Nothing happened today at Pocket U. Let’s check another source, shall we? History As You Heard It, by Lowell Thomas (1957). I posted several times about Thomas and this crappy old book. June 6-8, 1944. September 28, 1938 (“… unrestrained joy because the word tonight is peace.”). December 8, 1941. You get the idea. Lowell
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On this day in 1893, Edwin Booth died. That infallible source is a master of understatement. His achievements are often overshadowed by his relationship with his younger brother, actor John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. He was the elder brother of John Wilkes Booth, himself a successful actor who gained notoriety as the assassin of President Lincoln. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Booth Overshadowed. Notoriety.
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In this day in 1868, Robert Falcon Scott was born. Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions that would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surly, surly, a great
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On this day in 1910, O. Henry died. William Sydney Porter. O. Henry was his pen name. Born– and I know this for a reason having to do with Kat and her husband– in Greensboro, North Carolina. Lovely wedding it was. According to that infallible source, his life was not dull. On the lamb [stupid
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Today we turn the page. We ought to regard books as we do sweetmeats, not wholly to aim at the pleasantness, but chiefly to respect the wholesomest; not forbidding either, but approving the latter most. Plutarch (ca. 46-120) “Sweetmeats” is an odd word. It means candy, confections, candied fruit bonbons. From Middle English, swete (sweet)
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Daily Reading June 3 Hood’s “It Was Not in the Winter” Lamb’s Letters Sweet. It was not in the Winter It was not in the Winter Our loving lot was cast; It was the Time of Roses,— We plucked them as we passed! [more] And now to Charles Lamb who, I may have mentioned, I
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Today in 1816, J.G. Saxe was born. Today in 1840, Thomas Hardy was born. My goodness! That infallible source really comes through for us today and that is not snark. John Godfrey Saxe I (June 2, 1816 – March 31, 1887) was an American poet known for his re-telling of the Indian parable “The Blind Men and the Elephant“,[1] which
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On this day in 1882, John Drinkwater was born. On this day in the year 1793, Henry Francis Lyte was born. On this day in 1598, Christopher Marlowe was killed in a street brawl. I told you last week there were big things coming up and here you go. Killed in a street brawl. That
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On this day in 1819, Walt Whitman was born. Regarded as one of America’s greatest poets, Walt Whitman joins the ranks of Dante, Shakespeare, Virgil and Homer in terms of artistry and exceptional skill in the written words. https://waltwhitman.com It seems a bit… early to be making the second claim, don’t you think? Daily Reading May 31
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The calendar in the Pocket University Guide to Daily Reading is based on is 1922’s. In 1922, Memorial Day fell on May 30th. You’ll recall we read Hale’s The Man Without a Country last Monday. Today’s Daily Readings are from May 25th. Born on May 25 in the year 1803, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Daily Readings
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Prior to the year 1925 (publication date of our Pocket University Guide to Daily Reading) nothing of note happened on this day. What a drag. Daily Reading May 29 De Quincey’s “Pleasures of Opium” from Confessions of an English Opium Eater (1821) I skimmed it. There are some good lines, I suppose. Oh, just, subtle,
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Today we turn the page. All the best experiences of humanity, folded, saved, freighted to us here! Some of these tiny ships we call Old and New Testaments, Homer, Æschylus, Plato, Juvenal, etc. Precious Minims! — Walt Whitman Born this day in 1779, Thomas Moore. Upon Byron’s death, Moore acquired all of Byron’s notes and
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Once again, nothing happened today. But wait until you hear what happened one week from today in 1593. You won’t believe it! Daily Reading May 27 Lady Dufferin‘s “Lament of the Irish Emigrant“ Hawthorne’s “Wakefield“ My Canadian friends may find Lady Dufferin rather interesting. Sounds as if she was well liked by you folks up
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No one was born or died or executed today yesterday. That’s okay. Daily Reading May 26 Bret Haret’s “Melons“ The Society upon the Stanislaus Both are from The Pocket U. Library Vol. VII: American Wit and Humor. I liked “Melons.” Bret Harte. Ring a bell? Faintly. The Works of Bret Harte, part of a small
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Memorial Day Reading Hales’ The Man Without A Country (1863) My first thought was that this was an odd choice for Memorial Day, even in 1917, 1922, and 1925 (when Pocket University Guide to Daily Reading was published). That infallible source has a decent plot summary. But what really gripped me– is that the right
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Born this day in 1799, Thomas Hood. An English social protest poet, though one mention I came across yesterday (when I began this) said he wasn’t political. Can’t remember which one. Daily Readings May 23 “Flowers“ “I Remember, I remember“ “The Song of the Shirt“ “The Bridge of Sighs“ “The Dream of Eugene Aram“ “The
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Born this day in 1859, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Daily Reading May 22 The Adventures of the Dancing Men From that infallible source (WARNING! SPOILER ALERT]: Adaptations[edit] Eille Norwood starred as Holmes in the 1923 film The Mystery of the Dancing Men.[3] The 1943 film Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, is credited as an
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Today we turned the page. At this day, as much company as I have kept, and as much as I love it, I love reading better. Alexander Pope Before we being today’s discussion of the Daily Readings, let me just put it out there– for all the world to see– that I really like Mr.
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Daily Reading May 20 My God. May 20. Time flies, huh? Gerstenberg’s “Overtones“ Here’s a bit on “Overtones” and Alice Gerstenberg, a Chicago socialite. I cannot find word one about her in any of my crappy old books or encyclopedias, though I’m told by that infallible source that “Overtones” is still in occasional production.
Today in the year 1692, the Battle of La Hogue was fought. Today in the year 1864, Nathaniel Hawthorne died. The Battle was one in the Nine Years’ War between England and the Dutch Republic on the one side, and France on the other. The Anglo-Dutch side won the battle. It’s not that I have
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