The Public Domain Review

This is just an automatic copy of Public Domain Review blog.

August Strindberg's Celestographs (1893–4)

Wednesday 24 April 2019 at 17:49

The Swedish playwright's attempt to capture the night sky by the use of photographic plates alone.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/august-strindberg-s-celestographs-1893-4


Loos, Lewdness, and Literature: Tales from the Boghouse

Wednesday 17 April 2019 at 02:00

In the early 1730s, a mysterious editor (known only as "Hurlothrumbo") committed to print a remarkable anthology: transcriptions of the graffiti from England's public latrines. For all its misogynistic and scatological tendencies, this little-known book of "latrinalia" offers a unique and fascinating window into Georgian life. Maximillian Novak explores.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/tales-from-the-boghouse


The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Art (1460–1921)

Tuesday 16 April 2019 at 18:41

Highlights from the many centuries of artworks to feature the iconic building — from its illuminated punctuation of medieval skylines to grainy detailed studies at the birth of photography.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-notre-dame-cathedral-in-art-1460-1921


The Book of Dreams and Ghosts (1897)

Wednesday 10 April 2019 at 17:48

Seventy eight weird happenings are contained in this volume, from a demon strangling Devonian farmers in 1682 to a poltergeist terrorising a contemporary Chinese couple.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-book-of-dreams-and-ghosts-1897


Bracelli's Bizzarie di Varie Figure (1624)

Tuesday 9 April 2019 at 19:04

Giovanni Battista Bracelli's extraordinary book of prescient prints that predate the Cubist movement by a good three centuries.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/bracelli-s-bizzarie-di-varie-figure-1624


The Khan’s Drinking Fountain

Thursday 4 April 2019 at 15:26

Of all the things described in William of Rubruck's account of his travels through 13th-century Asia, perhaps none is so striking as the remarkably ornate fountain he encountered in the Mongol capital which — complete with silver fruit and an angelic automaton — flowed with various alcoholic drinks for the grandson of Genghis Khan and guests. Devon Field explores how this Silver Tree of Karakorum became a potent symbol, not only of the Mongol Empire's imperial might, but also its downfall.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-khans-drinking-fountain


Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1814)

Tuesday 2 April 2019 at 16:56

Extending Werner's system, this is Patrick Syme's classic taxonomic guide to the colours of the natural world.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/werner-s-nomenclature-of-colours-1814


Leave it to Psmith (1923)

Monday 1 April 2019 at 18:39

The most popular adventure of P. G. Wodehouse's Psmith, a character based on English hotelier and impresario Rupert D'Oyly Carte.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/leave-it-to-psmith-1923


In Praise of Halvings: Hidden Histories of Japan Excavated by Dr D. Fenberger

Thursday 28 March 2019 at 17:00

Roger McDonald on the mysterious Dr Daniel Fenberger and his investigations into an archive known as “The Book of Halved Things".

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/in-praise-of-halvings-hidden-histories-of-japan-excavated-by-dr-d-fenberger


Women at Work during World War I

Wednesday 27 March 2019 at 16:09

Highlights from Imperial War Museum's collection of photographs showing women at work during World War I

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/women-at-work-during-world-war-i