Tag Archives: Books

1919: At the Back of the North Wind

Posted on May 6, 2019 by corvusfugit

Jessie Willcox Smith: illustration for George MacDonald’s At the Back of the North Wind (1919)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1910's, 20th Century, Art, Books, Children, George MacDonald, Illustration, Jessie Willcox Smith, USA, Weather, Women | Leave a comment

1865: An Army of Striking Labor

Posted on April 28, 2019 by corvusfugit

In Black Reconstruction in America (1935), W. E. B. Du Bois argues that a “general strike” by millions of enslaved African-Americans decided the outcome of the civil war. By rebelling against their masters, abandoning southern plantations, contributing their labor to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1860's, 1930's, 19th Century, 20th Century, African-Americans, American Civil War, Art, Books, Currier & Ives, Labor, Printmaking, Slavery, Strikes, W. E. B. Du Bois | Leave a comment

1665: Pyrophylaciorum

Posted on April 24, 2019 by corvusfugit

Systema Ideale Pyrophylaciorum Suberraneorum, quorum montes Vulcanii, veluti spiracula quaedam existant, an illustration from Athanasius Kircher’s 1665 Mundus Subterranous.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 17th Century, Athanasius Kircher, Books, Fire, Geology, Italy, Volcanoes | Leave a comment

1963: A Colour Guide to Clouds

Posted on April 15, 2019 by corvusfugit

Each time you look at the sky, try to identify the clouds in it and test whether the explanations given in the book could be true for them. Gradually you will come to know the important clouds and the circumstances … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960's, 20th Century, Books, Great Britain, Harry Wexler, Meteorology, Photography, Richard Scorer, The Sky, Weather | Leave a comment

1964: Oh, My Mangled Head!

Posted on April 14, 2019 by corvusfugit

In his book Alice in Many Tongues (1964), Warren Weaver spends the last chapter using a curious method to evaluate various translations of Alice in Wonderland. He takes the same passage from each translation—a portion of the Mad Tea-Party—and asks … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960's, 20th Century, Africa, Alice, Books, Children, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Language, Poetry, Poland, Russia, South America, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Translation, USA, Warren Weaver | Leave a comment

1938: Fire

Posted on April 11, 2019 by corvusfugit

Teresita Fernández: Fire (2005) Fire and heat provide modes of explanation in the most varied domains, because they have been for us the occasion for unforgettable memories, for simple and decisive personal experiences. Fire is thus a privileged phenomenon which … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1930's, 2000's, 20th Century, 21st Century, Art, Books, Fire, France, Gaston Bachelard, Latino/as/x, Psychology, Teresita Fernández, Textiles, USA, Women | Leave a comment

1901: Am I So Very Ugly?

Posted on March 25, 2019 by corvusfugit

Walter Crane: “Am I so very ugly?” —illustration for Beauty and the Beast (ca. 1901)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1900's, 20th Century, Art, Books, Fairy Tales, Illustration, Monsters, Walter Crane | Leave a comment

1871: Wasp in a Wig

Posted on March 13, 2019 by corvusfugit

In 1870, illustrator John Tenniel wrote to Lewis Carroll suggesting that he delete an episode from Through the Looking-Glass: Don’t think me brutal, but I am bound to say that the ‘wasp’ chapter doesn’t interest me in the least, & … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1870's, 1970's, 19th Century, Alice, Animals, Art, Books, Great Britain, Illustration, Insects, John Tenniel, Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner, Poetry, Ralph Steadman, Wasps, Wigs | Leave a comment

1969: The Door Said

Posted on January 19, 2019 by corvusfugit

The door refused to open. It said, “Five cents, please.” He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. “I’ll pay you tomorrow,” he told the door. Again he tried the knob. Again it remained locked tight “What I pay you,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960's, 20th Century, Books, Doors, Philip K. Dick, Science Fiction, USA | Leave a comment

1991: Time’s Arrow

Posted on December 31, 2018 by corvusfugit

In Martin Amis’s 1991 novel, Time’s Arrow, time flows backwards. It’s not simply that the events are narrated in reverse order; rather, it’s as if the characters were in a film being show in reverse. Here’s how eating works, for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1990's, 20th Century, Books, Fascism, Germany, Great Britain, Holocaust, Josef Mengele, Martin Amis, Time, Writing, WWII | Leave a comment