“A writer is someone who has taught his mind to…” – Art of Quotation

“A writer is someone who has taught his mind to misbehave.” — Oscar Wilde, Irish, writer, playwright, novelist, essayist, poet

Source: “A writer is someone who has taught his mind to…” – Art of Quotation

10 sites of significance in Jane Austen’s London…1. 10 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden… | Exploring London

There’s a luscious quote in this post from Exploring London!

As you may have realised (the new £10 banknote anyone?), this month marks 200 years since the death of Jane Austen in Winchester on 18th July, 1817, so to mark the occasion, we’re looking at …

Source: 10 sites of significance in Jane Austen’s London…1. 10 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden… | Exploring London

18 July 1817: The Death of Jane Austen, a Guest Post by Kyra Kramer | ReginaJeffers’s Blog

Kyra Kramer recently shared this post on Austen Authors. It speaks so poignantly of the loss of Jane Austen that I thought it appropriate to share here with you on the 200th Anniversary of Jane Aus…

Source: 18 July 1817: The Death of Jane Austen, a Guest Post by Kyra Kramer | ReginaJeffers’s Blog

First Night Design | Jane Austen Gets Drunk #Reblog

A re-post to commemorate the death of the niece of my several times removed grandfather Theophilus Leigh. On this day in 1817, Jane Austen, daughter of Cassandra Leigh and George Austen, died in Winchester from what has at different times been thought to be cancer, tuberculosis and Addison’s Disease. The latest suggestion is arsenic poisoning. Enjoy this showing of her humour.

Forget the shy, retiring Jane Austen — we have her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh’s memoir of his aunt to blame for that idea — here is an extract from a letter she wrote from Steventon to …

Source: First Night Design | Jane Austen Gets Drunk | First Night Design

Take care and keep laughing!

First Night Design | You’re a Brick, Angela! #Reblog

FROM THE ARCHIVE: 24th September 2014
The Court-Harman Girls Greeting Card School stories have always been popular and continue so to be. When I was a child, my contemporaries and I were suckers for Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s Chalet S…

Source: First Night Design | You’re a Brick, Angela!

Take care and keep laughing!

Authors for Grenfell Tower – jessicanorrie

Cuttings from the “I”, “The Guardian” and the “Evening Standard”‘ June 17th & 19th 2017

I’ve never liked tower blocks. I had a friend who lived on the 13th floor of what used to be called a “hard to let” block in east London. She loved the view from her balcony, and …

Source: Authors for Grenfell Tower – jessicanorrie

Out today in paperback: Small Town Talk – barneyhoskyns.com

If you’re interested in music, namely Woodstock, my cousin Barney’s book is the one to buy. But then I’m biased!

Faber’s UK paperback edition of my Woodstock history Small Town Talk is published today, June 1st. If The Guardian is to be believed, the book is both “fascinating” and “ent…

Source: Out today in paperback: Small Town Talk – barneyhoskyns.com

Take care and keep laughing!

William Blake’s Home – London, England – Atlas Obscura

The London townhouse where the poet created some of his most influential work has been preserved in tribute.

Source: William Blake’s Home – London, England – Atlas Obscura

Curiocity – the book | The Great Wen

Way back in 2011, I wrote this blog post about something I’d been sent in the post. It was called Curiocity and was a tiny fold-up magazine that featured arcane trivia on one side and a weird…

Source: Curiocity – the book | The Great Wen

Jane Austen and the Value of Flaws | JSTOR Daily

Jane Austen is known for self-assured heroines and Regency rakes with rapier wits. But according to Mark Canuel, there’s something else the author should be recognized for: her portrayal of the importance of being wrong. Canuel tracks Austen’s novels not as discourses on manners or marriage, but as works of art that render “errors in knowledge and conduct as objectives generally to be…

Source: Jane Austen and the Value of Flaws | JSTOR Daily

“The human mind prefers to be spoon-fed with the thoughts of others, but …” – Art of Quotation

“The human mind prefers to be spoon-fed with the thoughts of others, but deprived of such nourishment it will, reluctantly, begin to think for itself – and such thinking, remember, is origina…

Source: “The human mind prefers to be spoon-fed with the thoughts of others, but …” – Art of Quotation

Flora Annie Steel | stuartshieldgardendesign

Flora Annie Steel (2 April 1847 – 12 April 1929) was an English writer who was noted for writing books set in British India or otherwise connected to it.   Personal life She was born Flora Ann…

Source: Flora Annie Steel | stuartshieldgardendesign

On this day: the publication of Black Beauty | In Times Gone By…

1877 first edition cover.

Black Beauty, a novel by English author Anna Sewell, was first published on the 24th of November, 1877. Considered to be a story about animal rights, the book is about t…

Source: On this day: the publication of Black Beauty | In Times Gone By…

Winnie-the-Pooh: The Forgotten Connection | jamesosbornenovels

With thanks to Olga for posting the link on Facebook and to James Osborne for writing it.

Special thanks to CBC Radio for an interview that resurrected this little-known story about the origins of Winnie-the-Pooh. Here’s a summary.    Winnie-the-Pooh was born in Canada! Well, sort of. I…

Source: Winnie-the-Pooh: The Forgotten Connection | jamesosbornenovels

Take care and keep laughing!

7 Spooky Tales from England’s Haunted Castles | Heritage Calling

Scotney Castle, Kent

Many of England’s historic buildings and monuments set an inspiring backdrop for mysterious tales of paranormal activity, their rich heritage feeding into narratives passed through generations. Thi…

Source: 7 Spooky Tales from England’s Haunted Castles | Heritage Calling