The Shadow Library: Plotinus

Another volume purchased in my 'smartypants' phase. I had no idea and still have only the vaguest idea of what Plotinus wrote about, but it seemed the sort of thing I should look into. As the cover says: The Essential Plotinus: The key writings of the philosopher whose thought bridges the ancient world of the Greeks and the Christianity of the West. Translated by Elmer O'Brien. The only reason I remembered it now was that Plotinus was mentioned in a documentary on St. Thomas Aquinas I was watching this morning. Aquinas is my patron saint whose feast day is Jan. 28.

The Shadow Library: Audio

I was wondering what I was going to post today, and incidentally I put on an episode of Fun for All Ages, a new podcast by Frank Santopadre in his post-Gilbert Gottfried career. It reminded me that I used to have a copy of Television’s Greatest Hits (both vinyl and audio-casette). Hmm. Was it mine? Did we have Volume II? M-m-maybe? What I do remember is that Mike and John used tracks from it in their TV Time Loop improv tapes. I know I don’t have the records anymore. Does John? I’m sure he can tell me.

Much could be told of the TV Time Loop and the adventures of Paul and Flo, but I am not the one to tell it.

 

The Shadow Library: The Vicar of Wakefield

The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith was much touted in its time as a novel of suffering virtue rewarded. Here is the anecdote surrounding its publication that Samuel Johnson related to James Boswell:

“I received one morning a message from poor Goldsmith that he was in great distress, and, as it was not in his power to come to me, begging that I would come to him as soon as possible. I sent him a guinea, and promised to come to him directly. I accordingly went as soon as I was dressed, and found that his landlady had arrested him for his rent, at which he was in a violent passion: I perceived that he had already changed my guinea, and had a bottle of Madeira and a glass before him. I put the cork into the bottle, desired he would be calm, and began to talk to him of the means by which he might be extricated. He then told me he had a novel ready for the press, which he produced to me. I looked into it and saw its merit; told the landlady I should soon return; and, having gone to a bookseller, sold it for sixty pounds. I brought Goldsmith the money, and he discharged his rent, not without rating his landlady in a high tone for having used him so ill.”

The Shadow Library: "Lovely Murder"

The New Bedside, Bathtub, and Armchair Companion to Agatha Christie

Edited by

Dick Riley, Pam McAllister, & Julian Symons

1993

I think Mom bought this on one of her garage-saling expeditions, and for a long time it was in the headboard of my parents' bed. I inherited it in time. I always kind of thought that I might like reading Agatha Christie (I liked so many adaptations of her work) and this guide full of potted, non-spoilery reviews was a good browser. Never did quite get into her writing, though. Don't remember what I did with it.

The Shadow Library: Well, That Was a Thing

 

Invasion of The Body Snatchers...A Fotonovel Publication 

Star Trek: The Motion Picture The Photostory...ed. by Richard J. Anobile...Pocket Books 

The following titles are all Mandala Productions Fotonovels published by Bantam Books: 

The City on the Edge of Forever

Where No Man Has Gone Before

The Trouble with Tribbles

A Taste of Armageddon

Metamorphosis

A Piece of the Action

The Devil in the Dark

Day of the Dove

Amok Time 

Thinking about Plaza Del Rey the other day reminded me of these Star Trek Fotonovels we used to buy. I seemed to recall I'd made a list of them before, and sure enough there they were on a fifteen year-old post. Where they are now and what happened to them is still lost in the mists of my memory. "Included are books in the Fotonovel form, which in the days before VCRs were the closest thing poor folks could have to watching their favorite episodes whenever they wanted." - Power of Babel, October 2010.

Update: John reminds me that it was he who was buying the Fotonovels. They were 'resting' in my library for a time. I often use the phrase 'we had' something when I can't remember exactly whose in the collective things were. And he tells me that they now reside safely in his library. So mystery solved.

The Shadow Library? Or the Memory of a Memory?

A Baroque Fable – July 1, 1986

by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Author)

Accompanied by his bored sister, Princess Felicia, Prince Andre of Alabaster-on-Gelasta embarks on his first dragon hunt, but his intended quarry is not really a dragon, but rather a serving girl enchanted by her employer, Alfreida the witch. - Amazon

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (born September 15, 1942) is an American writer. She is known for her series of historical horror novels about the vampire Count Saint-Germain [started pre-Twight and even pre-Anne Rice]. – Wikipedia

I was watching a Youtube about 70’s - 80’s fantasy when this little volume popped up and rang a few faint bells through the dusty corridors of my mind. Was I only considering buying it during a dry spell of available books, or did I buy it and get rid of it so soon that it made hardly an impression on memory? But it made some impression, if only for the Carl Lundgren cover; he was an artist who made me deliberate over any book, even his lesser productions, if only for a little bit. I understand that Yarbro is still alive, if undergoing some health problems and advanced age. Never popped on any of her other books (if I did indeed on this one) but she was always ... around.

Twain on the Brain

When I was growing up you couldn’t get away from Mark Twain, from the vintage card game ‘Authors’ to the 1970 animated TV movie A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court to the 1968 New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the 1973 Reader’s Digest musical Tom Sawyer. Cheap hardcover editions of both Sawyer and Finn abounded at retail stores. They were seen as an easy introduction to classic American literature for the kiddies, embodying Romance (in both senses of the word) and Picaresque Adventure.

Then came the disillusionments of the Watergate Scandal and the Iran Hostage Crisis, and the American idea went into an eclipse. While never being de-throned from his position among literary circles, he became more problematic in social and pop cultural spheres. The ‘rancid’ and bitter aspects of Twain were emphasized to keep him more relatable and relevant, while his 219-time use of the n-word in Huckleberry Finn made his promotion as a ‘children’s author’ controversial to say the least.

David Fleming, our Creative Writing teacher in high school, was a huge proponent of his works, but I remember even then that the marginalization of Twain (and of the Western Canon) seemed to have begun. It all appears to have culminated in the assessment of Futurama’s Big Brain of Tom Sawyer (and by extension Mark Twain’s entire output) as a ‘corny slice of Americana.’

Despite all early promptings, I came to reading Twain fairly late in the game, but then my interest kind of took off. It was certainly helped by the Ken Burns 2001 documentary on Mark Twain, which helped contextualize both the man and his works. Before that I just sort of slid easily along on the common incidents and tropes, made familiar by a dozen adaptations: whitewashing a fence, pretending to be dead and showing up at your own funeral, lost in a cave, adventuring on a raft. “It was Injun Joe! He did it!” An eclipse of the sun and knights on bicycles. Riverboats navigating the Mississippi.

I was pleased to find the original sources of all these images and more. I can certainly see what prompted Mr. Fleming’s fascination with Twain, both life and works. Looking at him you see an image of the American character, with all its flaws and virtues, unquestionably ‘of a time’ but somehow timeless in nature, a comet blazing across the sky that will almost certainly come again. But in what form, and what will it see?

Back from The Shadow Library: I Mythed You

Egyptian Myth & Legend Hardcover

by Donald A. Mackenzie (Bell, 404 pages)

In this early volume the myths and legends of ancient Egypt are embraced in a historical narrative which begins with the rise of the great Nilotic civilization and ends with the Graeco-Roman Age. The principle deities are dealt with chiefly at the various periods in which they came into prominence, while the legends are so arranged as to throw light on the beliefs and manners and customs of the ancient people. Metrical renderings are given of such of the representative folk songs and poems as can be appreciated at the present day.  - Amazon

 

Myths of the World: Myths of China & Japan Hardcover

by Donald A. Mackenzie (Avenel, 404 pages)

A comprehensive chronicle of Asian mythology features fascinating tales, arranged thematically and including "Chinese Dragon Lore," "The Kingdom under the Sea," "Bird and Serpent Myths," and "Mythical and Legendary Kings." - Amazon

 

Myths of Greece and Rome Hardover 

by H. A. Guerber (Bracken Books, 395 pages)  

"Myths of Greece and Rome Narrated with Special Reference to Literature and Art" by Hélène Adeline Guerber delves into the captivating world of Greek and Roman mythology, exploring the stories of gods, goddesses, and heroes. From the mighty Jupiter's rule over the heavens to the tragic love of Hero and Leander, the book immerses readers in tales of power, love, and divine intervention. With detailed accounts of legendary figures like Perseus, Andromeda, and Æneas, the narrative weaves a tapestry of adventure, valor, and destiny. Rich in symbolism and cultural significance, this book is a treasure trove of ancient myths brought to life through literature and art. - Amazon

 

East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon Softcover

By George Webbe Dasent (Dover, 418 pages)

Remarkable collection — the only complete edition of these wonderful tales — contains scores of classic Norwegian tales made even more attractive by 77 illustrations by famed children's artists. Second only to Grimm. - Dover

 

Yesterday evening Kameron and I went over to John and Amy’s house for movie night (this time around the Laurel & Hardy films Way Out West and Pardon Us, followed by the strangely thematically related O, Brother, Where Art Thou?). Afterwards he took us out to his office to show us a bin of books he had selected for elimination, in case we wanted any. He knew I might, since there were several that I had let him have before. I took back Egyptian Myths and Legends, Myths of China and Japan, and Myths of Greece and Rome. And there was one I selected that I had never had before, that volume of Norwegian folktales (I love me a good Dover edition). I probably shouldn’t have taken the old books back (space is finite), but as Gus Gustafferson famously choked, “F-free!” Come to me, my wandering children. Your room awaits! Mackenzie apparently had an extensive series of books on the myths of the world. Not sure I had that edition of Guerber’s Greek Myths, but I had an edition of it, so I count it as a return. Ere we parted, John correctly predicted what my post would be today.

The Shadow Library: From High School

The Drac: French Tales of Dragons and Demons

by Felice Holman and Nanine Valen

Drawings by

Stephen Walker

I was reminded of this book by a mention of the story of the Tarasque and St. Martha on Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World today; the story is contained (along with four other tales) within, and was the first place I ever heard of the lion-headed, turtle-bodied, six-legged beast anywhere. I was always impressed with the Stephen Walker's illustrative line, so precise and so expressive. The Drac always reminded me somehow of Gollum; perhaps it was his aquatic lair and goggling eyes and habit of becoming invisible. The only copy on Amazon is going for $158, and it's only 84 pages!

Thursday Thoughts: The Elizabethan Age

In the Shadow Library

Well, all this Shakespeare over the past few days of course have put me in mind of his milieu, the Elizabethan Age, with perhaps a bit of overlap with the Jacobean Age, like Shakespeare himself. Last night I put on Elizabeth R., the 1971 BBC miniseries. I have vague memories of flipping past it on PBS, either in commercials or just going around the dial. My attention was snagged by strange costumes and odd, melancholy music.

Shakespeare, of course, was everywhere, woven into the DNA of popular culture, but mostly in a semi-embarrassed nature, men in hose and codpieces using a lot of thees and thous and -eths, everywhere from Hamlet on Gilligan’s Island (“I ask to be, or not to be …) to Romeo and Juliet (“Romeo, oh, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”) everywhere, from cartoons to sitcoms. There was even advertising for Falstaff beer, featuring the rotund, jovial toper from Henry IV, etc. Shakespeare was a vast omnipresent mythology almost totally dark to me. I remember looking into the squat red Complete Plays in Omi’s middle room and trying to puzzle out the first play (The Tempest); the text was printed in double columns, like a Bible. I must have been 9 or 10.

Well, my familiarity with Shakespeare grew over the years. Romeo and Juliet in middle school, I think (I tried writing my own play, The Three Loonies; or The Stolen Letter); in high school we read Julius Caesar (and I tried to put on a half-assed, self-edited version of King Lear in Drama); and then came the great class with Dr. Walz in college where I really got into the Bard. I began delving into the background of the plays, the history of Shakespeare and his age, and his fellow playwrights of the time.

It didn’t hurt that there was a backlog of Shakespeare films on tap, from Laurence Olivier, to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, to Orson Welles, to Franco Zeffirelli. Every decade there were new films coming out, from straight historical presentations of the plays to stories adapted to modern settings (often with interpretations that the playwright could never have imagined), to biographies about Shakespeare himself.

In addition to this embarrassment of riches from Shakespeare, the Elizabethan Age itself offers vast interest and varied diversion. Here are a few volumes I would like that are on the Wish List, three added just last night.