Shopping for the Bookworm: Edward Gorey Edition

Posted on February 23, 2013 by maedez

“My mission in life is to make everybody as uneasy as possible. I think we should all be as uneasy as possible, because that’s what the world is like.”-Edward Gorey

The Gashlycrumb Tinies Metal Lunch Box at The Vint Edge. $34.99

Edward Gorey Necklace by Dark White Arts. $14.00

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[Book Nerd Links] Books on Buildings: 20 Bookish Murals From Around the World

Posted on February 22, 2013 by maedez

Books on Buildings: 20 Bookish Murals From Around the World [courtesy Flavorwire]

The Dead Writers Roundup: February 22nd-25th

Posted on February 22, 2013 by maedez

James Russell Lowell was born on 2/22/1819. “Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.” (A Fable for Critics; Conversations on the Old Poets)
Jules Renard was born on 2/22/1864. “Failure is not our only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others.” (Crime de village; Poil de carotte)
Edward Gorey was born on 2/22/1925. “To take my work seriously would be the height of folly.” (The Doubtful Guest; The Gashlycrumb Tinies; The Gilded Bat; The Broken Spoke; The Loathsome Couple)
Elizabeth Bowen died on 2/22/1973. “When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out.” (The Last September; The House in Paris; The Heat of the Day; Eva Trout; Look At All Those Roses)
Samuel Pepys was born on 2/23/1633. “Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody.” (The Diary of Samuel Pepys) Continue reading →

Happy Birthday Edna St. Vincent Millay, You Timeless Beauty

Posted on February 22, 2013 by maedez

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born on 22 February 1892, with looks as timeless as the poems she grew up to write.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

QUOTE: “Life must go on; I forget just why.”

SOME WORKS: Renascence, and Other Poems; A Few Figs from Thistles: Poems and Four Sonnets; The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver; Fatal Interview; The Murder of Lidice.

A KEEPSAKE:

Edna St. Vincent Millay Quote Canvas Shopper Bag by Cloudshaped. $25.81

The Splendiferously Bearded Writers Social Club: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Posted on February 21, 2013 by maedez

Name: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
DOB: 02/27/1807
Member Since: 1863
Status: Charter member
Important Role: Manning the punch bowl at club functions.
Hobbies: Reading Latin; translating Dante; writing poetry; styling his luxurious white beard into tiny braids.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1868

Books in Art: The Yellow Book, April 1894

Posted on February 21, 2013 by maedez

The Yellow Book: April 15th, 1894. Cover art by Aubrey Beardsley. This framed print hangs in my studio.

The Yellow Book, April 1894

Daily Diversion #100: Hometown Randomness

Posted on February 20, 2013 by maedez

A random image taken on the fly during my visit home last month. Something about the juxtaposition turned on my imagination. Don’t ask me to explain-I just liked the combination and slightly skewed composition of totally unrelated objects that somehow, through an alchemy of memory, beauty, and wishful thinking, made perfect sense.

Cityscape

Love at First Site: Awesome People Reading

Posted on February 20, 2013 by maedez

I’m utterly fascinated by photographs of people reading. Always have been-well, as far back as I remember. For me, life is largely about words: it’s no wonder that I love reading culture in all of its odd facets. On the flip side, I have a history of becoming temporarily addicted to a newly discovered Tumblr blog. I’ll read the entire archive in one sitting, rapturously inform my husband of this new pet favourite like the nerd-girl I am, only to forget about it for months, if not years, to come. Today, I make this pledge: the cycle stops now, with Awesome People Reading.

Go here to find out why. You can thank me later.