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311d

Wordsworth Revolutionized Poetry But His Life Was Equally Interesting

"Who was William Wordsworth, and what made his poetry so revolutionary? Read about the life and works of this major Romantic poet."

https://www.thecollector.com/william-wordsworth/

Books by Wordsworth at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2879

#books #literature #poetry

Portrait of William Wordsworth, by William Shuter, 1798.

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1y

The Distributed Proofreaders' blog this month is about another Edgar Allan Poe book at PG: "The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe."

https://blog.pgdp.net/2025/11/01/nevermore/

#books #literature #poetry

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1y

Naomi Mitchison (née Haldane, 1897–1999) was born #OTD, 1 Nov, & saw almost every day of the #20thcentury. A hugely influential writer, with 80+ books—poetry, politics, historical novels, #ScienceFiction, #Fantasy, #ChildrensLiterature & more—to her credit

A 🎂🧵

“She liked to challenge, she liked to shock, she liked to deliver the unexpected, she liked to experiment”

—Jenni Calder looks at Mitchison’s life & work

@litstudies
1/9

https://dangerouswomenproject.org/2016/09/25/naomi-mitchison/

#Scottish #literature #womenwriters

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2y

"Patience, that blending of moral courage with physical timidity."
Phase the Fifth: The Woman Pays, ch. XLIII

#OTD in 1891.

Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles is serialized in expurgated form in the weekly illustrated newspaper The Graphic (London); in November the first (unexpurgated) book edition is published in London.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/110

#books #literature

Tess d'Urbervilles : a pure woman.

Faithfully presented by Thomas Hardy. - London : James R. Osgood : McIlvaine and Co., 1891. - 263 p. . Frontespizio

Hardy, Thomas - Available in the BEIC digital library and uploaded in partnership with BEIC Foundation.

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"He jumped up from his seat... and went quickly toward the desire of his eyes." 1891 illustration by Joseph Syddall.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Illustration for The Graphic, 5 September 1891. 1891 illustration by Joseph Syddall for Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

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1y

Halloween Stories

Why are Victorians the default haunted house, what do ghosts have to do with the imagination, and why do we like to be scared?

By The Editors

https://daily.jstor.org/editors-picks-halloween/?utm_source=mcae&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jstordaily_10302025

Halloween at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=halloween

#books #literature

A Thrilling Hallowe'en." (Three black cats flying through the air with Jack-o-lanterns.

It depicts three black cats are shown flying through the air, their fur bristling and tails arched as if caught mid-leap or magically soaring. Each cat is accompanied by or carrying a glowing Jack-o’-lantern, the carved pumpkins casting a warm, orange light that contrasts with the dark background.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22A_Thrilling_Hallowe%27en.%22_(Three_black_cats_flying_through_the_air_with_Jack-o-lanterns).jpg

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128d

Meet Julia Ward Howe, the Remarkable Poet Who Wrote the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and Fought for Women’s Suffrage

Poet, philosopher, and suffragist Julia Ward Howe wrote a rallying cry in 1861 that would resonate for more than a century—echoing through the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

by Meredith Herndon

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/06/meet-julia-ward-howe-the-remarkable-poet-who-wrote-the-battle-hymn-of-the-republic-and-fought-for-womens-suffrage/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93133550&user_id=19f2988141aeef1ce3da2871b25613801e24297faaf654001575521d8c39910f

Books by Julia Ward Howe (including Reminiscences) at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/35885

#books #literature

JULIA WARD HOWE
From a photograph by J. J. Hawes, about 1861.

A black-and-white portrait photograph of Julia Ward Howe with a dark lace or fabric veil draped over her head, wearing a striped garment.

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1y

Bite or Flight: Ranking Classic Vampire Strengths and Weaknesses

Different vampires have different rules — how do your favorites measure up?

By Rachel Ayers

https://reactormag.com/bite-or-flight-ranking-classic-vampire-strengths-and-weaknesses/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-99fqCNMVtcqKqAkA1ONHzCKSXZ5VFE-zyuzhkXiiLOrSszvIwpWINCTJ8BBH22k4EUayigArmR-mY2uet0UDTIvpoLYw&_hsmi=387512835&utm_content=387512835&utm_source=hs_email

The Vampyre by Polidori at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087

#books #literature

The Vampyre by John William Polidori - Il vampiro sorte dal nulla.

The engraving depicts a dramatic nocturnal scene set in a graveyard:

On the left, a vampire figure rises from a tomb, holding a torch. His expression is intense and predatory, suggesting he has emerged from the grave to prey upon the living.

To the right, a bearded man in flowing robes gestures toward him, possibly representing a holy or moral authority attempting to repel or banish the creature.

In the foreground, a young woman lies unconscious or asleep, her pale face and limp posture indicating vulnerability—she is likely the vampire’s intended victim.

Surrounding them are tombs and weeping willows, contributing to the eerie, gothic atmosphere.

The Italian caption below translates roughly to:
“The vampire, driven by the fever of the grave, rises above the sleeping Miss Aubrey... but he does not reach her; a celestial power drives away the shadow of this infernal being, compelling him to abandon his prey.”

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Vampyre_(Polidori)#/media/File:The_Vampyre_by_John_William_Polidori_-_Il_vampiro_sorte_dal_nulla.jpg

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2y

#OTD in 1947. The Diary of a Young Girl is published.

The book was written while Anne Frank was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944, & Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Anne's diaries were retrieved by Miep Gies & Bep Voskuijl. Miep gave them to Anne's father, Otto, the family's only survivor, just after the World War II was over.

https://www.annefrank.ch/en/diary

#books #literature

Frank in May 1942, two months before she and her family went into hiding.

Unknown photographer - Anne Frank, 1942

The last known photograph of Anne taken in May 1942, taken at a passport photo shoot. (Photo collection Anne Frank House, Amsterdam. Public Domain Work)]

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1y

Look who has come knocking for Halloween...

Fascinating and most informative, this detailed and deeply researched biography draws on previously unavailable correspondence to present a fuller picture of the life of Edgar Allan Poe.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/10/31/book-review-edgar-allan-poe-a-life/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #EdgarAllanPoe #EAPoe #Biography #Literature #Goth #Gothic #Horror #Halloween @bookstodon

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1y

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” Read by Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee & Vincent Price

https://www.openculture.com/2025/10/edgar-allan-poes-the-raven-read-by-christopher-walken-christopher-lee-vincent-price.html

The Raven at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17192

#books #literature

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1y

Someone was playing the piano when suddenly
there they were standing in the room.
They would not sing or speak or tell their names.
Their skull faces blankly shifted round
as if they were studying us implacably…

—Iain Crichton Smith, “Halloween”
first published in the TLS (1982)

#Scottish #literature #Halloween #poem #poetry #20thcentury

Halloween
Iain Crichton Smith

Someone was playing the piano when suddenly
there they were standing in the room.
They would not sing or speak or tell their names.
Their skull faces blankly shifted round
as if they were studying us implacably.

“Yokels”, one thought. “Rustics”, thought another;
and truly they had trudged in out of the rain
with their masks, tall and white and bony-looking.
“Macbeth”, someone said, and someone “Hamlet”.
Or perhaps at least the “Elegy” by Gray.

The rain drummed on the roof and they were gone
in their muddy boots, squelching past cowering doors.
We looked at each other. It was graveyard time
as our black ties on our white shirts might say.

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1y

The wind blew as ’twad blawn its last;
The rattling showers rose on the blast;
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow’d;
Loud, deep, & lang the thunder bellow’d:
That night, a child might understand,
The Deil had business on his hand…

—Robert Burns’s “Tam o’ Shanter”, read by Hamish MacDonald; illustrations by Gary Welsh

Happy Halloween!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAqVwCa_x5o

#Scottish #literature #Halloween #poem #poetry #18thcentury #witch #witches #supernatural #folklore

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2y

In July 1816.

Lord Byron, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Percy Bysshe Shelley & John Polidori, who have gathered at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva in a rainy Switzerland in this 'Year Without a Summer', tell each other tales. This spawns two classic Gothic narratives, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Polidori's The Vampyre. Byron also writes the poem Darkness.

Frankenstein
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/41445

The Vampyre
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/6087

Darkness
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20158

#books #literature #poetry

Title page of first edition of Frankenstein, Volume I.
Author Mary Shelley; publisher Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones

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Title page for The Vampyre; A Tale (London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1819) by John William Polidori, 1795-1821. EC8.P7598.819va (A), Houghton Library, Harvard University

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"Darkness:, an 1816 poem by Lord Byron, first published in the 1816 The Prisoner of Chillon and Other Poems collection, page 27, published in London in 1816 by John Murray.

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1y

A boannie nicht for castin kale:
a fat mön vaegin owre Sannis,
a hale gadderie o laads an lasses…

—Christine De Luca, “Hallowe’en Hansel”
published in WAST WI DA VALKYRIES

Listen to Christine reading her poems online here

https://www.christinedeluca.co.uk/pages/wast_wi_da_valkyries

#Scottish #literature #Shetland #Halloween #poem #poetry #Scots #Scotslanguage #Shetlandic

A dark-blue postcard. In the top-left corner is a spider's web; in the bottom right there's a bubbling cauldron. The postcard has the following poem in white text:

Hallowe'en hansel
bi Christine De Luca

A boannie nicht for castin kale:
a fat mön vaegin owre Sannis,
a hale gadderie o laads an lasses.

A spree i der blöd,
laads loupit dykes
purled kale-stocks
iggit een anidder on
ripe da rigs
hunse fur hens
whit a stramash
an dan da dash
tae a porch door
lift da sneck
ball in da booty
rin like da mellishon
dunna look back.

But dee an me
pooskered wi da bassel
fell ahint ta draa breath,
taste wir first smoorikin.
But aa I can mind is da mön
gaffin at me in mi cöttikins
wis ahint a uncan barn
an dy blate hansel
anunder a kendlin o starns.

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2y

#OTD in 1923.

A riot breaks out at the re-staging of Tristan Tzara's Dadaist play The Gas Heart at the Théâtre Michel, Paris, between those aligned with André Breton and those aligned with Tzara. The conflict leads to a permanent split in the Dada movement and the founding of Surrealism as an alternative.

Francis Picabia at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/49071

Tristan Tzara at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/48499

André Breton at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=andr%C3%A9+breton&submit_search=Go%21

#books #literature

Dada artists, group photograph, 1920, Paris. From left to right, Back row: Louis Aragon, Theodore Fraenkel, Paul Eluard, Clément Pansaers, Emmanuel Fay (cut off). Second row: Paul Dermée, Philippe Soupault, Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes. Front row: Tristan Tzara (with monocle), Celine Arnauld, Francis Picabia, André Breton.

The Dada group poses facing the camera, in various attitudes, most of them smiling. They are dressed in dark jackets and white shirts, the men wearing ties.

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1y

Famous Medieval Words and Their Surprising Origins

Words like castles, Vikings, and even medieval itself instantly evoke the Middle Ages. Some of these terms were used by people of the time, while others were coined centuries later to describe their world. Each carries traces of history, revealing how language has preserved — and reimagined — the medieval past.

https://www.medievalists.net/2025/10/medieval-words-origins/

Medieval words at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=medieval+words

#books #literature

The Squire in the Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The image shows a finely dressed young man riding a prancing horse. The rider, The Squire, is adorned in elegant, elaborately patterned garments wears a blue hat with white decorations, a dark, elaborately embroidered tunic, and white hose. His short blond hair curls outward under his hat, reflecting the fashionable style of the late 14th century. A richly patterned cloak drapes over his shoulders, flowing behind him as the horse rears gracefully.

The horse is light brown with a well-groomed mane and tail, decorated with red and white harness straps in an ornamental pattern.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Squire_-_Ellesmere_Chaucer.jpg

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2y

In July 1866.

Anthony Trollope's novel Nina Balatka: The Story of a Maiden of Prague is initially published anonymously (serialisation in Blackwood's Magazine July 1866–January 1867). Trollope is interested in discovering whether his books sell on their own merits or as a consequence of the author's name and reputation.

Nina Balakta at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8897

#books #literature

First edition title page of Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope.

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2y

"Our deeds are like children that are born to us; they live and act apart from our own will."

In July 1862.

George Eliot's historical novel Romola begins serialization in Cornhill Magazine, the first time she has published a full-length book in this format. George Murray Smith of the publishers Smith, Elder & Co. has agreed a £7,000 advance for it. It was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863.

Romola at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/24020

#books #literature

First edition of Romola bye George Sand.

The novel first appeared in fourteen parts published in Cornhill Magazine from July 1862 (vol. 6, no. 31) to August 1863 (vol. 8, no. 44), and was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863.

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1y

Rising in November in these days of dusk
I am one life older, watching now as the walls
green over, the stones break into bud;
if this is ebb-tide turned to flood it means that
nightfall might begin again at dawn.
And so it does…

—Robin Robertson, “Crossing the Archipelago”
published in SAILING THE FOREST (Picador, 2014)

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/robin-robertson/sailing-the-forest/9781447231554

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #November

Crossing the Archipelago
Robin Robertson

Rising in November in these days of dusk
I am one life older, watching now as the walls
green over, the stones break into bud;
if this is ebb-tide turned to flood it means that
nightfall might begin again at dawn.
And so it does. The sea at Djurgården is a mirror
of lost light. I watch snowflakes fall on water,
transparent as tissue, melting back to nothing,
the black water’s endless echo of the night.
A diminished life turns turtle and the day breaks
like a spell; to double back on this, through
ash and silver birch, to that extinguished past, a world
that’s over, will wreck me. Hopeless to return
now: my future lit by bridges, and their burning.

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1y

Bluidy Jack’s Prisoner
13 Nov, Edinburgh. Free, unticketed.

While writing Kidnapped & other classics such as Jekyll & Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was suffering from the pulmonary disease he called ‘Bluidy Jack’. Join members of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club for an insight into the strange double life of a great Scottish author as they celebrate his 175th birthday

https://cultureedinburgh.com/events/bluidy-jacks-prisoner

#Scottish #literature #19thcentury #Victorian #RobertLouisStevenson

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2y

"Empires dissolve and peoples disappear,
Song passes not away."

English poet William Watson died #OTD in 1935.

Watson's early work, like Wordsworth's Grave (1890), demonstrated his deep admiration for the Romantic poets and established him as a significant literary figure. Despite his popularity and influence during his lifetime, his work fell out of favor in the years following his death, and he is less well-known today.

William Watson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4885

#books #literature

Sir William Watson, English poet.
Elliot & Fry, Ltd. - World's Library of Best Books Part 20

The image typically would depict Watson in a formal pose, characteristic of late 19th and early 20th-century portraiture. He might be dressed in traditional attire, possibly a dark suit with a high-collared shirt, and perhaps looking directly at the camera or slightly off to the side, creating a dignified and thoughtful expression.

The background would likely be plain or subtly textured to keep the focus on Watson's features. The photograph would have been reproduced in "World's Library of Best Books," Part 20, emphasizing its importance as a part of literary history.

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2y

Portuguese poet Tomás António Gonzaga was born #OTD in 1744.

He is best known for his work Marília de Dirceu, a collection of pastoral love poems that became a classic of Portuguese literature. His life took a dramatic turn when he was implicated in the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed conspiracy against Portuguese rule in Brazil. He was arrested and exiled to Mozambique, where he spent the remainder of his life.

Books by Tomás António Gonzaga at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7794

#books #literature

A drawing of Gonzaga

Unknown author - Pantheon Escolar Brazileiro. p. Cartão 09 (THOMAZ Antonio Gonzaga: Inconfidente, Desmbargador Poeta de "Marilia e Dirceu". Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Livraria de J. G. de Azevedo, [18--]. 1 cartão, zincogravura, p&b, 13,4 x 9cm.

Disponível em: http://objdigital.bn.br/objdigital2/acervo_digital/div_iconografia/icon95726_1396400/icon1396386.jpg. Acesso em: 5 ago. 2019.).

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1y

In Praise of Librarians in Dangerous Times

Sarah Weinman on the Awesome Responsibility of the Seekers and Keepers of Truth

https://lithub.com/in-praise-of-librarians-in-dangerous-times/

Librarians at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=librarians

#books #literature

Librarians classifying books at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LOC)

The Library of Congress from Washington, DC, United States

The image shows a number of librarians actively engaged in processing library material in a space within the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The room appears to be a large, well-lit working area. Long tables, shelving units and stacks of books and bound volumes are visible.

The librarians seem to be engaged in classification, cataloguing and shelving tasks — handling books, perhaps checking index cards or labels, and placing the volumes in their correct place.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Librarians#/media/File:(Librarians_classifying_books_at_the_Library_of_Congress,_Washington,_D.C.)_(LOC)_-_Flickr_-_The_Library_of_Congress.jpg

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1y

Plato and the Poets

The centuries-old debate should be settled: an intellectual world bereft of poetry is a damaged one.

by Elaine Scarry

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/plato-and-the-poets/

Plato at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/93

#books #literature #philosophy

Parts of P.Oxy. LII 3679, 3rd century, containing fragments of Plato's Republic.

The visible portion of the papyrus displays Greek text in several lines of uncial script, with some variation in the size of the letters and some spacing between columns or lines.

There are holes, tears, frayed edges and missing sections. Some of the text is missing or worn away, and there are irregular boundaries where pieces have broken off.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato#/media/File:P._Oxy._LII_3679.jpg

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1y

In December 1894.

An abridgement of Stephen Crane's American Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage is first published as a serial in The Philadelphia Press. This version of the story, which was culled to 18,000 words by an editor specifically for the serialization, was reprinted in newspapers across America, establishing Crane's fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Badge_of_Courage#

The Red Badge of Courage at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/73

#books #literature

Stephen Crane in 1894; print of a portrait by artist and friend Corwin K. Linson.

This portrait captures Crane at a pivotal moment in his life, just as his literary career was beginning to take shape with works like Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and The Red Badge of Courage on the horizon.

The artist has rendered Crane in formal attire, likely a dark suit and tie, fitting for the era, but the overall effect is understated, focusing more on his character than his clothing. Linson's technique—subtle shading and fine lines—gives the portrait a contemplative mood, drawing attention to Crane's intellect and introspection.

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