Michael Lieberman

Wilde News: Newly discovered items, books from his library and more

Oscar Wilde as an undergradute A couple of recent Oscar Wilde related happenings instigated this look into the holdings available through the DPLA. First there is a new program produced by KCET, the nation's largest independent public television station, which highlights the unparalleled Oscar Wilde collection that resides at The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library in Los Angeles. Then we found out that The Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The National Library of the Netherlands, has discovered in its holdings five books from Wilde's own library.  And if that is not enough Wilde goodness The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia has an upcoming exhibition on Wilde featuring several...

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Nursery Rhymes + Alcohol = Hickory Daiquiri Dock

In Hickory Daiquiri Dock: Cocktails with a Nursery Rhyme Twist Tim Federle has concocted the ultimate board book for new parents. It features 20 juiced-up nursery rhymes and its rallying cry is Parents Everywhere: Put Down the Rattle ad Pick Up the Shaker!  Do I really need to say anything else? John Junior Jägermeister Schmidt Old Macdonald Had a Flask Mary Had a Little Dram. Hickory Daiquiri Dock: Cocktails with a Nursery Rhyme Twist is published by Running Press and wonderfully illustrated by Eda Kaban.  It is also not the author's first run in with booze and words for his first book...

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The World’s First Mobile Library; A ‘Jacobean Kindle’

The year was 1617. William Hakewill MP commissioned it to give as a gift to a friend. And it just might be the first mobile library. The Jacobean miniature travelling library consisted of 50 gold-tooled vellum-bound miniature books contained in a wooden case that resembled a large folio. Inside there were three shelves for the books. The inside cover was an illuminated table of contents. The subject matter covered history, poetry, theology and philosophy and included works by Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, Seneca, Horace and Julius Caesar. It was the perfect gift for a reader on the go and must of been a hit for within...

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