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Autobiography of Joseph Scaliger
I just finished reading the Autobiography of Joseph Scaliger, translated by George W. Robinson and published in English in 1927. The subtitle gives a good idea of what makes up the book in addition to the opening autobiography: with Autobiographical Selections from his Letters, His Testament, and the Funeral Orations by Daniel Heinsius and Dominicus…
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The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola
I just finished reading The Fortune of the Rougons (1871) by Émile Zola, translated by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly. This is the first book in Zola’s Les Rougon-Macquart cycle of twenty novels. I have previously read four other books that take place much later in the series, and reading the beginning was quite interesting. Some characters…
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Rawhide Kid and the Western
I read an issue of Rawhide Kid last night (#68, 1969), a Marvel western that began in 1955 and ran until 1979. I really enjoyed Larry Lieber’s distinctive art. It has a clean sharpness to it that works well with the bright, bold coloring style of the comic. Lieber wrote and drew the comic from…
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Tomahawk
Yesterday I read an issue of Tomahawk, a DC comic that ran from 1950 to 1972. The character first appeared a little earlier, in 1947, and has had a few appearances since the title’s cancellation. The comic is somewhat unique in that most of the timeline takes place during the American Revolution. Some of the…
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Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius
A book jot from June 2021: I just finished reading the Argonautica (3rd century BC) by Apollonius Rhodius, translated by Peter Green. It is an epic poem that relates the story of the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece. This edition includes a glossary that, at 67 pages, is full of helpful information.…
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Pharsalia by Lucan, video
I just posted the first video I’ve made for The Vulgar Eclectic. Here it is:
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Pharsalia by Lucan
“No, it will be the match we always have— Liberty pitted against a Caesar“ I recently finished reading Pharsalia (written about 65 AD) by the Roman poet Lucan, translated by Jane Wilson Joyce. This is an epic in ten parts written in verse in the tradition of Homer and Virgil. Unlike those poems, however, Pharsalia…
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Carmina Achilochi: the Fragments Of Archilochos
I read this collection of poems by the Greek lyric poet Archilochus back in January of 2021 and wrote a very brief reaction: I just finished reading Carmina Archilochi: the Fragments Of Archilochos, translated by Guy Davenport. Archilochos was a 7th Century Greek poet and soldier. This book was really fun to read and felt…
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Under A Lucky Star: A Lifetime Of Adventure by Roy Chapman Andrews
I read this book back in January of 2021 and wrote the following reaction afterwards: This morning I finished reading Under A Lucky Star: A Lifetime Of Adventure by Roy Chapman Andrews. It is a memoir by a man who was famous during the first half of the 20th century as a naturalist, archaeologist, and explorer. It…
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Beasts, Men, and Gods
Back near the end of 2020, I read Beasts, Men, and Gods. After finishing the last chapter, I wrote up what was to be the first of what I’m calling a “book jot” (a simple little reaction after reading a book). In an effort to include these book jots on The Vulgar Eclectic, here it…