Saturday with Gutenberg

Quite a few finds today — I haven't even had time to look at them all.


I've heard of Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories, but never read them. This book from 1922 has illustrations by Maud and Miska Petersham and the stories have names that fire your imagination, like "How Henry Hagglyhoagly Played the Guitar with His Mittens On"

"Here and Now Story Book", 1921, by Lucy Sprague Mitchell with characteristic illustrations of the period by Hendrik Willem Van Loon.

"What the Moon Saw: and Other Tales" by H. C. Andersen with illustrations by A. W. Bayes is a lovely find from 1866. I love this picture of little Bertel.

Leaving the children's book I found one that I couldn't resist. "Making a Lawn" by Luke Joseph Doogue, from 1912. I'm not sure why I can't resist it — my lawns are more moss than anything else, which I'm perfectly happy with. I have no intentions to spend energy on changing that fact.

TO the thousands of anxious inquirers, seeking solution of lawn difficulties, it would be more than delightful to say that a fine lawn could be had by very hard wishing, but honesty compels one to change the words "hard wishing" to "hard work," in order to keep strictly within the truth. A well-made lawn is a testimonial to a hustler, whether the area is small or large.

There is only one sure way of eradicating weeds, and that is by cutting them out with a knife as soon as they appear. Delay in the attack will give them time to bring up heavy reinforcements .

Christina Rossetti being one of my favorite authors I couldn't pass Theodore Watts-Dunton's book "Old Familiar Faces". It also covers:
George Borrow — Dante Gabriel Rossetti — Alfred, lord Tennyson — Christina Georgina Rossetti — Dr. Gordon Hake — John Leicester Warren, lord de Tabley — William Morris — Francis Hindes Groome.

Women — Social and moral questions and Women's rights is another subject that is too interesting to be left out so I intend to look closer at "The Subjection of Women" from 1869, by John Stuart Mill.

Do you want to know why we laugh or how to test a toadstone? Then you have to take a look at "More Science From an Easy Chair" by Sir E. Ray Lankester.