Barbie: alive, sporty and dancing
Presenting: six more Barbie print adverts to add to my collection. The following are all 1970s French ads of a…
Pop-up books – Fairy-tales
Paper-mechanics have been around for centuries but the phrase ‘pop-up book’ was only copyrighted in 1932 (by Blue Ribbon Press, …
RIP Ricky Jay
I am saddened by the loss of Ricky Jay. I became a fan after having seen him in David Mamet’s …
The 1955 Lion Annual doesn’t have any space flight content but still has a nice coverThe 1956 Lion Annual has a nice two page illustrated spread on “Wonders of Outer Space” we will find:
via Lion Annual 1955 and 1956 — Dreams of Space – Books and Ephemera
Spectres
Halloween is coming! If you’d like to see ghosts without any danger attached, here’s the book for you: ‘Spectropia, or …
Variations on a tale
“She was my first love. I felt that if I could have married Little Red Riding-Hood, I should have known …
Bewitched
I believe in good witches – not just around Halloween!
Are you feline lucky?
Excuse the pun – I couldn’t resist! There’s not only the international ‘Black Cat Appreciation Day’ (always in August) but …
It’s in the (paper) bag
Once upon a time people carried their shopping home in paper rather than plastic bags. Often these were simply brown …
Autumn: Poetry & Earth Stars
‘Herbsttag’ by Rainer Maria Rilke (1902) is one of Germany’s (and my…) favourite poems – particularly so after this year’s …
Games without Frontiers
Spiel ohne Grenzen, Jeux Sans Frontieres, It’s a Knockout… Apparently the French title was the inspiration for the song “Games without …
Modes of Travel – part 2
“It rained and snowed terribly; besides, the wind was so high, that it threw him twice off his horse, and …
Quack Quack Quack
Well, this one doesn’t sound ‘prettily enough’ but that’s no reason not to love it. “Mr, Duck” just wants his …
Meadow Flowers
I have written about birds and bees, so it seems apt to say something about flowers. Wild or meadow flowers …
Raise an eyebrow
I like reading old city/travel guides, guides that tell you about streets and places that may no longer exist, guides …
London Ephemera
I love getting holiday postcards from friends & family! And I used to love sending them, but more and more …
Summer in Dollhouse Land
It is Summer – not just in the ‘real’ world… My dolls decided to have a barbecue but they were …
медведи – bears
Russia is in the quarter-finals! The ‘Northern Bear’ was, according to The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, an old nickname …
Summ, Summ, Summ
Nothing to do with Maths! ‘Summen’ is German for ‘buzz’. I grew up with bees – my father was a …
