: Hirschvogel’s *Geometria* (1543)

One theory about wormholes — those speculative cosmological structures that tunnel between distant points in the universe — holds that spacetime can be folded like a piece of paper, bringing the near and far into proximity.

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/hirschvogel-s-geometria-1543/

Online version:
https://digital.slub-dresden.de/werkansicht/dlf/8077/1?tx_dlf%5Bpagegrid%5D=1&cHash=b4db56391c1bb332830d76c2e3d08615

#books #mathematics

Geometria (1543) by Augustin Hirschvogel

“The Book of Geometry is my name. / All liberal Arts were originally derived from me. / I reunite Architecture and Perspective”.

https://the-public-domain-review.imgix.net/collections/hirschvogel-s-geometria-1543/geom_267905858.jpg?fit=max&w=1200&h=850&auto=format,compress

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269d

The Father of Existentialism: Who Was Søren Kierkegaard?

Søren Kierkegaard is among the most distinguished philosophers in history.

by Maysara Kamal

https://www.thecollector.com/who-was-soren-kierkegaard/

Kierkegaard at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/46682

#books #philosophy

Unfinished sketch of Kierkegaard by his cousin Niels Christian Kierkegaard, Royal Library, Copenhagen, c. 1840.

The sketch captures Kierkegaard in a three-quarter view, looking slightly to the viewer’s left. His high forehead, deep-set eyes, and sharp cheekbones—features often described in accounts of him. His hair, characteristically voluminous and swept upward, is lightly sketched.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard#/media/File:S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard_(1813-1855)_-_(cropped).jpg

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269d

Last day off before @cymerafestival , so going over notes & possible questions ahead of chairing a three-author panel this weekend https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera25-events/2025/4/10/home-sweet-home

And of course I'll be going to a bunch of events to listen to them all weekend. Looking forward to catching up with folks.

#Edinburgh #Edimbourg #Books #Livres #Cymera #Cymera2025 #CymeraFestival #ScienceFiction #GarethPowell #EMFaulds #StarkHolborn #BookFestival

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281d

How Ancient Greece Shaped Ovid, Rome’s Master Poet

By Nick Kampouris

https://greekreporter.com/2025/05/23/ancient-greece-shape-ovid-rome-poet/

Ovid at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2868

#books #literature

Delacroix, Ovid among the Scythians, 1859. National Gallery (London).

This painting by Eugène Delacroix depicts the Roman poet Ovid in exile among the Scythians, a nomadic people.

Ovid, draped in classical robes and seated at the center, appears fragile and contemplative, contrasting with the rugged, curious Scythians surrounding him.

The barren landscape, accented by horses and distant hills, enhances the sense of isolation and the meeting of two vastly different worlds—civilized Rome and untamed steppes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid#/media/File:Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix_-_Ovide_chez_les_Scythes_(1859).jpg

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281d

Lesya Ukrainka: Ukraine’s Beloved Writer and Activist

“Lesya Ukrainka” was a carefully considered pseudonym for a writer who left behind a legacy of poems, plays, essays and activism for the Ukrainian language.

By: Emily Zarevich from the archives

https://daily.jstor.org/lesya-ukrainka-ukraines-beloved-writer-and-activist/

Ukraine at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=ukraine

#books #literature