A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea.

Not just a blog, a philosophy

Daily Diversion #161: Reading with George

Posted on September 24, 2013 by maedez

Bookmark: Stag at Sharkey’s, 1909, by George Bellows Book: STILL, by David S. Shields

“Both of the inventors of the visual glamour, Eickemeyer and Genthe, came from the ranks of the art photographers, that cadre of aesthetically ambitious cameramen and-women who in the 1890s organized into an international community intent on fighting the slapdash amateurism of the mass of Kodak-wielding weekend shutterbugs, the routine posing and eclectic composition of the professional portrait studio, and the condescension of a fine arts critical establishment that denigrated photography as a mechanical craft.”-STILL American Silent Motion Picture Photography, by David S. Shields

A Selection of Quotes from Frequently Banned Books, Part One

Posted on September 24, 2013 by maedez

“I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our more stupid melancholy propensities, for is there anything more stupid than to be eager to go on carrying a burden which one would gladly throw away, to loathe one’s very being and yet to hold it fast, to fondle the snake that devours us until it has eaten our hearts away?”-Candide, Voltaire
“He look’d a little disorder’d, when he said this, but I did not apprehend anything from it at the time, believing as it us’d to be said, that they who do those things never talk of them; or that they who talk of such things never do them.”-Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe
“There ain’t so sin and their ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do.”-The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

Go and Read…

Posted on September 23, 2013 by maedez

…all the banned books you can find. It’s the only thing that will save the world.

Happy 135th Birthday, Upton Sinclair!

Posted on September 20, 2013 by maedez

Who knew that the author of The Jungle was so dashing?

Upton Sinclair, 1906

“I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”-Upton Sinclair

[Book Nerd Links] Literary Figures and Their Wild Pets

Posted on September 16, 2013 by maedez

Literary Figures and Their Wild Pets [courtesy of HUFF POST BOOKS]

Because it is Monday and we could all use some levity.

[Alternative Muses] Writerly Style: George Bernard Shaw Demonstrates How to Wear a Suit

Posted on September 9, 2013 by maedez

George Bernard Shaw wore suits almost as well as he wrote plays. Case in point:

George Bernard Shaw, 1909.

The hat is a nice touch.

George Bernard Shaw, 1914.

Hmm. This looks familiar.

George Bernard Shaw, 1946.

Jaunty at 90.

Reading Too Much? Never!

Posted on September 7, 2013 by maedez

Dear World,

There is no such thing as reading too much.

Love,

Maedez

PS-Lottie Eve agrees!

Writing Studio Tour, Part I: A Peek at Some Shelves

Posted on September 5, 2013 by maedez

A peek at some shelves

A few details

Cat Toy

[Book Nerd Links] The Art of William Faulkner

Posted on September 5, 2013 by maedez

The Art of William Faulkner: Drawings from 1916-1925 [courtesy OPEN CULTURE]

What do you think?

[Book Nerd Links] 75 Vintage Dust Jackets of Classic Books

Posted on September 3, 2013 by maedez

Completion Is Perfection: 75 Vintage Dust Jackets of Classic Books [courtesy FLAVORWIRE]

My fascination with book covers continues! Be sure to come back and dish about your favourite.

R.I.P. Norman Lloyd (1914-2021)

Norman Lloyd, long a personal favorite of mine, was a fascinating man and performer. Norman Lloyd Dead [THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]

R.I.P. Geoffrey Scott

Geoffrey Scott was from a younger generation than the performers I normally write about, but his handsome presence was ubiquitous during my 1980s childhood. From Dynasty to The Love Boat, Night Court, and Battle of the Network Stars, his charisma and acting ability lit up the small screen for decades. He will be missed. Geoffrey […]

Kirk Douglas: 1916-2020

[2019 Reel Infatuation Blogathon] But Baby Think of Me Once in Awhile: On Andy Travis as Television’s Best (and Hunkiest) Boss

Welcome to the 2019 Reel Infatuation Blogathon! Baby, If You’ve Ever Wondered: It still seems like yesterday that the idea for RI popped in my head. It was actually in December 2015, while in a hotel room getting ready for a holiday party, when it occurred to me that there was a gap in the classic […]

Announcing the 2019 Reel Infatuation Blogathon!

This is one of my favorite events of the year, and not just because I’m the co-hostess. It’s simply that good. And fun. Oh, so much fun! Here’s my original announcement. ANNOUNCING THE 2019 REEL INFATUATION BLOGATHON I hope you’ll join us!