A Book of Snowflakes
The National Diet Library in Tokyo has scanned a copy of Sekka Zusetsu, an 1832 book of snow crystals observed and recorded by Doi Toshitsura. See them here!
A Poison that Makes Souls Sleep: Exotic Indian Poisons in Pop Culture and History
This month’s Guest Star Aditi Sen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Queen’s University, Canada. When she isn’t working or watching horror films, she likes to collect Bollywood cakes. ~~~ In 1830, Colonel William Sleeman reported that a fakir and his young son were […]
The Pastry War, Lucha Libre and Cinco de Mayo
The Gutter’s own Keith shares from bonus content from his book Cocktails & Capers. It’s all about the Pastry War, Lucha Libre and Cinco de Mayo. “Alas, to keep the book to a reasonable length and not completely lose readers, I ended up cutting the pages about this […]
Beautiful Book Covers, 1820-1914
The Public Domain Review shares some of their favorite books covers from 1820 to 1914.
“The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck”
The Dartmouth College Library ahs scans of the oldest extant comic book, Rodolphe Töpffer’s “The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck” (1837). (via @SoxOnTheBrain)
Emily Dickinson’s Holiday Advice
Poet Emily Dickinson shares her advice for spending the holidays alone.
The Cultural Gutter 