The Library
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A Sordid History of The First Vampire Tale
A Sordid History of The First Vampire Tale Behold, the story behind the first fully realized vampire story in English, John William Polidori’s 1819 story, “The Vampyre.” (P.S. Lord Byron’s infamy knows no end!) The Poet, the Physician and the Birth of the Modern Vampire (The Public Domain Review) “From that famed night of ghost-stories in a Lake Geneva villa in 1816, as well as Frankenstein’s monster, there arose that other great figure of 19th-century gothic fiction – the vampire – a creation of Lord Byron’s personal physician John Polidori. Andrew McConnell Stott explores how a fractious relationship between Polidori and his poet employer lies behind the tale, with Byron…
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2014 » October
Archive for October, 2014 The Resurrection of an Egyptian Princess… May you be merry this Halloween and dance alongside the spirits… Also, we hope you watch and enjoy this film! — The Monster by Georges Méliès. (It’s about an attempt to bring an Egyptian princess back to life…) “A 1903 film directed by French filmmaker Georges Méliès and, as is common with his films, starring the man himself. The story centres on the chaotic, and ultimately futile, attempt to bring a dead Egyptian Princess back to life. According to the Lubin Catolog: An Egyptian prince has lost his beloved wife and he has sought a dervish who dwells at the…
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2014 » September
Archive for September, 2014 The Tablet That Contains The Secrets of Creation The Emerald Tablet. Have you heard of it? This enigmatic object has many presumed sources – one of which is the the city of Atlantis itself. Other possible associations include the Ark of the Covenant, the tomb of Hermes, and the Medieval and Renaissance era alchemical texts… The Legendary Emerald Tablet (Ancient Origins) “The origins of Western alchemy can be traced back to Hellenistic Egypt, in particular to the city of Alexandria. One of the most important characters in the mythology of alchemy is Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes the Thrice-Great). The name of this figure is derived from the…
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2014 » August
Archive for August, 2014 16 Oldest Surviving Examples Of Everyday Things These images are endlessly fascinating — it’s wonderful to experience a momentary connection through time with the ancients. Enjoy… 16 Oldest Surviving Examples Of Everyday Things (Bored Panda) “We enjoy quite a few unprecedented technologies today, but much more of the stuff that we use has been around for ages. Ancient humans may not have been able to text or upload selfies, but they enjoyed everyday objects like flushable toilets, chewing gum and nice purses just like we do. Inspired by imgur ’s post, we decided to make an extended list of the oldest examples of everyday objects. Keep…
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2014 » July
Archive for July, 2014 Corpse Bride or Wax Statue? You decide… Folklore or morbid tribute? Her hands, just look at her hands… A Mexican Bridal Shop Mannequin Looks Just Like A Preserved Human Corpse. (Viral Nova) “In the middle of Chihuahua, Mexico, there is a bridal shop that is quite famous. However, it’s not famous because of the dresses. It’s the store mannequins that keep them on the map. That’s because, for the past 75 years, a startlingly lifelike mannequin stood in the window. That Mexican bridal shop mannequin puzzled locals. According to local legends, the mannequin is actually the preserved daughter of the shop’s former owner. Disturbing, but is…
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An Old Book, A Video Piece: An Experience of Paintings…
An Old Book, A Video Piece: An Experience of Paintings… “Thumb” through a beautiful old book from The Public Domain Review… Women painters of the world from the time of Caterina Vigri, 1413-1463, to Rosa Bonheur and the present day; 1905; edited by Walter Shaw Sparrow; The Copp Clark Company Limited, Toronto. “A heavily illustrated collection of essays, edited by British art critic Walter Shaw Sparrow, focusing on notable women painters from the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th. Of the eight essays only one is written by a woman, Helena Westermarck, a Finnish artist and women’s historian active in the suffragette movement. From the rather lavish preface…
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2014 » June
Archive for June, 2014 An Old Book, A Video Piece: An Experience of Paintings… “Thumb” through a beautiful old book from The Public Domain Review… Women painters of the world from the time of Caterina Vigri, 1413-1463, to Rosa Bonheur and the present day; 1905; edited by Walter Shaw Sparrow; The Copp Clark Company Limited, Toronto. “A heavily illustrated collection of essays, edited by British art critic Walter Shaw Sparrow, focusing on notable women painters from the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th. Of the eight essays only one is written by a woman, Helena Westermarck, a Finnish artist and women’s historian active in the suffragette movement. From…
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2014 » May
Archive for May, 2014 Build Your Own Extraordinarily Strange Tesla Spirit Radio We imagine it must have delivered extraordinary strangeness in order to frighten the likes of Tesla! Build The Spirit Radio That Creeped Out Tesla Himself (The Mind Unleashed) “My first observations positively terrified me as there was present in them something mysterious, not to say supernatural, and I was alone in my laboratory at night.” – Nikola Tesla 1901 “Tesla’s Spirit Radio uses a simple crystal radio circuit connected to a computer sound-in jack to generate spooky sounds from all kinds of electromagnetic sources. As you will see, it creeped the hell out of Tesla himself…” For the…
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The Skin Books of Harvard Library
The Skin Books of Harvard Library Every good story of witchcraft or evil should, at some point, include a creepy book. These real books discovered at Harvard fit the bill… Harvard discovers three of its library books are bound in human flesh (Roadtrippers) “There’s something undeniably creepy about big, expansive libraries. The hushed whispers, the almost artificial quiet, and the smell of dusty tomes combine to create a surreal experience. But when it comes to creepy libraries, Harvard University might take the cake… you see, three of its books are bound in human skin…” For the complete story and more photos, click here. Emily K. Editor on 09 Apr 2014…
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2014 » April
Archive for April, 2014 The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows… A beautiful, dark, much appreciated creative project about words and emotions. Welcome to The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows… “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a compendium of invented words written by John Koenig. Each original definition aims to fill a hole in the language—to give a name to emotions we all might experience but don’t yet have a word for. The author’s mission is to capture the aches, demons, vibes, joys and urges that roam the wilderness of the psychological interior. Each sorrow is bagged, tagged and tranquilized, then released gently back into the subconscious.” Peruse it here. Visit the page…
