In the fourth decade of the eighteenth century a new form of entertainment emerged in a world hungry for novelty, cleverness, and beauty in the privacy of one's home.Artist Martin Engelbrecht (1684-1756) and his brother Christian were printsellers and engravers in Augsburg, Germany during the eighteenth century. Martin Engelbrecht engraved some plates after Rugendas and other masters; his other works included illustrations for Ovid's Metamorphoses, The War of Spanish Succession, Les Architectes Princiers by P. Decker, 92 views of Venice, and a series of prints of workers and their dress, Assemblage Nouveau Des Manouvries Habilles, published at Augsburg, circa 1730.Also...
Hello, Reference Desk?
From the Norwood, MA Daily News, this exchange between Beth Goldman, Reference Desk librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library and library IT specialist and a call-in patron:Librarian: Good morning. Reference. How may I help you?Caller: Hi. Is this Reference?Librarian: Yes, sir. You have reached the Reference Desk. How may I help you?Caller: Gee, I hope you can help me.Librarian: I will certainly try. Tell me what you are looking for.Caller: Well, I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but my wife told me to call.Librarian: Great! What did your wife want?Caller: She said you’d know what that new book is...
Sex! Scandal! Political Intrigue! (What Else Is New?)
Those who, like your ace reporter, avidly track the national SPRM (Sex&Politics-Related Meltdown) count will have noticed the recent spike in SPRM motility; the press has been absolutely pregnant with recent news from this fertile field of government.Nothing new here to report except that this is nothing new - really nothing new. Presenting:The Secret History of the Present Intrigues of the Court of Caramania, a roman à clef from 1727 that tore the royal bedsheets off the reigning monarch's bedstead, exposed his intimate dalliances, and laid bare political hostilities.I will not torture you with guessing games. "The central character and...
Eliot Ness and the Female Untouchables
In a recent post, I discussed ephemera in general and a certain piece that elicited memories of my family’s involvement in the liquor business during Prohibition in Chicago.My all-time favorite piece of ephemera also concerns the liquor business in Chicago during Prohibition - sort of. As with all ephemera, it, too, tells quite a tale.What About Girls? was published in 1943 by the YMCA’s Armed Services Department warning of the dangers of venereal disease. It was written by Eliot Ness. Yes, that Eliot Ness.Eliot Ness, special agent of the Justice Department’s Prohibition Bureau. Nemesis of Al Capone. All-American hero. Eliot...
"Speak a Jewish Word and Make an Extra Sale"
My girlfriend's father died recently and in amongst his belongings she found a curious pamphlet.The Joseph Jacobs Handbook of Jewish Words and Expressions. For use by anyone calling on the Jewish trade...for making friends with Jewish merchants was issued in 1954 by the Joseph Jacobs Organization, an U.S. advertising agency that specifically targeted the Jewish market. It was created for any business interested in cultivating the Jewish trade, and Calvert Distillers co-opted it for use by its salesmen and distribution to the liquor store owners they called upon so that both could more effectively service their customers with a little...