Large multi coloured paper print onto thick antique paper c.40cm x 30cm, with daubed colours and impressed printed gold leaf flower patterns

Large multi coloured paper print onto antique paper c.40cm x 30cm, with daubed colours and impressed printed gold leaf animal patterns

Dutch Gilt are exquisite metal printed decorative papers for book covers from 18th century Germany. Shimmering paper imitates luxurious brocades and damasks. They used wooden plates, replacing ink with gold size (adhesive), dusting on gold leaf, or adding colour by stencils. These by vintagepaper.co

Scattered over my desk among other books: A Dance to the Music of Time. A Question of Upbringing; A Buyer's Market; The Acceptance World; At Lady Molly's; Casanova's Chinese Restaurant; The Kindly Ones; The Valley of Bones; The Soldier's Art; The Military Philosophers; Books Do Furnish a Room; Temporary Kings; Hearing Secret Harmonies.

As a kid I read 1 vol of Antony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, 1977 Fontana ed, whilst my mum read all vols. The 12 vol set is out of print since 1980s. Comparable to Proust, Lost Time, in scope but fun!

Always coveted rare James Broom-Lynne jacket first ed hardbacks and now I have a set!

Some images of Alexandria.

I want a coffee shop that serves only black coffee and café-au-lait before 11am and only black coffee after 11am. Tap water as a side. Smoking allowed. Plentiful newspapers. Crunchy baguettes with bone-in thick ham, pickles and cheese etc. Plain croissants. Fruit cake with suet and booze. That's it.

Cupola at wigmore hall, the Soul of Music The distinctive mural was designed by Gerald Moira, blue and golden with rays and god like figures

The Muse of the Wigmore Hall cupola, the Soul of Music, designed by Gerald Moira 1867-1959, have ordained that it be so, fine wine for all.

The Hall miraculously survived the WW2 bombing that impacted so much of London and many of its musical neighbours. Cheers to that.

Lucernae Veterum Sepulchrales Iconicae, Folio, Berlin, Ulrici, 1702. Study of ancient Roman funerary lamps from catacombs of Rome, 118 engravings, by Roman antiquary and painter, Pietro Santi Bartoli known for archeological excavations at the Domus Aurea in 1660s, with Bellorii & (numismatist) Beger

A lone family member surrounded by empty seats at a set table looks on yorkshire puddings, carrots, green beans, broccoli, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and a large platter of roast ham and roast lamb. The diner contemplates only the meat

Roast Sunday lunch, lamb and ham, our family table

Contemplating the meat

Black dog on green grass facing off a confident swan at water edge, his bushy upright tail making him look like a gryphon

Bas relief gryphon sculpture

Winged black gryphon and swan

The Doric Temple of Athena built by Gelo is among my favourite buildings in the world. Been many times, this pic from a day trip from Valletta, Malta last year

Census form for Patrick Catherine and Michael Munnelly May 1926

Census form for Lombard street Dublin showing the Munnellys occupying 1 room at 10 Lombard street

Ireland 1926 census

Grandfather Patrick born 1900 and Nana Catherine Munnelly born 1895, lived in 1 room in 10 Lombard Street Dublin with 1 year old son Michael Austin Munnelly. Patrick worked in Land Commission but before was in Irish Free State army as an assistant to Michael Collins

So long as the PM is well informed (there's no such thing as fully informed) he can assess the risks and appoint who he wishes, and bear the consequences

Mandelson's evident intellect and charm argued for accepting a fair degree of risk, clear from a history of character defects

But not this risk

"Ephron's husband Carl Bernstein had an affair with journalist Margaret Jay, daughter of British PM James Callaghan, and married to British ambassador to US, Peter Jay. The affair inspired Ephron to write "Heartburn" made into a film starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep"

Yeah Jay was an insider

Opening page with Julius Caesar portrait left Strada's 1553 Thresor des Antiquitez right Kunstliche und aigendtliche bildtnussen der Rhömischen Keyseren, Zürich Geßner 1558

Title pages left Strada's 1553 Thresor des Antiquitez right Kunstliche und aigendtliche bildtnussen der Rhömischen Keyseren, Zürich Geßner 1558

Roman imperatorial portraits 5 woodcuts and text, not in Strada 1553

Roman Republic portraits 4 woodcuts and text, not in Strada 1553. These come from Huttich 1534 and before Huttich from Fulvio 1517

Kunstliche und aigendtliche bildtnussen der Rhömischen Keyseren, Zürich Geßner 1558, 610 woodcuts, translated D. Keller from Strada's 1553 Thresor des Antiquitez with 123 extra medallions and text additions. First two images compare, others show pages not in the 1553 ed, some taken from Huttich 1534

Covers of the 12 vol set I just bought. POWELL, Anthony Heinemann 7 3/8" x 5 3/8" A complete 12 volume set of Anthony Powell's series A Dance to the Music of Time. Anthony Powell wrote the 12-novel sequence called Dance to the Music of Time during the years 1950-1974. Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time is an example of the roman fleuve, or "river novel" and is intended to be read as a unity. As such, it is often compared to Marcel Proust's masterwork, A la recherche de temps perdu. Dance constitutes a sort of history of the twentieth century British life: it follows upper-middle class narrator Nicholas Jenkins and his contemporaries throughout a rapidly changing world from 1921 to 1971

Bought. Dance to the Music of Time

1.A Question of Upbringing 2. Buyer's Market 3. Acceptance World 4.At Lady Molly's 5.Casanova's Chinese Restaurant 6. Kindly Ones 7. Valley of Bones 8. Soldier's Art 9. Military Philosophers 10.Books Do Furnish a Room 11.Temporary Kings 12.Hearing Secret Harmonies

Oedipus, a Tragedy, by Dryden and Lee, Title page with facing portrait of Dryden of

Constantine the Great by Lee Title page with facing image of his death bed conversion

Three title pages from 1734 The Dramatick Works of Mr Nathaniel Lee

Owners red wax seal stamped with inked Cha. Craigie 1741

Nathaniel Lee 1653-92 wrote many plays on ancient themes but he was disreputable and unhinged and spent 5 years in Bedlam: "They called me mad and I called them mad and damn them they outvoted me" and died in a drunken fit. Dramatic Works were published 1734 and contain many passages of great beauty

Palm tree left city of London right Thames mid image, left foreground a photo kiosk pic of me and dog against a palm tree background right foreground dog

Wobbly bridge with dog looking towards st pauls cathedral

South bank royal festival hall, wheel at top framing top of big ben Elizabeth tower, dog foreground

Dog sleeping on warm floor of tube train

6am photoshoot for Austin and I against the blue skies and palm tree fringed south bank of the Thames

Why the Ishikawa Prefectural Library in Japan Is Such a Huge Draw - Unseen Japan The library, reopened to fanfare in 2022, continues to bring in more visitors every year than people who live in the prefecture.

“This is 図書館” (This is Library) page lists 21 separate uses for the space. People are invited to read, talk in groups, make art, pursue their hobbies, and even enjoy food and drinks. Users are also invited to do nothing at all.

unseen-japan.com/ishikawa-pre...

The greatest visual delight of the internet is Jeremy's salad presented by @blueheronfarm.bsky.social

Jeremy is a very aged giant tortoise

Fold out plate facing text with engraving above. Cameo of the Triumph of Bacchus

Fold out plate facing text, portrait bust of Augustus

In text engraving of a non Roman statue in local attire

Plate illustrations of ancient coins

Rome, 1698, Ancient medallions from the collection of His Serene Highness Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany

Quarto, 30 plates of coins, four fold-out plates, dozens of in-text engravings all impressively engraved. Very beautiful.

Totally abolish planning permission requirements for similar developments as have already taken place in your street. Not even a need to ask permission, perhaps an online form you fill saying "for the record we are building an extension similar to that at no.17"

Most unlike my usual activities but we went to see Whitney Houston Queen of the Night tribute last night. It was fun! Those not dancing in their seats were vibrating 💃💃💃

Art. A map of the Mediterranean basin overlayed on top of a medieval mappa mundi (map of the world. The land features on the modern map are transparent, so you can see through to the medieval map underneath. The medieval map shows the whole world (from a particular medieval geographic perspective. On both versions, the Red Sea is drawn red. But ther are two of them. The geographies don't line up; the medieval map's Jerusalem is in located roughly in modern Albania on the modern map. * You should not go on crusade or pilgrimage with this map; it will not help. * Perhaps you can find Eric Adams there.

I was playing with this earlier in the week, and I rather like it. A combination of the 13th C. Psalter map of the world, and a more modern (as in, I drew it this week) map of the Mediterranean basin.

Five red phone boxes inside Smithfield market, and Austin the dog

Steak and poached eggs on toasted muffins in a pub, dog with chin on table

Grand entrance with blue cast iron gates Smithfield market and Austin

Inside the almost closed hall of Smithfield meat market, dog chasing the scents on the red floor

Smithfield meat market #London 6am as it closed. Pub steak and eggs breakfast 7am

The meat drove Austin crazy. He loved the trip. When we got off the bus, he crossed to the stop opposite, sat his butt down and tried to get on a 59 going back to Smithfield. "THAT WAS FUN LET'S GO ON THIS RIDE AGAIN"

Large jar of heather honey and a handmade bar of soap in front of box containing four more jars of honey and three differently scented beeswax candles and some honey pourers

Honey and Wood box of many types of honey candles and soap

Diagram of fractions from Glarean 1530s

Diagram in support of Vitruvius on architecture

Diagram showing money and geography thru different times

Diagram showing ship parts metamorphosis into gods and humans

When printing was invented, tokens were cast letters to make printed words. Book volume grew exponentially but effects, much slower. Great efforts were made to diagram thoughts. Examples, my library, reject today's #tokenmaxxing for novel ways to transfer thoughts

We need more historians in IT

Oval gem goddess with biga

Frontispiece engraving, dog with ball, small portrait gem

Three ival gems each with two figures, dog with ball

Four small gems, two portraits, Augustus and Brutus? the first consul, two facing heads, lion attack

Gems from the Antique, engraved Bartolozzi from drawings by Cipriani, 110 loof leaf plates, boxed Folio, 1845 2nd ed London print of the gems of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, 1739-1817, and originally privately published 1783-1790. Complete sets are rare. Plus, as usual, dog.

A man sitting at a working desk, reading, and simultaneously looking something up in a second book. He is also wearing a corn of flowers.

Two easy working improvements from the year 1537:

1) a dual monitor setup to read and write faster
2) a flower crown to look notably cooler while doing the reading

#skystorians

Two Postal covers both USSR to England , c.1960

Two registered letters, one internal south africa one internal England 1970s

Two USSR covers both adorned with many different colourful 1980 Moscow Olympics stamps, both addressed to UK

Airmail letter 1960s UK to US with Elizabeth embossed stamp and other stamps, registered letter 1940s UK with George VI embossed stamp

Some interesting postal covers bought in a large group lot for a few quid from a non philatelic seller on ebay, about 50 covers with writeups in an album. I'm not a philatelist but love all things paper especially involving records dates colour names addresses and faraway or non existent countries

Iran wrote the minutes.

Sir Humphrey: The purpose of minutes is not to record events. You try to improve on what has been said, put it in a better order. You choose from a jumble of ill-digested ideas a version which, in your sole view, represents what the parties would have liked to emerge.

Dark green book cover flaking off

Had to stop Austin from licking this flaking off dark green cover. Damn. I found something to swaddle the cover and washed hands before I examined and imaged what's inside. It's ARSENIC green.