#books

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"Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience."
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (ed. 1793)

British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights Mary Wollstonecraft was born in 1759. In "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792), Wollstonecraft argued that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so only because of a lack of education.

Books by Mary Wollstonecraft at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/84

A classic oil painting depicts Mary Wollstonecraft wearing a white v-neck gown with a soft, flowing texture. The attire seems to be of a delicate fabric that drapes elegantly around the figure's arms and chest. The background is predominantly dark, contrasting with the bright white of the gown. The figure's hair appears to be styled up and away from the face, with hints of brown tones, which suggests a sense of sophistication and poise.
An old, worn book opened to the title page which reads "A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN: WITH STRICTURES ON POLITICAL AND MORAL SUBJECTS. BY MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT. PRINTED AT BOSTON, BY PETER EDES FOR THOMAS AND ANDREWS, FAUST'S STATE, NO. 45, NEWBURY-STREET, MDCCXCIX." The text is in black capital letters centered on the page with a decorative monogram between the author's name and the printer information.

Blue Machine paperback incoming! UK publication is this Thursday, May 2nd. The hardback is such a very beautiful object, with the Spilhaus projection of the ocean in blue and gold, and it will still be available. But now there's one with a wave on front too.

If you don't yet know why the ocean matters, and why it's SO much more than a blue filler with fish in, this is for you.

'In Helen Czerski's hands, the mechanical becomes magical. An instant classic' -Tristan Gooley

finished reading Terry Pratchett : a Life with Footnotes by Rob Wilkins

Rob Wilkins: Terry Pratchett : a Life with Footnotes (2022, Transworld Publishers Limited) 5 stars

'People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.' …

It's a well written book, often funny, sometimes moving, but as a biography it's weak. The first part, which draws from Pratchett's unfinished autobiography, holds up the best, but the second part end up more as Wilkin's memorial of Pratchett than a biography about him.

It's not a hagiography, but it's all pretty surface-level. The book never really tries to get under the skin of Terry Pratchett, and neither does go into any depth about his authorship. For example, the book mentions Neil Gaiman's quote about Pratchett's anger, but it never explores this anger in any real measure, neither in how Pratchett as a person or in how it manifests in his books.

If you're a fan of Pratchett, it's a good read with enough interesting facts and details to keep you interested, but as biographies goes, it files under "mostly harmless."

#books #TerryPratchett #biography

English novelist, journalist and spy Daniel Defoe died in 1731.

His most famous work, "Robinson Crusoe," was published in 1719 when Defoe was nearly 60. Following the success of "Robinson Crusoe," Defoe wrote several other notable works including "Moll Flanders" (1722), "A Journal of the Plague Year" (1722), "Colonel Jack" (1722), "Roxana" (1724), and "Captain Singleton" (1720).

Books by Daniel Defoe at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/204

Cover of The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. A black and white image of the title page of the book "The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c." written by Daniel Defoe and published in London, MDCCXXII (1722).
Portrait of Daniel Defoe, National Maritime Museum, London. An oil portrait of Daniel Defoe dressed in a dark coat with a broad, rust-colored collar, over a white shirt with ribbon ties at the neck. Visible are wavy shoulder-length hair and a glimpse of a leafy plant element to the bottom right against a dark backdrop.