Eggplant.place

1y

#OTD in 1818.

Lord Byron, in Venice, sends the final part of Childe Harold to his publisher.

The poem contains elements thought to be autobiographical, as Byron generated some of the storyline from experience gained during his travels through Portugal, the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea between 1809 and 1811.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childe_Harold%27s_Pilgrimage

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/5131

#books #literature #poetry

This is the title page of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, circa 1812.

The name of the work, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, prominently displayed in an elegant and serif typeface, reflecting the literary and romantic style of the period.

Lord Byron, the author, would be credited beneath or near the title. His name might appear in a slightly smaller or secondary font.

The name of the publisher (John Murray), the location (London), and the year of publication (1812) would be included, often at the bottom of the page.

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116d

This Week in Literary History:
O. Henry is Released from Prison

“If he had simply gone back to Austin when he was summoned to stand trial, he would have been acquitted.”

https://lithub.com/this-week-in-literary-history-o-henry-is-released-from-prison/

O. Henry at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/634

#books #literature

O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) appears from the chest up in the photograph. He leans slightly to the right, resting his head on his right hand. His hair is short, wavy, and parted in the middle, with a handlebar mustache. He wears a dark, textured three-piece suit with a vest and matching jacket. Underneath, he has a white dress shirt with a tall wing collar. His dark necktie is held by a decorative stickpin just below the collar.

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1y

American Surrealist artist and poet Kay Sage died #OTD in 1963.

Kay Sage became deeply involved with the Surrealist movement after moving to Paris in the late 1930s.

Her paintings often feature architectural and industrial elements, barren landscapes, and abstract, machine-like forms. Unlike many male Surrealists who favored dreamlike imagery, Sage's work is characterized by stark, linear compositions and an eerie, desolate quality.

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

#art #literature #poetry

Kay Sage passport photo.

Sage has a serious and composed expression, with her gaze directed forward. Her eyes appear intense and slightly melancholic, offering a glimpse of the introspection and complexity that characterized her personality and art.

Her hair is neatly styled, typically in a fashion reflective of her era, possibly a short or shoulder-length cut, framing her face elegantly.

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301d

In Pursuit of Peace, Ancient Athens Created a Goddess

In the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War, Athenians worshipped Eirene. Her cult reflects the political role of religion in Ancient Greece.

By: Anna Gustafsson

https://daily.jstor.org/in-pursuit-of-peace-ancient-athens-created-a-goddess/?utm_source=mcae&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jstordaily-01152026

Eirene at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=eirene

#books #literature #history

Eirene (Peace) bearing Plutus (Wealth), Roman copy after a Greek votive statue by Kephisodotos (ca. 370 BC) which stood on the agora in Athens.

Eirene is shown as a mature, dignified woman in flowing Classical Greek drapery. She cradles the infant Plutus in her left arm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eirene_(goddess)#/media/File:Eirene_Ploutos_Glyptothek_Munich_219_n4.jpg

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301d

Richard the Lionheart: New Study Rethinks His Capture After the Crusade

by Attila Bárány

https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/richard-the-lionheart-capture/

Original article:
https://real.mtak.hu/188501/1/Veber_MercenariesandCrusaders2024.pdf

Richard I at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/2908

#books #literature #history

Depiction of Emperor Henry VI pardoning Richard in Peter of Eboli's Liber ad honorem Augusti, c. 1196.

The illumination shows:

Upper right: Emperor Henry VI seated on a throne in red robes with a crown, holding symbols of authority, with a green tree beside him
Lower right: King Richard kneeling or prostrating himself before the emperor in submission
Left side: Armed figures, likely guards or knights, one prominently holding a sword
Center: Another figure, possibly a mediator or official

Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI grants a pardon to en:Richard I of England (Richard Lionheart). Petrus de Ebulo, Liber ad honorem Augusti sive de rebus Siculis, fol 129, recto

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1y

#OTD in 1879.

During construction of an extension to Birmingham Central Library in England, a fire destroys 50,000 books and the original manuscript of the Coventry Mystery Plays (including the "Coventry Carol").

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

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

Coventry Carol at PG (as audio book):
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20603

#books #literature

Cover of Christmas Carol Collection 2006 by Various.

Contents

# 01 - O Holy Night by Adolphe Adam - 00:06:18
Performed by: Karen Savage

# 02 - The Boar’s Head Carol by Traditional - 00:01:17
Performed by: Kara Shallenberg

# 03 - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen by Traditional - 00:03:30
Performed by: Diyan

# 04 - Good King Wenseslas by J.M. Neale - 00:03:21
Performed by: Alan Drake & Irene Takiris with Friends

# 05 - Here We Come A-Wassailing by Traditional - 00:01:43
Performed by: Claire Goget

# 06 - Joy to the World by G.F. Handel - 00:01:41
Performed by: Kim Butler

# 07 - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and John Baptiste Calkin - 00:02:02
Performed by: Kristin Hughes

# 08 - Dona Nobis Pacem by Traditional - 00:02:05
Performed by: SKVE

# 09 - The First Noel by Traditional English carol - 00:02:32
Performed by: Claire Goget

# 10 - Coventry Carol by Robert Croo (Lyrics) - 00:02:00
Performed by: Kim Butler

# 11 - It Came Upon the Midnight Clear by Edmund Hamilton Sears and Richard Storrs Willis - 00:03:35
Performed by: Kristin Hughes

# 12 - Away in a Manger by W. J. Kirkpatrick - 00:02:09
Performed by: Karen Savage

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1y

#OTD in 1818.

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" appears in Leigh Hunt's weekly The Examiner (London; p. 24) under the pen name "Glirastes". Horace Smith's contribution to the same informal sonnet-writing competition, "On a Stupendous Leg of Granite, Discovered Standing by Itself in the Deserts of Egypt, with the Inscription Inserted Below" is published on February 1 under his initials.

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

#books #literature #poetry

"Ozymandias" by Glirastes in The Examiner, London, Sunday, January 11, 1818, No. 524, page 24.

Percy Bysshe Shelley. - First publication in The Examiner, No. 524, page 24.

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188d

In Conversation: Aslı Tohumcu with Kirsty Logan
28 May, Glasgow Women’s Library – free

Aslı Tohumcu & Kirsty Logan unpack the power of queer feminist folklore re-tellings. Drawing on their own writing, both writers will explore how traditional folklore, whether from Turkey or Scotland, can help us understand present-day complexities

https://womenslibrary.org.uk/event/in-conversation-asli-tohumcu-with-kirsty-logan/

#Scottish #Turkish #literature #folklore #queer #queerfiction #feminism #Scotland #Turkey

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1y

#OTD in 1868.

John William De Forest, writing for The Nation, calls for a more specifically American literature; the essay's title, "The Great American Novel", is the first known use of the term. In 1880, writer Henry James simplified the term with the initialism "GAN".

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Novel#Notable_candidates

Books by John William De Forest at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4323

#books #literature

Portrait of John William De Forest.

A middle-aged or older man with a strong, thoughtful expression, likely with neatly combed dark or graying hair and a short, well-groomed mustache.

Wearing formal 19th-century clothing, such as a dark suit, waistcoat, and a white shirt, typical of the era's intellectuals or gentlemen.

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300d

At the raw end of winter
the mountain is half snow, half
dun grass. Only when snow
moves does it become a hare…

—Anna Crowe, “A Calendar of Hares”
published in A SECRET HISTORY OF RHUBARB (Mariscat, 2004)

https://annacrowepoet.com/2021/04/21/a-calendar-of-hares/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #naturepoetry #hare

A Calendar of Hares
Anna Crowe

for Valerie Gillies

1. At the raw end of winter
the mountain is half snow, half
dun grass. Only when snow
moves does it become a hare.

2. If you can catch a hare
and look into its eye,
you will see the whole world.

3. That day in March
watching two hares boxing
at the field’s edge, she felt
the child quicken.

4. It is certain Midas never saw a hare
or he would not have lusted after gold.

5. When the buzzard wheels
like a slow kite overhead
the hare pays out the string.

6. The man who tells you
he has thought of everything
has forgotten the hare.

7. The hare’s form, warm yet empty.
Stumbling upon it, he felt his heart
lurch and race beneath his ribs.

8. Beset by fears, she became
the hare who hears
the mowers’ voices growing louder.

9. Light as the moon’s path over the sea,
the run of the hare over the land.

10. The birchwood a dapple
of fallen gold: a carved hare
lies in a Pictish hoard.

11. Waking to the cry of a hare
she ran and found the child sleeping.

12. November stiffens
into December: hare and grass
have grown a thick coat of frost.

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1y

American novelist, journalist and activist Jack London was born #OTD in 1876.

London wrote several works dealing with animal welfare, workers' rights and socialism, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang.

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

Books By Jack London at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/120

#books #literature

Portrait photograph of Jack London (1876-1916) Contributor Names Genthe, Arnold, 1869-1942, photographer Created / Published between 1906 and 1942; from a negative taken between 1906 and 1916.

London, known for his rugged individualism, is portrayed with a thoughtful expression, emphasizing his literary and adventurous spirit.

His attire is simple yet sturdy, perhaps a jacket or a collared shirt, indicative of his practical, outdoorsy lifestyle.

The photograph's composition is intimate, with a soft focus on London's face, drawing attention to his determined eyes and expressive features.

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300d

The strange case of Robert Louis Stevenson

Alastair Benn is joined by Professor Leo Damrosch, author of Storyteller: The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson, to explore the life & legacy of the celebrated writer, including one of his most enduring literary achievements, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnJ2R6EgzZ0

#Scottish #literature #19thcentury #Victorian #RobertlouisStevenson #JekyllandHyde

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297d

Why we love literary anniversaries

In 2026 there is another slew of big anniversaries, marking the tercentenary of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and 200 years since the ever-relevant Mary Shelley’s The Last Man.

by Amy Wilcockson

https://theconversation.com/why-we-love-literary-anniversaries-273375

Some literary anniversaries at PG:
Gulliver’s Travels: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/829
The Last man: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18247
Winnie-the-Pooh: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098
The murder of Roger Ackroyd: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69087

#books #literature

In the drawing, Eeyore is starting to munch on the thistle; Pooh is standing up with lots of thistle-burrs on his behind.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67098/pg67098-images.html

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1y

#OTD in 1826.

Edgar Allan Poe is forced to renounce his studies at the University of Virginia when his foster parent John Allan refuses to pay for his tuition. In 1827, having enlisted in the United States Army under the assumed name of Edgar A. Perry, he published his first collection, Tamerlane and Other Poems, which was credited only to "a Bostonian".

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

#books #literature

Poe depicted in a modern retouched version of a daguerreotype

Mathew Benjamin Brady - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Scope and content: Drawing made from the “Ultima Thule” daguerreotype.

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1y

"We thought we believed in trial marriage. Nothing of the sort—trial separation! What marriage put asunder divorce has joined together."

#OTD in 1917.

Jesse Lynch Williams' Why Marry?, the first drama to win a Pulitzer Prize, opens at the Astor Theatre (New York).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Marry%3F

Why Marry? at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35389

#books #literature #theatre #drama

Nat Goodwin, an unidentified actress and Leonard Mudie in the 1917 play Why Marry. Date stamped Sept. 28, 1918.

The play was a comedic exploration of the institution of marriage, written by Jesse Lynch Williams. The actors are likely dressed in early 20th-century attire, fitting the time period of the play's production. The image was stamped with the date September 28, 1918, indicating either the date of publication or archival cataloging. The scene captures a moment of dramatic or comedic interaction between the characters.

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297d

George MacBeth (1932–1992) was born #OTD, 19 Jan

“MacBeth’s language is beautifully melodic: the stanzas unfold like operatic arias, becoming more florid & complex in thought as the poem develops…”

—Carol Rumens on MacBeth’s “The God of Love”

1/2

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/jun/07/poem-week-god-love-macbeth

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #20thcentury #naturepoetry #naturewriting

The poem is too long for ALT text – it can be read online via the shared link:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/jun/07/poem-week-god-love-macbeth

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1y

#OTD in 1893.

Kate Chopin's short stories "Désirée's Baby" and "A Visit to Avoyelles" appear in Vogue magazine in the United States. It first appeared under the title "The Father of Désirée's Baby" in a section called "Character Studies".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9sir%C3%A9e%27s_Baby

Désirée's Baby at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/160

#books #literature

"Désirée's Baby" by Kate Chopin as it appeared in Bayou Folk, 1894.

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1y

See Charles Dickens' Rare Manuscripts, Teenage Love Letters and a Copy of 'David Copperfield' That Traveled to Antarctica

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Charles Dickens Museum in London is staging an exhibition of historic objects that shed light on the writer’s life and legacy

By Julia Binswanger

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-charles-dickens-rare-manuscripts-teenage-love-letters-and-a-copy-of-david-copperfield-that-traveled-to-antarctica-180985811/

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

#books #literature #manuscripts

Dickens at his desk, 1858

By George Herbert Watkins, born 1828.

Dickens is seated at a polished wooden desk, which is adorned with neatly arranged papers, a quill pen, and an inkwell, symbolizing his literary craft.

Dickens is dressed in mid-19th-century attire, including a dark frock coat and waistcoat, reflecting the fashion of his time.
His face bears a contemplative expression, with his gaze slightly diverted from the camera, suggesting introspection or creative thought.

His distinctive facial features, such as the sharp nose, expressive eyes, and thick beard, are rendered with remarkable clarity.

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1y

"Here is a golden Rule to begin with. Write legibly. The average temper of the human race would be perceptibly sweetened, if everybody obeyed this Rule! A great deal of the bad writing in the world comes simply from writing too quickly."

Eight or Nine Wise Words About Letter-Writing (1890)

~Lewis Carroll (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898)

Books by Lewis Carroll at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7

#books #literature

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) by Oskar Gustav Rejlander (1813? - 1875) .

Lewis Carroll is portrayed in a slightly posed position, reflecting his reserved demeanor and intellectual persona.

His expression is thoughtful, exuding a quiet intensity that aligns with his identity as a mathematician, logician, and writer.

His attire includes a tailored coat, waistcoat, and cravat, which add to the air of formality and professionalism.

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190d

Dinna be glaikit, dinna be ower smert,
dinna craw croose, dinna be unco blate,
dinna breenge in, dinna be ayewis late,
dinna steek yer lugs, dinna steek yer hert…

—James Robertson, “A Manifesto for MSPs”
published in Voyage of Intent (Scottish Book Trust/Luath Press, 2005)

https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/manifesto-msps/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #ScottishElections #politics #ScottishPolitics #ScottishParliament #Scots #Scotslanguage

A Manifesto for MSPs
James Robertson

Dinna be glaikit, dinna be ower smert,
dinna craw croose, dinna be unco blate,
dinna breenge in, dinna be ayewis late,
dinna steek yer lugs, dinna steek yer hert.
Dinna be sleekit, dinna be a sook,
dinna creesh nae loof for future favour,
dinna swick nor swither, hash nor haiver,
dinna be soor o face, and dinna jouk.
Open yer airms and minds tae folk in need,
hain frae fylin and skaith the land and sea,
tak tent o justice and the commonweal,
ding doon hypocrisy, wanthrift and greed,
heeze up the banner o humanity,
seek oot the truth and tae the truth be leal.

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1y

English writer A. A. Milne was born #OTD in 1882.

He is best best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-the-Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.

Watch our podcast on Winnie the Pooh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWZxwuam5Iw

A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh as an accessible eBook:
https://tilde.zone/@gluejar/113749300977151258

Books by A.A. Milne at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/730

#books #literature

Photograph of A. A. Milne.

Emil Otto Hoppé - Shadowland, September 1922 (page 62).

In this photograph, A. A. Milne, best known as the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, is likely captured in a thoughtful or distinguished pose, characteristic of Hoppé’s style.

The lighting and composition would emphasize Milne’s features, possibly with soft shadows adding depth.

Given the time period, the image is a black-and-white portrait, possibly highlighting Milne's refined yet approachable demeanor.

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298d

We went each Sunday for the mass
recited in my parent’s language
that wasn’t mine. The Gaelic gospel

that was just sound, pure sound, to me.
I rose and kneeled, and listened as
my people traded vowel for vowel…

—Niall Campbell, “Tongues of Water”
published in THE ISLAND IN THE SOUND (Bloodaxe Books, 2024)

https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/the-island-in-the-sound-1361

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #Gaidhlig #Gaelic #minoritylanguages

Tongues of Water
by Niall Campbell

We went each Sunday for the mass
recited in my parent’s language
that wasn’t mine. The Gaelic gospel

that was just sound, pure sound, to me.
I rose and kneeled, and listened as
my people traded vowel for vowel;

my whole small world, this flowing water.
Back then, I sat and heard the ocean
in their unknowable call,

that same unknowable response.
My parents stood in the psalm’s current
like waders gone out, as I settled

knee-deep on a second bank,
hearing only the sound of a stream,
believing only the sound the stream makes.

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1y

Perpetual Movement: Francis Picabia’s 391 Review (1917–1924).

Francis Picabia, like his close friend and collaborator Marcel Duchamp, was a man of many names. While Duchamp famously went by his feminine alter ego Rrose Sélavy and signed his 1917 Fountain with the pseudonym R. Mutt, Picabia adopted numerous aliases across his literary and artistic practice.

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/francis-picabia-391-review/?utm_source=newsletter

https://archive.org/details/391-vol-1-19

Picabia at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=picabia&submit_search=Search

#art #books #literature #dada

“La Sainte-Vierge” from the 12th volume of 391 (1920).

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62d

Joanna Baillie (1762–1851) was born #OTD, 11 Sep. Plays on the Passions, a series of female-led comedies & tragedies, brought Baillie fame during a period when serious drama was in decline. Her 256th birthday was commemorated by a Google doodle in 2018

A 🎂🧵

1/5

https://doodles.google/doodle/joanna-baillies-256th-birthday/

#Scottish #literature #18thcentury #19thcentury #womenwriters #romanticism #drama #playwright #theatre #stage #romanticism