The Vulgar Eclectic
Vulgar: of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster
Eclectic: composed of elements drawn from various sources
recent blog posts
- Letters of a Russian Traveler; 1789-1790 by Nikolai M. Karamzin
A book jot from April, 2022:
I just finished reading Letters of a Russian Traveler; 1789-1790 by Nikolai M. Karamzin, translated by Florence Jonas. As a young man, Karamzin spent 18 months traveling through Germany, Switzerland, France, and England before returning by ship to Russia. Afterwards, he published a collection of letters, many of which have a journal-like feeling, detailing various encounters, thoughts, and experiences while traveling.
I read this book slowly. The meandering research spurred on by the huge amount of unfamiliar context helped to create a slowly evolving picture of both the writer and the times in which he traveled. In the introduction, Karamzin is described as a “preromantic,” and this seems an apt designation. He is thoughtful and introspective, and always in search of the decent and good in people and places.
I found myself enjoying the book more and more as I went along. Perhaps this was due in part to the content of his narrative, as well as increased familiarity with his character and writing style. His descriptions of people, travel, art and literature, and his musings on humanity and society were compelling, amusing, and interesting. Certain segments, especially while in England, had an enjoyable anthropological quality.
“This indescribable hubbub, this wondrous diversity of objects, this extraordinary multitude, this unusual vivacity, struck me with a kind of wonder. I felt as though I had fallen, like a tiny grain of sand, into a terrible abyss and was spinning around in a vortex.“
Portrait of Nikolai M. Karamzin by Vasily Tropinin, 1818. - Rawhide Kid #75 and Larry Lieber
I love this cover to issue #75 of Rawhide Kid, drawn by Larry Lieber. I got into the Rawhide Kid a few years ago, first reading some coverless issues. They were fun and I loved the artwork by Lieber. It was only after looking him up online to see what else he had worked on that I learned he was Stan Lee’s younger brother.
He is a master of comic illustration; his sharp lines and eye for composition elevate every issue of Rawhide Kid he worked on. He also wrote more than 70 of the issues. They make for some great western yarns!
- The Survivors by Tom Godwin
I finished reading The Survivors (1958), also published as Space Prison, by Tom Godwin. This is a short, tightly woven science fiction tale that begins quickly and never lets up. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
The premise involves an alien race that captures a ship of humans fleeing Earth en-route to a habitable planet. The humans are brutally dealt with and a large number are dropped on an inhospitable planet and left to die.
This is a story of perseverance, survival, and the indomitable human spirit. I loved the pacing and narrative style, as well as the reflections about human nature, meaning-making, cultural knowledge, and duty. And the creatures known as prowlers are a special treat!
“Tears and fear are futile weapons; they can never bring us any tomorrows. We’ll have to fight whatever comes to kill us no matter how scared we are. For ourselves and for our children. Above all else, for our children…”
- Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum
A while ago, I finished reading Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum (1900). This engaging memoir was written shortly after Slocum returned from his more than three year journey over the briny seaways of the globe.
Beginning in 1893, he worked for over a year rebuilding a sloop he named the Spray in Massachusetts. In the spring of 1895, he set off on what would become the first solo circumnavigation of the globe. He faced long periods of isolation, extreme weather and storms, dangerous passage through the Strait of Magellan, pursuit by pirates, attacks by natives in Tierra del Fuego, and the challenges of navigation and maintaining and repairing nautical equipment.
His voyage eventually covered around 46,000 miles. His longest stretch of isolation aboard his ship at sea was 72 days; in addition to the many months at sea, he relates numerous stops in many ports and at a multitude of islands. His adventures and the people he encounters are described in a lively and vivid manner, making the book a memorable and highly enjoyable read. Slocum’s love of nature, people, and the freedom of travel and exploration makes one want to follow in his footsteps.
“I had already found that it was not good to be alone, and so I made companionship with what there was around me, sometimes with the universe and sometimes with my own insignificant self; but my books were always my friends, let fail all else. Nothing could be easier or more restful than my voyage in the trade-winds.”
Joshua Slocum aboard the Spray, a 37 foot sloop - Another beetle
I found this little guy on the floor. Part of one of its front legs is missing. After scooping him up, I put him in the terrarium we have. I figured he might do better in there where there is good coverage and food. I’ve been noticing him (or another beetle) in the mornings eating in the terrarium and then retiring under a honey locust seed pod.
It is some sort of Eleodes beetle (commonly called darkling beetles). I thought at first it might be Eleodes obscura, but it seems to be missing the anterior tooth projection on the front femurs that help distinguish that variety.
