Wrapped up In Books - Bird Children

More from the Elizabeth Gordon series! Bird Children was published in 1912 and it's the 2nd of her little anthropomorphic trilogy. It's past my bed time though, so I'll leave you with some of my favorites ! (and if you want to view them larger, take a peek at my flickr!)

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(Please let me know if these photos work and if they do work - are they cropped in your browser? I'm playing around with different photo sizes and I know everyone sees things a little differently depending on what browser you're using!)

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The Frolie Grasshopper Circus

I had another post in the works for today - but I decided the pictures wouldn't do... So, instead - double book days! Apologies for two days in a row of book matter!

The Frolie Grasshopper Circus was a little booklet put out by the Quaker Oats Company in 1898. I tried to do a bit of research on the booklet - grasshoppers doing circus tricks seems a strange match for oat meal - I'm really curious to learn a little more on the symbolism behind precariously balanced oat meal boxes on insect legs. But, I think it's just simple proof that the prizes in breakfast food boxes were 100x cooler then they are now. (If they even have prizes now?)

The booklet is strange, somewhat creepy but completely beautiful to me. The muted colors and pretty details of the grasshoppers. The subtle circus backdrops. Even the wretched beasts that be grain moths are looking good. I can't however, make any excuses for the creepy feelings that the clowns give me ... It's just those faces!

Anyway, without further ado - I present to you, The Frolie Grasshopper Circus:

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What genus are you?

It's been a long time since I had a What Genus Are You? post! But, it's back and I hope to keep this somewhat a regular thing! Hunting the Archive's site for pretty things has become a new fix for junk/dress hunting - and it doesn't cost a penny!

These images come from a Belgian horticulture book written in French circa 1848 - there's a slew of volumes but unfortunately there's only 2 scanned. I imagine the rest of them are just perfect as well!

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I S O

( in search of )
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I miss the old days ... Days of crumbling leather spines, cracking vellum covers, gigantic books with hand colored plates, and general amazement at the things that would make their way out of the pages. Since I parted ways with the Archive last summer I've been a lazy rat about finding beautiful book things on my own. Tonight, I decided to change that. In a temper tantrum like fit I've been searching the depths of the Biodiversity Library for books with seahorse illustrations. It's been one a 'to do' list for quite some time .. and I think the search shall continue until I find an entire book with engravings. I know it has to be out there. I just know it.

In the mean time, I share with you the very first of my finds, ghost fish. Tiny sea beats from the Archipelago, both dreadful and beautiful - all stuck between the pages of an old History book.

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Today's Inspiration: 1920s Logos

I meant to do this post two weeks ago - but things just got away from me, so here we are now!!
A few days before I flitzed off on vacation I spent a really nice, leisurely day flipping through this lovely book!!

I took a few photos of some of my favorite images, but stopped mid way through - it was getting to be too many pictures!!! The bulk of them are on my flickr and I know, I know - the image quality is somewhat horrific. Someday I'll have it properly scanned - but in the mean time, here's a nice little sneak!!

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