The Pequod’s carpenter, a human being seen as an array of tools:
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851).
A page from Egginton Bros Ltd traces the manufacture of pocket knives in Sheffield to the mid-to-late seventeenth century. The knives became increasingly complex, “with a multitude of other folding tools for various uses — spikes for removing stones from horses’ hooves, scissors, small saws, corkscrews, leather punches and even railway carriage door keys.” Here, for instance, is a Sheffield-made farrier’s or veterinarian’s knife, perhaps from the 1830s.
Also from Moby-Dick
“Nothing exists in itself” : Nantucket ≠ Illinois : Quoggy : “Round the world!” : Gam : On “true method” : “A certain semi-visible steam” : Ishmael, dictionary user
[Multum in parvo: much in little.]
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
A Sheffield contrivance
Another Henry gum machine
Monday, July 6, 2015
Domestic comedy
“There’s nothing like the nostalgia of having worked hard.”
Related reading
All OCA domestic comedy posts (Pinboard)
Mark Trail, reuse, recycle
[Mark Trail, July 4, 6, 2015.]
Mark Trail is an environmentally conscious comic strip. James Allen, like Jack Elrod before him, recycles. Some delightful examples: here, here, here, and here.
Yes, there are slight differences. The whites of Mark‘s eyes disappear; shadows move about. But it’s the same face, warmed over. Look closely, for instance, at the pixels of Mark’s ear. (How’s that for a twenty-first-century sentence?)
Related reading
All OCA Mark Trail posts (Pinboard)
Ishmael, dictionary user
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851).
Also from Moby-Dick
“Nothing exists in itself” : Nantucket ≠ Illinois : Quoggy : “Round the world!” : Gam : On “true method” : “A certain semi-visible steam”
[Samuel Johnson (1709–1784). A Dictionary of the English Language (1755).]
A joke in the traditional manner
How is cod shipped to a supermarket?
No spoilers. The punchline is in the comments.
More jokes in the traditional manner
The Autobahn : Did you hear about the cow coloratura? : Elementary school : A Golden Retriever : How did Bela Lugosi know what to expect? : How did Samuel Clemens do all his long-distance traveling? : What did the plumber do when embarrassed? : What happens when a senior citizen visits a podiatrist? : Which member of the orchestra was best at handling money? : Why did the doctor spend his time helping injured squirrels? : Why did Oliver Hardy attempt a solo career in movies? : Why did the ophthalmologist and his wife split up? : Why was Santa Claus wandering the East Side of Manhattan?
[“In the traditional manner”: by or à la my dad. He must take credit for all but the cow coloratura, the squirrel-doctor, and Santa Claus.]
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Contrapuntalism visits Eberhard Faber
Sean at Contrapuntalism recounts his recent visit with Eberhard Faber. With photographs and original patents.
Related reading
All OCA pencil posts (Pinboard)
Gary Saul Morson on English studies
Worth reading: Gary Saul Morson, “Why College Kids Are Avoiding the Study of Literature.” Morson suggests that academics kill interest in three ways: by reducing works to themes and terminology, by judging works in light of our own cultural and moral standards, and by treating works as documents of their times. None of which gives us a reason to read.
I think he’s on the mark.
Related posts
Hoagies, pizzas, and English studies
Jim Doyle (1944–2005) (“the why of poetry”)
Moby-Dick at Harvard
Verlyn Klinkenborg on the English major
[But why kids ? Students , please.]
The Amazonian Donald moth
In today’s Zippy, Zippy is doing his Zippercizes, thinking about different things, one by one. No. 3: “Then think about th‘ Amazonian flannel moth, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Donald Trump‘s hair.”
Yes, it does.
Related reading
All OCA Zippy posts (Pinboard)
Roger Ebert on Donald Trump
Saturday, July 4, 2015
The Fourth
[“Washington, D.C. Government charwoman.” Photograph by Gordon Parks. August 1942. From the Library of Congress Flickr pages.]
The woman’s name: Ella Watson. The inspiration: American Gothic. You can read more about Ella Watson and Gordon Parks at the Library of Congress website.
