Eagerly I wished the morrow

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.”

Well, here we are back in what I like to call the Edgar Allan Poe season. Invariably blogs and websites trot out stories about the tragic author of so many classic 19th century poems and novels. I suppose that this post falls naturally in that catagory as well.

The other day I ran across an interesting story referencing the wonderful 1884 edition of Poe’s heartbreaking tale The Raven (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1884) illustrated by Gustave Doré . The post reminded me of an account that I read many years ago about the very same edition. Oddly, the blog post failed to mention that Doré died before he had completed the engravings for the book and that many, if not most, were actually the work of other artists. This fact was likely hidden by the publisher at the time since the book was quite expensive in 1884— $10 —equivalent to about $250 today.

This was Doré’s last project before his death on January 23, 1883. His drawings were turned over to Harper & Brothers in New York City, where fourteen master engravers were hired to complete his work and rush the volume to press. The plates had to be cut in steel rather than copper because of the size of the edition: 10,000 copies with 26 engravings each, requiring at least 260,000 full-page sheets to be printed, collated, and bound.

Project Gutenberg has digital editions of the complete Doré edition of “The Raven,” as does the Library of Congress.

 

 

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What do you call a book nerd ?

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Book lovers the world over have their own special nicknames. In English speaking countries, folks who are especially fond of reading are of often called “bookworms”.  The term bookworm comes from the holes in printed materials caused by larvae of various types of insects. This includes a huge variety of species of beetles, moths and, cockroaches.  The term appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1580 for the first time. While first recorded use of the word “bookworm” referring to a person was in 1580, in a correspondence between the English poet Edmund Spenser and his friend Gabriel Harvey.

In France, the word for “bookworm” is “rat de bibliothèque” (library rat). In German, it’s “Bücherwurm” (bookworm). In Italy, the most common way to describe a book lover is “topo di biblioteca,”  which is a library mouse. The same in Spain – “ratón de biblioteca” is nothing else but a library mouse.

Personally, I’m partial to the Scandinavians who lean towards “booknerd”  rather than “bookworm”. In Swedish, it’s “boknörd,” in Danish – “bognørd,” and in Norwegian – “boknørd”.Whatever your favorite terminology is for bibliophiles, the excellent infographic map above from Mapologies shows what bookworms are called in almost any language spoken in Europe.

 

 

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Secret Philadelphia

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A regular follower of Travel Between The Pages recently asked for a recommendation on a “non-touristy” place to visit in Philadelphia. Without hesitation, I suggested the wonderful Rosenbach Museum and Library in the city’s charming Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

It’s not really a secret that I think the Rosenbach is an overlooked gem in a city that’s jam packed with great museums and historic sites. Over the years, i’ve shared stories about some of the museum’s superb special exhibitions.

Located in a pair of elegant 19th-century townhomes near the leafy Rittenhouse Square, The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia houses one of the North America’s best collections of rare books,manuscripts, literary memorabilia, and antiques. The collection is divided into two libraries, which are regionally and chronologically organized, with the East library showcasing such works as the second folio of William Shakespeare’s plays, Bram Stoker’s handwritten notes for Dracula,  and a handwritten manuscript of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Lewis Carroll’s own copy of Alice in Wonderland, a first edition of Don Quixote, and much more.

The West library focuses on the literary contributions of the United States, showcasing the only surviving copy of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, as well as the first book ever printed in America, some 20 years after the Pilgrims’ arrival. The museum’s collection, one of the largest of early American books, rivals only the Library of Congress in size and scope. You can also spot items like rings worn by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord Byron’s card case among the countless first editions.

In 1954, after the deaths of the Rosenbach brothers – Dr. A.S.W., a dealer in rare books and manuscripts, and Philip, a dealer of fine arts and antiques – their individual libraries and collections were organized in the doctor’s townhouse. In 2002, The Rosenbach expanded into the historic house next door for more research and display space. In recent years, The Rosenbach has limited visitors to timed tickets and guided tours, so it’s important to plan ahead. The hours are Thu–Sat 10:30 AM–6:00 PM; Sun 10:30 AM–4:30 PM.

 

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Neighborly

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Can you name the eight countries which border Turkey ? If you can then you should head straight over to Neighborle.

Each day on Neighborle you are shown a different country on an interactive map. Your daily challenge is to name all the countries which border that day’s highlighted country. Every time you name a correct bordering country it will be shown in green on the map. If you enter an incorrect country then that country will be colored grey on the map. You are allowed to make five incorrect answers every day. Once you have made five incorrect answers you aren’t allowed any more guesses.

 

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decisions, decisions

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Funnier than a dangling participle

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Regular readers of TBTP know that I am a hopeless Londonphile. I love the city and its wonderfully quirky traditions. So I was tickled to see a story about workers on London’s Millennium Bridge hanging a bale of straw under the structure due to the triggering of an ancient bylaw. Repair works to the footbridge mean straw must be dangled to warn oncoming boats of the work going on beneath it. The bale, which these days is lowered on climbing rope by workers, is intended to alert river traffic of the reduced headroom.

Due to necessary repair and cleaning work the bridge has been closed for three weeks, until November 5th. According to the Port of London Thames Byelaws, clause 36.2: “When the headroom of an arch or span of a bridge is reduced from its usual limits, but that arch or span is not closed to navigation, the person in control of the bridge must suspend from the centre of that arch or span by day a bundle of straw large enough to be conspicuous and by night a white light.”

 

 

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How to Help

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Like many folks observing the latest conflict in the Middle East I have been feeling a sense of helplessness. At times like this often the only option is to identify organizations that are actually providing aid and support to people caught up in the nightmare situation. So here’s a brief list of international and regional groups who are actively helping. Please consider supporting them in their efforts.

Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) describes itself as an “independent and impartial humanitarian organization” that delivers emergency medical care in places that need it. It does not currently run medical programs in Israel — citing its strong emergency and health systems — but says it has offered support to Israeli hospitals treating a high number of casualties. It does provide medical care in Gaza and is focused on meeting immediate emergency needs there, including donating medical supplies.

Magen David Adom is Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service — the equivalent of a Red Cross. It says donations will be used to make sure responders and volunteers have all the training, equipment and medical supplies (including blood) to treat injured people. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies will match all donations to Magen David Adom.

Middle East Children’s Alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to children’s rights in the Middle East, and supports dozens of community projects for Palestinian children.It says its team and partners are preparing to procure medical supplies for hospitals as well as provide emergency assistance to families who have fled their homes. Donations will go to provide medical aid, clean water, food and psychological support, it says.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in over 190 countries and territories to protect children’s lives and rights. Spokesperson James Elder said 1.1 million children were already in need of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank before the current escalation of violence. UNICEF and its partners are on the ground in Gaza delivering medical supplies and fuel, as well as mental health and psychosocial support, he added.

The Jewish Agency for Israel is a global nonprofit, while its Fund for Victims of Terror provides immediate financial assistance to victims and their families.The group says it has disbursed hundreds of grants since the violence started, with representatives delivering checks of more than $1,000 within 48 hours of an event. It anticipates distributing more, as well as following up with long-term recovery and rehabilitative support.

The Jewish Federations of North America represents nearly 400 Jewish communities in the U.S. and Canada, and raises money to support the Jewish community on the continent and around the world.It says it’s working with core partners to support victims of terror, help rebuild infrastructure and address “the unprecedented levels of trauma” caused by the attack.It launched a $500 million campaign to support Israelis, with funding to be divided between urgent humanitarian needs and long-term rebuilding and rehabilitation. The group said Thursday it’s already allocated $10 million to 20 organizations providing emergency relief and support in Israel.

Anera addresses the development and relief needs of refugees and others hurt by conflicts in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan. It’s working to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians and residents of East Jerusalem.

According to its website, $30 can provide the Central Blood Bank Society in Gaza with 16 bags, $80 will provide a hygiene kit for two displaced families, $100 can provide a displaced family with enough food for seven to 10 days, and $200 will provide food to two families.

IsraAID is the largest humanitarian aid organization in Israel, and has responded to global disasters in over 50 countries. It’s collecting donations through its Emergency Response Fund, and says its plans will develop as needs on the ground evolve.

So far, it’s working local partners to: coordinate humanitarian activities in shelters housing evacuees from the Gaza border region, operate child-friendly spaces where kids can play and process, distribute resilience kits with stress relief activities for kids and families, train local teams on self-care and stress relief and train local mental health specialists on emergency-specific psychosocial support.

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund provides medical and humanitarian relief to Arab children, regardless of nationality or religion, and has had a presence in Gaza for some 30 years. It says donations mean access to medical care, mental health support and essential supplies for kids in Gaza.

Save the Children says it’s disbursed $1 million from its emergency fund to help its teams respond to lifesaving needs in both Israel and Gaza “when it is safe to do so.”

The NGO says its teams and their families are bracing for what’s next, knowing that children have “never emerged unscathed” — both in terms of their physical and mental health. Donations to its Children’s Emergency Fund will go towards warm blankets, nutritious food, health care and other supports.

 

 

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Everyday Life

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

This time of the year most folks who visit the U.S. state of Vermont are on a leaf-peeping mission. However, there’s a little museum housed in an old barn that also deserves a detour.  The Museum of Everyday Life is a unique institution which offers “a heroic, slow-motion cataloguing of the quotidian–a detailed, theatrical expression of gratitude and love for the minuscule and unglamorous experience of daily life in all its forms. We celebrate mundanity, and the mysterious delight embedded in the banal but beloved objects we touch everyday. In pursuit of this mission, some of the questions we ask ourselves are: What would it be like to imagine a museum filled, not with exotic objects, but with perfectly familiar ones? What would it look like to defy the commodity-based model of collection and display? And how might it be possible to create massive participatory collections of objects in a way that illuminates the back and forth dance, the essential, vibrant relationship between objects and people?”

“The Museum has three components: 1) The Museum of Everyday Life Philosophy Department, involving the production and publication of theoretical writing about people and their relationship to objects, curatorial methodologies, and encylcopedism, 2) The Museum of Everyday Life Performance Company, which creates puppet shows and performances in an ongoing effort to examine and everyday life via the life of objects, and lastly, but most important 3) The Museum of Everyday Life Exhibitions and Collections, comprised of actual exhibits which make the theoretical work tangible and concrete.”

“The museum is located on Rt 16 about 5.5 miles south of Glover village in Northeastern Vermont, which we acknowledge is the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki and the Shawnee people.”

 

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Time Travel

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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The (almost) Whole Whole Earth Catalog

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

It’s likely that most Americans of the so-called Baby Boomer generation at one time or another spent some quality time perusing the Whole Earth Catalog. Now “nearly” complete copies of early editions are online at wholeearth.info.

Founded 55 years ago by counterculture icon Stewart Brand the eclectic resource that appealed to everybody from anarchists to back-to-the-land libertarians has been made available online for the first time. Readers can now flip through all the old catalogs, magazines, and journals right in their web browser, or download entire issues to their computer free of charge. The Whole Earth Catalog was the proto-blog—a collection of reviews, how-to guides, and primers on anarchic libertarianism printed onto densely packed pages. It carried the tagline “Access to Tools” and offered know-how, product reviews, cultural analysis, and gobs of snark, long before you could get all that on the internet.

Published several times a year between 1968 and 1972, and occasionally thereafter, until 1998. The magazine featured essays and articles, as well as product reviews. The editorial focus was on self-sufficiency, ecology, alternative education, “do it yourself,” and holism, featuring the slogan “access to tools.” The Whole eart Catalog was the pre-internet place to get information on everything from growing your own organic food to building your own geodesic dome home.

It’s well worth a nostalgic visit for the older folks, but also an enlightening look at the practical side of North America’s counterculture movement.

 

 

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