Lmst

@admin Thanks for sharing your extensive review on Poe's works.

How Edgar Allan Poe Became Our Era’s Premier Storyteller

Fans of the mystery writer have no shortage of ways to pay homage to the scribe behind “The Raven” and so much more

by Michael Capuzzo (from the archives)

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/edgar-allan-poe-became-era-premier-storyteller-180971001/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93133550

Edgar Allan Poe at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/481

#books #literature

An 1875 illustration of Poe by French impressionist Édouard Manet for the Stéphane Mallarmé translation of "The Raven"

The image captures the haunting, psychological atmosphere of Poe's famous poem through Manet's bold, sketchy style:

Upper portion: A bust or statue (likely representing Pallas Athena, mentioned in the poem: "perched upon a bust of Pallas")
The raven: Suggested by the dark, dramatic shading and atmospheric mood
Lower portion: A figure (the narrator) slumped or reading, overwhelmed by grief and the supernatural visitor
The door: Geometric lines suggesting the chamber door at which someone came "rapping"

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14082/pg14082-images.html

A light from the periphery

The life of Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose illuminates how scientific genius can emerge from the most unexpected quarters

by Somaditya (Soma) Banerjee

https://aeon.co/essays/why-satyendra-nath-bose-was-more-than-einsteins-sidekick?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=fbc94eca5e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_01_13_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

More about Nath Bose;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyendra_Nath_Bose

#books #physics #science

Bose at Dhaka University in the 1930s.

It shows Bose seated outdoors on a wooden chair, facing the camera directly. He is dressed in formal academic attire typical of the period: a light-colored suit jacket, matching trousers, a collared shirt, and a neatly knotted tie. A pen is visible tucked into the breast pocket of his jacket, suggesting a scholarly or professional role.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyendra_Nath_Bose#/media/File:Satyendra-nath-bose.jpg

The Life and Legacy of Natsume Sōseki, Modern Japan’s Greatest Novelist

"A celebrated literary figure, Natsume Sōseki was widely credited for pioneering modern Japanese literature in the late 19th and early 20th century."

https://www.thecollector.com/natsume-soseki/

Books by Sōseki at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2905

#books #literature

@IncHulk Interesting, thanks for sharing!

Ancient History Unfolded

Posted by: Neely Tucker

"The majority of Library’s physical collections are, as you might think, on paper. But before paper was invented in China and introduced globally, papyrus dominated as the writing surface of the Mediterranean world."

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2025/12/ancient-history-unfolded/

A fragment of the Egerton Gospel. Papyrus collection of the University of Cologne

#conservation #library

Why we love literary anniversaries

In 2026 there is another slew of big anniversaries, marking the tercentenary of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and 200 years since the ever-relevant Mary Shelley’s The Last Man.

by Amy Wilcockson

https://theconversation.com/why-we-love-literary-anniversaries-273375

Some literary anniversaries at PG:
Gulliver’s Travels: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/829
The Last man: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18247
Winnie-the-Pooh: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098
The murder of Roger Ackroyd: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69087

#books #literature

In the drawing, Eeyore is starting to munch on the thistle; Pooh is standing up with lots of thistle-burrs on his behind.

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/67098/pg67098-images.html

What Is the Origin of the Calendar?

The modern calendar borrows influences from a collective of early calendars such as the Jewish, the Babylonian, the Roman, and the Egyptian calendars.

by Mike Cohen

https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-the-origin-of-the-calendar/

Books about Calendars at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/2284

#books #calendar #history

This image is a medieval calendar with golden number, sun and moon letter on the left side, feast, rite and horoscope in the middle and in the far right length of day and night. This folio comes from the manuscript BNF Latin 7478 a "Bat book" designed as a portable calendar for travelling scholar. Written by Paul of Kignin it is inspired by John of Gmunden Kalendarium. This is the third folio of the text.

Left section: Astronomical calculations including:
Golden numbers (for calculating Easter)
Solar and lunar letters (dominical letters)
Complex numerical tables

Middle section:
Religious feast days and saints' days
Liturgical rites and observances
Astrological information (horoscope symbols visible in the column with zodiac signs)

Right section:
Length of day and night calculations throughout the month

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Calendars#/media/File:Bnf_latin_7478_februarius_unfolded.jpg

@Trabendo Fixed it, thanks!

@Trabendo thanks for the clarification, really appreciate it.

@skua indeed, it’s a very old manuscript hard to follow all these nuances

@skua they show the different phases of the moon

What Did Lincoln Say in the Gettysburg Address?

"The Gettysburg Address is a historical speech delivered by American President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War."

https://www.thecollector.com/lincoln-gettysburg-address/

The Gettysburg Address at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4

#history #ushistory

Before Newton: How the Islamic Golden Age Shaped the Physics We Know

Remarkable discoveries were made during the Islamic Golden Age, which laid the foundation for the study of physics as we know it.

by Matt Whittaker

https://www.thecollector.com/how-did-physics-begin-islamic-golden-age/

Books in Physics at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/103

#books #science #physics #history

An illustration from al-Biruni's astronomical works, explains the different phases of the Moon, with respect to the position of the Sun, from manuscript of the Kitab al-Tafhim by Al-Biruni (973-1048).

The illustration demonstrates:
The Moon's orbit shown by the elliptical path with red lines;
Different phases of the Moon represented by the circles divided into black and illuminated (red/white) portions;
The Sun's position (indicated by the Farsi text on the right: "al-shams" meaning "the sun");
Geometric lines showing the relationship between the Sun's light and the Moon's appearance from Earth;
Arabic annotations explaining the astronomical concepts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Biruni#/media/File:Lunar_phases_al-Biruni.jpg

The shape of time

In the 19th century, the linear idea of time became dominant – with profound implications for how we experience the world

By Emily Thomas

https://aeon.co/essays/when-we-turned-time-into-a-line-we-reimagined-past-and-future?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6edcc3967b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_01_10_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

Space and Time at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/7601

#books #literature #historyofscience

(Page 1) Adams' Synchronological Chart of Universal History. Through the Eye to the Mind. A Chronological chart of Ancient, Modern and Biblical History, Synchronized by Sebastian C. Adams. Third Edition and Twelfth-Thousand carefully and critically revised and brought down to 1878. Colby & Co.

The work depicted is part of "Adams' Synchronological Chart of Universal History" by Sebastian C. Adams, published in 1881 by Colby & Co. The chart is a massive timeline measuring 57 cm in width and 70 cm in height, featuring a sophisticated layout that visually represents 5,885 years of history, from 4004 B.C. to 1881 A.D. It's known for its complexity and effectiveness in synthesizing historical data into a cohesive visual narrative.

The chart is a lithograph, characterized by its detailed and colorful design. It integrates text, illustrations, and graphical lines to convey chronological information. The timeline is divided into segments that represent different eras, with intricate pathways tracing historical events and genealogies.

https://archive.org/details/dr_page-1-adams-synchronological-chart-of-universal-history-through-the-ey-6000002

We now know much more about how our ancestor 'Lucy' lived — and died

"Fifty years after a fossil skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis was unearthed in Ethiopia, we know so much more about how this iconic species lived and died."

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/we-now-know-much-more-about-how-our-ancestor-lucy-lived-and-died

#anthropology #science

Australopithecus afarensis model reconstruction at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - picryl.com

New Open-Access Book Maps a Medieval Kingdom of the Isles

A new open-access book is revealing fresh details about Finlaggan on Islay, a site long linked to the Lords of the Isles. The study argues the loch’s islands were not just symbolic, but the working centre of a medieval kingdom within Scotland.

https://www.medievalists.net/2026/01/new-open-access-book-maps-a-medieval-kingdom-of-the-isles/

About Hebrides at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=hebrides

#archeology #cartography #history

A cottage on Islay from Thomas Pennant's A Tour in Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, published in 1774.

The image shows a traditional Scottish cottage construction: stone walls with what appears to be a thatched roof made of straw, heather, or turf. People can be seen near the cottage, giving scale and showing daily life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islay#/media/File:Cottage_on_Islay_(18thC).JPG

https://archive.org/details/tourinscotlandvo01penn/page/n3/mode/1up

Who Was the Inspiration Behind the ‘Gibson Girl’ Illustrations? The Artist Said She Was Every Woman

Charles Dana Gibson’s archetype became the original American “it girl” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and helped transform fashion and beauty

by Michelle Mehrtens

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/who-was-the-inspiration-behind-the-gibson-girl-illustrations-the-artist-said-she-was-every-woman-180988014/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=93133550

Charles Dana Gibson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/26456

#books #literature #illustrations