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Gilead by Marilynne RobinsonFarrar, Straus & Giroux; 247 pages I woke up this morning thinking this town might as well be standing on the absolute floor of hell for all the truth there is in it, and the fault is mine as much as anyone’s. I was thinking about the things that had happened here […]
The Quest by Pío Baroja Translated by Isaac Goldberg Alfred A. Knopf, 1922, 289 pagesOnline resources for Baroja and The Quest, including links to the text, can be found here. La Corrala was a seething, feverish world in little, as busy as an anthill. There people toiled, idled, guzzled, ate and died of hunger; there […]
“In the Bag” by Eudora WeltyPicture source This month’s Transatlantica has several pieces on the Eudora Welty centennial last year. Of interest to me was Welty’s photographs, taken in the 1930’s when she worked as a publicity agent for the Works Progress Administration. Alison Goeller writes in her essay accompanying the above picture that “In […]
The Quest by Pío Baroja Translated by Isaac Goldberg (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1922)“Before [1898], in the period of adventures, Spain was led by Don Quixote. From now on, it would be directed by Sancho Panza.” – Pío Baroja I am duplicating the online resources for Baroja that I listed in The Restlessness of Shanti […]
Good Newes from New England (1624) by Edward Winslow This particular copy was owned by Thomas Prince and later John Adams Picture source I confess we have come so far short of the means to raise such returns, as with great difficulty we have preserved our lives; insomuch as when I look back upon our […]
I stumbled across a new blog this morning and wanted to pass on a post there. Soap Opera Digest: A Candy Box of History’s Sappiest Literary Lovers is just in time for Valentine’s Day. See if you can guess the following happy couple: They fecklessly squandered every penny they got their hands on. He had […]
Mourt’s Relation is the earliest known eyewitness account of the Pilgrims’ first seven months in New England plus a few additional events up through November 1621. It was published in 1622 in London. Its writing precedes William Bradford’s account, Of Plimoth Plantation, by a decade and the subsequent publication of Bradford’s by 234 years. Mourt’s […]
William BradfordPicture source May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our faithers were Englishmen which come over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this willdernes; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voyce, and looked on their adversitie, etc. Let them ther fore praise […]
Apparently my e-mail notification for comments is not working properly, so I wanted to say ‘thanks’ for the comments that have been made on posts that are no longer on the front page. I’ve added notes or links to reflect the additional resources or reviews provided. Thanks so much!
I have mentioned that my parents saved most of the books I had while growing up. A couple of this week’s favorites with the boys revolve around Lyle the Crocodile. My favorite part is in Lyle and the Birthday Party, where I read Lyle’s doctor with a German accent (think of “Hogan’s Heroes” with a […]