A home without books is a body without soul. –Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Some stuff, you just don’t easily come across on Wikipedia and other electronic sites. This was brought home to me by an old (1928) book I happened upon recently titled NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE, by George W. Stimpson. This treasure trove of trivia does indeed contain nuggets of knowledge, some of which rarely seem to have found their way from printed page to Internet content. No trivia buff should be content knowing that (s)he might have been deprived of such priceless gems as the following:
Why did Samuel Clemens adopt the name Mark Twain?
Many admirers of Mark Twain are aware that he selected that pen name in 1863 (while working for a Nevada newspaper) because he had been a Mississippi River pilot and knew the name meant two fathoms. But NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE tells the story behind the story:
“The name was first used by an old Mississippi River pilot named Isaiah Sellers, who used to write items for the New Orleans Picayune, in which he told of his adventures in a quaintly egotistical tone. The paragraphs usually began , “My opinion for the benefit of the citizens of New Orleans,” signed Mark Twain, which, in the parlance of pilots, is a leads-man call meaning two fathoms – twelve feet. Samuel Clemens, then a cub pilot, wrote a burlesque on Captain Sellers’ articles and published it in a rival paper under the signature Sergeant Fathom. Sellers never wrote another article. In 1863 Clemens was working for the [Territorial] Enterprise, published in Virginia City, Nevada. He wanted a good pen name.. While trying to think of one, he received news of the death of Isaiah Sellers. This suggested to him Mark Twain, the name once used by Sellers.”
So there you have it. The only problem with that story is that Isaiah Sellers did not die until March 6, 1864. Well, that’s life on the Mississippi. Hey, I didn’t say NUGGETS OF KNOWLEDGE was flawless.
Why are most people right-handed?
“For two thousand years or more philosophers and scientists have discussed the question of how man acquired his decided preference for the right hand. Historical records and ancient pictorial writings prove that right-handedness is of great antiquity. It is a characteristic of all peoples, no matter how isolated. One theory holds that right-handedness is fundamentally psychological. The most widely accepted theory, however, regards right-handedness as a product of primitive warfare. Primitive man was continually called upon to defend himself and his family against his fellows. In these encounters he would instinctively protect the vulnerable region around the heart by interposing his left arm, either with or without a shield, using the right hand to strike the assailant. The inevitable result was that the right arm became more developed and agile. The words meaning left-handed are synonymous in nearly all languages with indirection, insincerity, and even treachery.”
Needless to add, mistermuse is right-handed.
Are there real mermaids?
“Mermaids are mythical beings of the sea supposed to have the form of a woman above the waist and that of a fish below. There is a slight physical basis for the myth. Certain marine animals resemble human beings when seen at a distance. When Henry Hudson was on a voyage between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla in 1608, he reported that one morning in June two of his sailors saw a mermaid who came close to the side of the vessel and gazed at them intently. Her face and breasts were those of a woman, but below she was a fish as big as a halibut and colored like a speckled mackerel. It is probable that they saw a seal, an animal then little known to Europeans.”
Having myself sailed many times between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla, I can confirm at least the top half of what said sailors saw. Such a creature does indeed inhabit those waters, but her bottom doesn’t look as big as a hali’s butt, and all I can say about the rest is holy mackerel!
There is much more where the above came from, but time is limited, so let me close with a sampling of other questions from the book. If any whet your appetite, answers are available at a reasonable price:
Do rocks grow?
Do monkeys make bridges?
Do snakes go blind during dog days?
Where are the South Seas?
Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?
OK, that last one isn’t in the book, but you can bet your life I didn’t make it up.
Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 1:52 am on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
You are a hoot! It’s a good thing we are not life-partners, however. We’d need another entire house for the books alone. I have NO more space to squeeze in even one more bookshelf, high, low or under — so I have to avoid those book-sale temptations I can never resist either.
My writer-buds chant kindle-kindle-kindle, but I like the feel and the smell (and I’ve never been able to speed read online – which is fairly essential, given my habit and my schedule.) So if a book is out in paper, that’s ALWAYS a lure.
Enjoy your time away – and Happy Valentines Day. (NOW – will that catchy tune stop playing in my head soon?) 🙂
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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mistermuse 9:02 am on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
Owl have to agree with you about preferring paper books to Kindle. If God had intended humans to read on electronic devices, He’d have created Androids instead of trees.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well! 🙂
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 3:16 pm on February 5, 2017 Permalink
lol – there are those who might argue that he did!
(like I said, you’re a hoot!)
xx,
mgh
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lexborgia 5:17 am on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
Enjoy. I started ‘Dancing In The Glory Of Monsters’ yesterday; it’s shaping up to be a treat.
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mistermuse 9:17 am on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
From what I’ve read about “Dancing In The Glory Of Monsters,’ it’s an excellent book — not for the squeamish, but then, the atrocities of monsters SHOULD cause revulsion in readers.
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Don Frankel 7:05 am on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
Book em Muse.
BTW I have a book coming out soon. Can I send you a copy?
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mistermuse 9:19 am on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
I’d be more than pleased to read it, Don (as long as it’s not a tribute to Trump!).
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 5:36 pm on February 10, 2017 Permalink
I drafted a post that might help explain why folks don’t flock to wake up and dump his coffee, given all – and maybe even a cogent theory of “alternative facts.”
[Why we hate to change our minds] posts Monday – shortly after midnight in New York, explaining cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias – briefly, and in language as “plain” as mine ever is. 🙂
A direct link will be available from the right sidebar until it “ages off” – which gives it more than a month or so to continue to position itself farther down the page.
xx,
mgh
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arekhill1 12:05 pm on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
Enjoy your literary vacation, Sr. Muse. Me, I’ll be burning Trump again tomorrow to stay warm.
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mistermuse 2:01 pm on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
Ricardo, I’m already burned up over practically everything our “so-called” President says (or at least the way he says it, like he’s a God-ass) and does. Nonetheless, I shall look forward to your continuing to give the devil his due.
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milliethom 4:29 pm on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
Love the post … love the humour … and love books! My house is bulging with them, too. Some have been read (and possibly digested) others, like many of yours, were cheapo buys or from charity shops, so not new to start with. I won’t comment on your trumpish jokes because I’m British! Haha. I’m keeping my nose out (if not my opinions) of politics right now – homegrown or otherwise.Thanks for the entertainment, Mr M.
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mistermuse 5:58 pm on February 5, 2017 Permalink |
My pleasure, Ms. M. — and thank you for the kind words.
I must admit to envying the British — you only have to deal with Brexit, not Trump (though Trump’s reign will effect, if not infect, the whole world soon enough). But let us read, drink, and lose ourselves in books while we may! 🙂
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linnetmoss 7:54 am on February 6, 2017 Permalink |
I have culled so many books from my shelves over the years that if I had kept them all, I’d have to buy an extra house to hold them. I often look for a book and then sadly realize that I gave it away ages ago… the digital experience just isn’t the same.
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mistermuse 8:39 am on February 6, 2017 Permalink |
I know what you mean. The batch of books I bought at the previous library sale included two I forgot I already own because I hadn’t read them yet. That’s what happens when you accumulate too many books to read within a reasonable time, and most of them sit in the boxes you brought them home in for months, if not years. Oh, well, I could have a lot worse addictions!
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linnetmoss 7:05 am on February 7, 2017 Permalink
I do love a library sale 🙂
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BroadBlogs 7:59 pm on February 7, 2017 Permalink |
Whenever I hear of Trumpery I start getting nervous.
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mistermuse 10:11 pm on February 7, 2017 Permalink |
Trumpery (meaning “worthless nonsense”) is a word which long pre-dates Trump, but which in my opinion has never been more accurately personified than by him. It derives from the French “tromper,” meaning “to deceive” (again, a most accurate personification).
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 5:39 pm on February 10, 2017 Permalink |
A Brit I follow recently told me that his name has long been slang for fart in his circle. And now they have another reason to use it!
xx,
mgh
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mistermuse 6:13 pm on February 10, 2017 Permalink
That may be a clue as to why Trump favors unfettered gas development, with no concern for leaks.
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 6:24 pm on February 10, 2017 Permalink
He has no concern for *anything* other than his own life and issues: corporate capitalism.
There is not enough time or room on *anybody’s* blog to list all his “no concerns,” but DeVoss, a vaccinated populace & torture – SERIOUSLY?
His choices would be no different had he been SENT to destroy the planet and everybody on it.
Almost makes me wonder if those nutty Scientologists are right. [Almost] 🙂
xx,
mgh
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mistermuse 8:22 pm on February 10, 2017 Permalink |
I’ll look forward to your “after midnight in New York” Monday post, MGH (unless I change my mind). 🙂
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mariasjostrand 6:47 am on February 12, 2017 Permalink |
Definitely know the feeling… my dad still have some of my books because the room I rent now simply don’t have rooom for them all 🙂 And yet I wish for more…
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mistermuse 12:30 pm on February 12, 2017 Permalink |
At least wishes don’t take up space, and they don’t cost anything either (unless we indulge them, but hey, we only live once!).
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Beauty Along the Road 10:13 pm on February 13, 2017 Permalink |
I can very much relate to “needing” more books while there are still uncounted unread books on my shelves at home. Sigh. This has got to be the best line I’ve read in the last few days: “more cheapo tomes than Trump takes ego trips. ” 🙂
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mistermuse 5:26 am on February 14, 2017 Permalink |
You’re ahead of me in the sense that your unread books are on shelves. Many of my unread books were still in boxes, but I’ve taken advantage of the last nine days off between posts to make more shelf space. Now I’ve at least been able to empty the boxes, sort by subject and start reading.
Thank you for commenting. 🙂
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Beauty Along the Road 8:41 am on February 14, 2017 Permalink |
We’ve also implemented a new book ban for the entire year (that includes kindle downloads) – saves a lot of money and forces us to make use of what we’ve already got. Plus, there’s always the library….
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restlessjo 2:02 pm on February 20, 2017 Permalink |
How funny! 🙂 🙂 I tend to recycle books rather than hang on to them. I buy them for 20-50p at charity book stalls and return them for resale when I’ve read them. Just occasionally I have to keep one 🙂
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mistermuse 5:24 pm on February 20, 2017 Permalink |
I recycle some, but keep a lot more — the ones I really like (the same thing I would do if I had a harem). 😦 🙂
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