The picture at the top of this blog is of the first edition of “The Dumb House: A Chamber Novel” (1997). The cover illustration is “The Letter” by Dutch painter Carel Willinik In 2023 Scottish writer John Burnside (1955-2024) won the prestigious David Cohen Prize for Literature. Previous winners of the prize (which is in […]
Month: December 2024
Deacon Brodie: the novel
Above is a detail from the cover of “Deacon Brodie, or, behind the mask” a 1901 novel by Dick Donovan, the complete cover is at the foot of this blog. William Brodie (1741-1788) was a seemingly respectable Edinburgh locksmith and cabinet-maker who was both deacon of a trades guild and a city councillor. By night […]
A Christmas card from Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath’s closest friends and family were sent a very special card for Christmas 1960. It was a small pamphlet that included her recent poem “A Winter Ship”. Although it was the size and shape of a Christmas card, this was much more than just a simple card . It was the first stand-alone publication […]