An illustration from an 1897 issue of The Ludgate Illustrated magazine.  The caption reads: "The with furious force he flung it down."

An illustration from an 1868 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads simply: "The Tiger."

"The answer is simple:  where there is a market, there will be a product to fill it.”

—Terence Dickinson, NightWatch (1998)

An illustration from an 1853 issue of Graham's magazine.

An illustration from a 1902 edition of Vaught's Practical Character Reader.  The headline reads: "The center of mental concentration."

Yes, you may . . . on one condition:

"That you don't run off." —Heidi Rice, Unfinished Business with the Duke

An illustration from an 1897 issue of The Ludgate Illustrated magazine.  The caption reads: "Look!  He has no shadow!"

Staring into the depths: an illustration from a 1906 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "I stood up and met the hot summons of the rising sun, hurrying toward me, as it were, with glad tidings, over the spikes of barley."

photo by Cobalt 123

"'Demons don't cry,' she remarked, apropos of nothing.' Neither do gargoyles.'"
—Piers Anthony, Geis of the Gargoyl

"A writer's job is to lie.  A reader's job is to be deceived." –Geof Huth

An illustration from a 1904 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "Leaping into the air so as to insulate himself from the floor."

"It bears repeating that touch should not be overdone, because touch can have a negative effect."
—Mark Stephen Schwartz, Biofeedback

"'Call it a hunch.'  He stood frozen in the doorway as if he couldn't decide, or as if part of him wanted to and part of him didn't."
—Laurell K. Hamilton, Blood Noir (2008), as if describing the plot of Young Frankenstein


A still from the perennially hilarious Young Frankenstein.

Here's a charming moment from Genevieve (1953), dedicated to literary scalawag Jonathan Caws-Elwitt (who intoxicates us with the exuberance of his own velocity):

An illustration from a 1906 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "The big dynamo drew him to itself irresistibly."

"This may surprise you, but serve is the least important aspect of table tennis."
—Boys' Life, Jan. 1966

Put the asterisk in ※-mas!

(Thanks, Mike!)

An illustration from an 1888 issue of Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours magazine.  The caption reads: "The embalmed head.—'At the window sat a man.  It was the attitude of a man in deep thought: but he had no head."

"A rose is a rose is a rose — or so they say."
—Orient Express Magazine

Santa Claus is depicted as a young wood nymph in this illustration from an 1891 issue of The Strand magazine.

"It is true, and bears repeating, that money isn't everything."
—Third Way, Oct. 2004

"The answer is simple:  it depends.”

—Bill Gallagher, Guerrilla Selling (1992)

An illustration from an 1896 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine.

An illustration from an 1891 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "The children threw their marbles at the beauty."

"To be honest—and don't take this the wrong way—but I was only going to make up a fantasy so you'd tell me yours."
—J.J. Murray, I'm Your Girl

"Beyond the End": an illustration from an 1890 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine.

An illustration from a 1904 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "He stood looking out into the night."

"The surprising truth is that hypothermia can strike even in relatively warm tropical waters."
—Karen BergerScuba Diving: A Trailside Guide (2000)

An illustration from a 1899 issue of English Illustrated magazine.  The caption reads: "We looked up and perceived that it issued from the ceiling."

The babe in the moon: an illustration from a 1913 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.

From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:

You've heard of a "murder of crows" and other fun collective nouns.  But what do you call a collection of snow?

It's a patience.

An illustration from a 1901 issue of Life magazine.

"What is the present but the sum of the past in a moment of consciousness?  And because the spirit can call upon this consciousness — this recall — at will, so the present is ever there in the stream of time and the flowing weave can become a broad tapestry spread out for me to contemplate; and I can point to the spot where a particular thread in the weft marks the start of a new design in the pattern.  And I can follow the thread, knot by knot, forwards and backwards; it does not break off, it carries the design and the meaning in the design; it is the essence of the tapestry and has nothing to do with its temporal existence."
—Gustav Meyrink, The Angel of the West Window

Here's a charming moment from Genevieve (1953), dedicated to literary scalawag Jonathan Caws-Elwitt (who coins words in his sleep — and remembers them upon waking!):

An illustration from an 1892 issue of Century Illustrated magazine.

"This may surprise you [—] imaginary numbers have very real and important applications in the real world."
—Alan Sultan & Alice F. Artzt, The Mathematics That Every Secondary Math Teacher Needs to Know (2010)

An illustration from an 1878 issue of Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours magazine.

An illustration from an 1889 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "My wonder was increased by meeting a pair of yellow-topped boots."

"'A rose is a rose is a rose' is false — it is a somewhat different rose in every new context."
—Walter Kintsch, Comprehension

It's a book so astonishing that used copies are listed for over $2,000 on Amazon, but a new softcover edition is out this month: Sweet Swan of Avon: Did a Woman Write Shakespeare?

We'd be excited even if Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke weren't our 14th great-grandmother!

And you can bet we cherish our hardcover edition -- worth its weight in gold.

"Nothing less than a hypnotising machine":  an illustration from an 1897 issue of magazine.

An illustration from an 1868 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "Curse You!"

"The answer is simple:  connect, connect, connect.”

—Lawrence J. Cohen, Playful Parenting (2002)

An illustration from an 1888 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine.

Pre-dating the hilarious comedy series "Childrens Hospital" [sic] about a clown doctor who heals through the power of laughter, here's an illustration from an 1891 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "Bravo Slap-Bang!"

"An iceberg is water striving to be land; a mountain, especially a Himalaya, especially Everest, is land's attempt to metamorphose into sky; it is grounded in flight, the earth mutated—nearly—into air, and become, in the true sense, exalted." —Salman Rushdie

An illustration from an 1892 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine.

An illustration from an 1894 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "Your chin is a most prominent and important feature.  Kept clean—soft—fresh—it becomes attractive.  If rough—or shiny—with little patches of beard in sheltered spots—passed by the razor on its morning rounds—the same chin becomes little short of repulsive."

Yes, you may . . . on one condition:

"I don't get shot." —Britny Coker, Western Romance

Here's a surprising moment from Genevieve (1953):

An illustration from an 1899 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "What in the world are you standing on?"

"It bears repeating that blacks are reacting differently today."
—Ebony, Nov. 1972

The Shakespeare Papers dedicated an entire issue to one-letter words, and here's one of the pages we contributed.

photo by Cobalt 123

"With no prompting, apropos of nothing, and to nobody in particular, he announced, 'You know, I once posed nude in Hustler.'"
—Suzanne Schlosberg, The Curse of the Singles Table

This one's courtesy of literary rapscallion Jonathan Caws-Elwitt:

Q. What did the florist do upon losing his long-standing contract to provide wedding centerpieces?

A. He made other arrangements.

An illustration from a 1902 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "'Black art'—some of its mysteries."

"Never before in the history of the world was there so much reading being done as today.  This may surprise you.  It did me when I really became aware of the fact."
—Lura H. Bartholomew, "Books for the Library," Illinois Farmers' Institute Dept. of Household Science Year Book (1922)

An illustration from an 1896 issue of English Illustrated magazine.  The caption reads: "I stumbled to my knees; but something held me—something which bound me like a web in a thousand strong silky meshes."

An illustration from an 1879 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "The white lady."

An illustration from an 1867 issue of Harper's magazine.

"In one way, the answer is simple:  extremely.”

—John Micklethwait, God is Back (2010)

Gordon spotted our Minimalist Coloring Book at Chicago's Quimby's Bookstore, sitting next to The Penny Man.  The pairing is apropos, as minimalists surely have to watch their pennies.

Q: Where do I begin?

A: The answer is right there in your kitchen. (Kelly Hancock, Saving Savvy, 2011)

An illustration from an 1888 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "The moving skull."

We're enchanted by the mention of "imaginary photographs" in this article from McClure's Magazine back in 1915.

"At this moment, with all the Magic Arts thrashing at the outer door, she is etched with stars."
—J. Karl Bogartte, "The Perfect Crime"

(For Clint Marsh)

An illustration from an 1898 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "Ellis found his fiddle and played out his dreams."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but please don't pump that thing up again."
—Candi R. Murphy, Secrets of the Heart

Schrödinger's cat leaves me Bohr-ed.

When they entered Schrödinger's pet into a cat show, it simultaneously took the titles "Best of Breed" and "Best in Show" — until becoming entangled with the judge.

Try putting a live animal into Schrödinger's cat carrier and you'll wish you were dead.

An illustration from a 1904 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "'Hit my hand hard,' she said."

Dedicated to Teresa Burritt.

"The question bears repeating: who needs iron and why do they need it?"
—Vegetarian Times, Nov. 1989

Which is funnier: an apple or a banana?

Clue: This is according to a radio presenter.

Answer: banana (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)

Citation: Peter Stewart, Essential Radio Skills: How to Present a Radio Show (2010), p. 216

An illustration from an 1891 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "Young Higgins."

Dedicated to Jonathan, who might agree that "Young Higgins" sounds funny.

The Shakespeare Papers dedicated an entire issue to one-letter words, and here's one of the pages we contributed.

Here's a charming moment from Genevieve (1953), dedicated to literary scalawag Jonathan Caws-Elwitt (who coins words in his sleep — and remembers them upon waking!):

A zombie Jesus from a 1920 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.

"This may surprise you, but every thing you do right in designing your [motorcycle] racing diet can be undone by just one thing: forgetting to drink enough fluids." —American Motorcyclist, Feb. 1994

You can feel the pulse
in the slipping away
—Geof Huth

An illustration from an 1867 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "Captain Dahlander's dog brandy."

"But before he says the rose is a rose, the Buddha has seen that the rose is not a rose."
—Thich Nhat Hanh, The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion

An illustration from an 1896 issue of Harper's magazine.

An illustration from an 1863 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "The moon's wanderings."

"The answer is simple:  anytime you choose.”

—Paul Gipe, Wind Power (2004)

"Story over," a dog-eared poem created by Google's scan of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, Sept. 1892.