by Beatrix Potter
Bluebeard
Art by Maurizio Quarello
There was nothing there to be seen but parties
of pleasure, hunting, fishing, dancing, mirth,
and feasting.
Nobody went to bed, but all passed the night in
rallying and joking with each other.
In short, everything succeeded so well that the
youngest daughter began to think the master of the
house not to have a beard so very blue,
and that he was a mighty civil gentleman.
READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE!
Art by Nadezhda Illarionova
"To conceal you, the donkey's skin will be an admirable disguise, for when you are inside it, no one will believe that anyone so beautiful could be hidden in anything so frightful."
~READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE~
Just looking at them
I grow greedy,
as if they were freshly baked loaves
waiting on their shelves
to be broken open—that one
and that—and I make my choice
in a mood of exalted luck,
browsing among them
like a cow in sweetest pasture.
.
For life is continuous
as long as they wait
to be read—these inked paths
opening into the future, page
after page, every book
its own receding horizon.
And I hold them, one in each hand,
a curious ballast weighting me
here to the earth.
by Linda Pastan, Carnival Evening
Photo: Flourish & Blotts,
the bookstore in the Harry Potter series.
Norway, France, Italy, Belgium, Austria,
Germany, Greece: Pipes, cases,
and smoker’s accessories.
From Geschichte des Kostüms
(The costume history) vol. 5,
by Auguste Racinet, Berlin, 1888.
(Source: archive.org)
There is a garden in every childhood,
an enchanted place where colors are brighter,
the air softer, and the morning more
fragrant than ever again.
~Elizabeth Lawrence
Art by Margaret Dean
When the moon was new and the sun young
of silver and gold the gods sung:
in the green grass they silver spilled,
and the white waters they with gold filled.
Ere the pit was dug or Hell yawned,
ere dwarf was bred of dragon spawned,
there were Elves of old, and strong spells
under green hills in hollow dells
they sang as they wrought many fair things,
and the bright crowns of the Elf-kings.
But their doom fell, and their song waned,
by iron hewn and by steel chained.
Greed that sang not, nor with mouth smiled,
in dark holes their wealth piled,
graven silver and carven gold:
over Elvenhome the shadow rolled.
She did not need much,
wanted very little.
A kind word, sincerity,
fresh air, clean water, a garden,
kisses, books to read,
sheltering arms, a cosy bed,
and to love and be loved in return.
by Starra Neely Blade
..VIA..
Historia Unicornis
Source
The Unicornis Manuscripts:
On the History and Truth of the Unicorn
by Michael GreenAmber Lotus
Explore the mysterious and magical world of
the unicorn in Michael Green's book,
The Unicornis Manuscripts. This newly updated book
explores the fluid boundary between what is real
and what is imaginary. Long considered one of the
preeminent books on these mythical creatures,
Unicornis explains and expands the lore
of the unicorn. An updated introduction addresses
our collective fascination with unicorns,
and the profound impact that the original book had
on unicorn lovers around the world.
Alongside a narrative history of the unicorn are
Michael Green's exquisite illustrations,
rendered as if freshly torn from a medieval manuscript.
Each image hearkens us back to an enchanted age,
when the mysteries of the world still held us captivated.
Through the pages of the book we are transported to
the spaces where unicorns abound, just out of our natural sight. For seekers of the beautiful and wondrous,
The Unicornis Manuscripts inspires you to believe.
That’s the thing with magic.
You’ve got to know it’s still here,
all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.
~Charles de Lint
Source
An He is Chinese Artist who was born
in 1957 in Guangzhou, China.
While studying at the Guangzhou Institute of Fine Arts
An He was invited to join the All China Artists Association,
a top national organization only for professional artists.
An He was just 24 when he was chosen,
the youngest member ever.
Since then, his paintings have been widely exhibited
in many cities throughout China.
An He has won National Art Excellence awards in China
and three of his works have been purchased by
the Chinese government for the permanent collections
on display in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Beijing.
An He arrived in the United States in 1985
eventually making San Francisco his
permanent home
in 1988.
An He's subject matter is typically
elegantly dressed women.
“No, I would not want to live in a world
without dragons, as I would not want to
live in a world without magic,
for that is a world without mystery,
and that is a world without faith.”
~R.A. Salvatore, Streams of Silver
Art found here~
Streams Of Silver is the second book
by R.A. Salvatore in the Icewind Dale trilogy
and the fifth of the Legend of Drizzt novels.
Originally published in 1989 by TSR in paperback
and rereleased by Wizards of the Coast in 2005
~VIA~
But I loved the library simply because it was a library.
I love libraries. I like reading, but I love libraries.
Being surrounded by books makes me feel safe,
the way some people need trees or mountains around
them to feel secure.
Not me – nature’s not what I cling to.
I cling to books.
.
by Emily Wing Smith,
Back When You Were Easier to Love
The Red Cross published recruitment and
fund raising posters in various countries during
World War I, and many of them are works of art!
The poster shown here was designed
by Harrison Fisher in 1918
(via 26 Vintage Red Cross Posters from WWI)
I Found a copy of Waterbabies yesterday
and almost finished it :o)
The Water-Babies,
A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel
by the Reverend Charles Kingsley.
Written in 1862–1863 as a serial
for Macmillan's Magazine,
it was first published in its entirety in 1863.
The book was extremely popular in England during
its day, and was a mainstay of British children's
literature for many decades.
Art by Rene Cloke
Rene Cloke (1905-1995) was born in Plymouth, UK
on October 4, 1905.
A good deal of her career consisted in
in illustrating postcards and greeting cards.
Her very playful Alice is drawn in classic '40s
children's book style.
For more information about Cloke, follow
this link to
Cuteanimalart.blogspot.com.
.
The library of Charles Dickens, as rendered via
woodblock engraving and sepia ink on paper
by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes, 1870.
Image VIA.
Alice Restroom Graffiti
by Meg Mathews
by Charles de Lint (The Onion Girl)
Cries of London
"Hot Spiced Gingerbread, Smoking Hot!"
Source!
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