The Public Domain Review

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

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


Vernon Lee’s Satan the Waster: Pacifism and the Avant-Garde

Wednesday 20 March 2019 at 18:01

Part essay collection, part shadow-play, part macabre ballet, Satan the Waster: A Philosophic War Trilogy (1920) is one of Vernon Lee's most political and experimental works. Amanda Gagel explores this modernist masterpiece which lays siege to the patriotism plaguing Europe and offers a vision for its possible pacifist future.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/vernon-lees-satan-the-waster-pacifism-and-the-avant-garde


The Private Life of a Cat (ca. 1945)

Tuesday 19 March 2019 at 15:24

Experimental film from Alexander Hammid (and possibly also Maya Deren) exploring the lives of their two cats (and then five kittens) with which they lived in their Greenwich Village apartment.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-private-life-of-a-cat-ca-1945


Ogawa Kazumasa's Hand-Coloured Photographs of Flowers (1896)

Wednesday 13 March 2019 at 22:19

Stunning floral images produced by the Japanese photographer, printer, and publisher.

Source: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/ogawa-kazumasa-s-hand-coloured-photographs-of-flowers-1896