Herman de Vries at Venice Biennale 2015 – Going Caveman With Anti-Matter Fragmentation Art – A Tribute

Dutch artist Herman de Vries – Photo taken by son Vince

The two videos below of Herman de Vries at work at the Venice Bienalle 2015 are quite inspiring.

So inspiring in fact that I moved into a cave for two weeks and wrote Shakespearean tragedy with charcoal.  Filled with great joy I returned to my studio and set about creating a tribute to Herman de Vrie I shall call La Biennale di Venezia de Forest with Five or Six Nymphs2, or Going Caveman with Anti-Matter Fragmentation Art,  a five picture installation which can be viewed below the film.

 

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La Biennale di Venezia de Forest with Five or Six Nymphs2, or Going Caveman with Anti-Matter Fragmentation Art

 

 

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The Hoochie Coochie Hex

From Dr. Marvel’s 1929 book entitled Hoodoo for the Common Man, we find his infamous Hoochie Coochie Hex.

 What follows is a verbatim transcription of the text:

The Hoochie Coochie Hex should not be used in conjunction with any other Hexes.  This can lead to disaster.  

The Hoochie Coochie Hex can only work in the month of October with the coming of a full moon.  It will not work in September and will not work in November.  This point is now well established. Continue reading The Hoochie Coochie Hex

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Country Cabbage and Pea Soup

Add the following ingredients to a four or six quart crock pot, salt & pepper to taste keeping in mind that salt pork is just that, cover with water and cook on high till it boils, then cut back to low for four or five hours.  A slow cooker works well, I set mine to low and cook for five to seven hours.

1 Small Cabbage quartered or as in the case of the photo above, three chunks cut out of very large cabbage
1 Large Potato diced or 2 or 3 small ones
1/2 Cup each of dried Garbanzos, Chick Peas, and Split Green Peas
3 or 4 Slices of Salt Pork, You can substitute bacon if you have no salt pork.

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Hunter’s Fruit and Nut Bread – Apples, Cranberry, Dates, Figs, Apricots, Walnuts, Pecans, and Such

Hunters at Work

This is a recipe I created from scratch by trial and error.

(Note: This recipe contains no eggs, refined white flour or white sugar.)

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour – As unprocessed as you can find it
3 Cups of Raw Oatmeal
1 Cup of Brown Sugar, or Honey, or Raw Cane Sugar or Molasses Continue reading Hunter’s Fruit and Nut Bread — Apples, Cranberry, Dates, Figs, Apricots, Walnuts, Pecans, and Such

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Texas Tea

Photo by Rebecca Humann

Texas Tea Recipe

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Blunderbuss Mai Tai Recipe

Blackbeard’s Jolly Roger

If you’re looking for that most refreshing of summertime beverages for sipping out on the back patio or perhaps as a last drink before walking the plank, let me recommend my Blunderbuss Mai Tai.  I picked up the basics to this recipe over thirty years ago when holed up in a gritty little hotel and bar in Puerto Rico and have worked on perfecting it ever since. Continue reading Blunderbuss Mai Tai Recipe

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U.S. Coast Guard Radio Information for Boaters

VHF Marifoon Sailor RT144, by S.J. de Waard

RADIO INFORMATION FOR BOATERS

Effective 01 August, 2013, the U. S. Coast Guard terminated its radio guard of the international voice distress, safety and calling frequency 2182 kHz and the international digital selective calling (DSC) distress and safety frequency 2187.5 kHz. Additionally, marine information and weather broadcasts transmitted on 2670 kHz will terminate concurrently. See the safety alert. Note that these frequencies are still available and in use, notwithstanding the Coast Guard’s termination of the radio guard. Please contact us if you have any questions. Continue reading U.S. Coast Guard Radio Information for Boaters

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How to Sail a Full Rigged Ship

The rigging of an old square rig in London, United Kingdom. Photograph taken by Melongrower.

Continue reading How to Sail a Full Rigged Ship

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A Creative Approach to Saving Ye Olde Cassette Tapes

Quite possibly, the most agonizing decision being made by Baby Boomers across the nation these days is what to do with all that vintage Hi-fi equipment and boxes full of classic rock and roll cassettes and 8-Tracks.

I faced this dilemma head-on this past summer as I definitely wanted in on the newfangled bluetooth speakers that could play the CDs I had loaded into my computer hard drive, wires free, but also wanted a way to play my cassettes without having to fire up my Sansui receiver. Continue reading A Creative Approach to Saving Ye Olde Cassette Tapes

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King Lear

Edwin Austin Abbey. King Lear, Act I, Scene I (Cordelia’s Farewell) The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dates: 1897-1898 Dimensions: Height: 137.8 cm (54.25 in.), Width: 323.2 cm (127.24 in.) Medium: Painting – oil on canvas

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Scottish Myths and Legends

John Atkinson Grimshaw – Glasgow Saturday Night

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Protecting Rare Books: How to Build a Silverfish Trap

Silverfish damage to book – photo by Micha L. Rieser

The beauty of hunting silverfish is that they are not the most clever of creatures in the insect kingdom.

Simply take a small clean glass jar and wrap it in masking tape.  The masking tape gives the silverfish something to cling on to as they curiously climb to the top of the jar.  Bait is not required.  Set the jars upright in the path of known offenders, sit back and wait…OK, perhaps just leaving the jar and coming back in a day or two will do.

Lepisma Saccharina – Silver Fish – photo by Christian Fischer

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The Sinking of the Laconia

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Henry Miller

 

 

 

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Cocktails and Canapés

From The How and When, An Authoritative reference reference guide to the origin, use and classification of the world’s choicest vintages and spirits by Hyman Gale and Gerald F. Marco. The Marco name is of a Chicago family that were involved in all aspects of the liquor business and ran Marco’s Bar located at 70 E. Randolph Street and another at 32 S. Clark St. in Chicago back in the day.

First Definition of a Cocktail

Continue reading Cocktails and Canapés

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Philly Dips – Some Philadelphia Cream Cheese Classics from the 1950s


1 garlic clove, cut in half
1 8-oz. pkg. Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese
3 tablespoons clam broth
1 7-to 7 1/2-oz. can minced clams, drained Continue reading Philly Dips — Some Philadelphia Cream Cheese Classics from the 1950s

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History of Britain: Rise and Fall of the Druids

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Antibiotic Properties of Jungle Soil

If ever it could be said that there is such a thing as miracle healing soil, Ivan Sanderson said it best in his 1965 book entitled Ivan Sanderson’s Book of Great Jungles.

Sanderson grew up with a natural inclination towards adventure and learning.  He hailed from Scotland but spent much of his youth in Provence, France where he moved with his parents as a young boy.  His description of Provence painted with his youthful imagination would later lead to a lifetime of jungle adventure across all points on the map. Sanderson’s father was killed by a rhinoceros while working with a documentary film crew in Kenya, Africa in 1925. Continue reading Antibiotic Properties of Jungle Soil

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Herbal Psychedelics – Rhododendron ponticum and Mad Honey Disease

Toxicity of Rhododendron
From Countrysideinfo.co.UK

Potentially toxic chemicals, particularly ‘free’ phenols, and diterpenes, occur in significant quantities in the tissues of plants of Rhododendron species. Diterpenes, known as grayanotoxins, occur in the leaves, flowers and nectar of Rhododendrons. These differ from species to species. Not all species produce them, although Rhododendron ponticum does. Continue reading Herbal Psychedelics — Rhododendron ponticum and Mad Honey Disease

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Curing Diabetes With an Old Malaria Formula

For years in the West African nation of Ghana medicine men have used a root and leaves from a plant called nibima(Cryptolepis sanguinolenta) to kill the Plasmodium parasite transmitted through a female mosquito’s bite that is the root cause of malaria.  A thousand miles away in India, a similar(same) plant with similar properties called maranta, or Cryptolepis buchananii (Indian sarsaparilla), is used by Ayurvedic doctors to treat an assortment of ailments from urinary tract infection to paralysis and ricketts. Continue reading Curing Diabetes With an Old Malaria Formula

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How to Tie Knots, Bends, and Hitches

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How to Paint a Vermeer

 

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Great Indian Pine Hornbill

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Museum of Science and Industry Model Train – Chicago

The Chicago portion of the The Great Train Story at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. by Interiority

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The Most Powerful and FREE Import Export Research Database on the Planet

Click here to access the world’s most powerful Import/Export Research Database on the Planet.  With this search engine one is able to access U.S. Customs and other government data showing suppliers for any type of company in the United States.

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Gout Remedies

Jan Verkolje Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first person to describe gout or uric acid crystals 1679.

For one suffering gout, the following vitamins, herbs, and extracts may be worth looking into:

  • Vitamin C 
  • Folic Acid – Folic Acid is a B vitamin and is also known as B9 –  [Known food sources with high contents of folic acid include dark leafy green vegetables such as avocados, seaweed, spinach, asparagus and brussel sprouts. Liver, yeast, eggs, legumes, seafood and nuts are also a good source.
  • Eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA – [Known food sources include oily fish such as herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and seaweed.  The EPA in fish comes for the algae that fish consume.
  • Black Cherry Extract
  • Celery Seed Extract
  • Alfalfa
  • Bosweilla – Anti-inflammatory properties
  • Devils Claw – Anti-inflammatory properties
  • Turmeric & Curcumin – [Studies have shown positive effects for rheumatoid arthritis and general pain and inflammation. Curcumin has also been shown to block the growth of certain kinds of tumors. Positive effects have noted on diabetes and viral infections.]

CAUTION: As with any herbs, extracts, supplements, and vitamins, one should check with their doctor prior to taking to ensure there will not be  negative interactions with prescription medications one might be taking.

Many herbs and vitamins have side effects. Side effects for most herbs, extract, supplements, and vitamins can be found on WebMD.com.

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A Red Letter Day with Henry Miller

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Dr. Fred Kummerow – Cholesterol Myths Debunked

 

Fred Kummerow on statin drugs (excerpt) from Jeremy Stuart on Vimeo.

Dr. Kummerow passed away at the ripe old age of 102 in 2017.

Click here to visit Dr. Mercola’s website.

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Looking for a Gift for the Book Collector in the Family?

Buying a book for a serious collector with refined tastes can be a daunting task.

However, there is one company that publishes some of the finest reproduction books in the world, books that most collectors wouldn’t mind having in their collection no matter their general preference or specialty.

Patrimonio Ediciones, located in Valencia, Spain, produces exquisite copies of ancient books and uses real gold and jewels in the illumination of the pages and production of the leather covers.  Many of their books have been presented to heads of state and royalty.

The books are expensive; however, payment plans of a minimum of $75 per month may be arranged to purchase one of their editions which can run into the thousand of dollars.

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The Intaglio Processes for Audubon’s Birds of America

Notes on the intaglio processes of the most expensive book on birds available for sale in the world today.

The Audubon prints in “The Birds of America” were all made from copper plates utilizing four of the so called “intaglio” processes, engraving, etching, aquatint, and drypoint.   Intaglio processes are those by which the design to printed is cut down into the surface of the plate, and will yield an impression in relief.

The design is rendered upon the plate either with a tool or by the action of an acid eating into the copper plate through an acid resistant coating called a “ground.” Continue reading The Intaglio Processes for Audubon’s Birds of America

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Audubon’s Art Method and Techniques

Audubon started to develop a special technique for drawing birds in 1806 a Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. He perfected it during the long river trip from Cincinnati to New Orleans and in New Orleans, 1821. Continue reading Audubon’s Art Method and Techniques

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History of the Cabildo in New Orleans

Cabildo circa 1936

The Cabildo houses a rare copy of Audubon’s Bird’s of America, a book now valued at $10 million+.

Should one desire to visit the Cabildo, click here to gain free entry with a lowcost New Orleans Pass.

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Naval Stores – Distilling Turpentine

Chipping a Turpentine Tree

DISTILLING TURPENTINE
One of the Most Important Industries of the State of Georgia
Injuring the Magnificent Trees
Spirits, Resin, Tar, Pitch, and Crude Turpentine all from the Long Leaved Pine – “Naval Stores” So Called.

Dublin, Ga., May 8. – One of the most important industries of Georgia is the distilling of turpentine.  Here and there among the thick tracts of yellow pines, so numerous in South Georgia, can be found many turpentine farms, more properly called stills, which are fast sapping away the life of the magnificent timber in that section.  A visit to one of these stills is well worth the time. Continue reading Naval Stores — Distilling Turpentine

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On the Origin of Species – Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

ON

THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES

BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION,
OR THE
PRESERVATION OF FAVOURED RACES IN THE STRUGGLE
FOR LIFE.

BY CHARLES DARWIN, M.A.,

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL, GEOLOGICAL, LINNÆAN, ETC., SOCIETIES ;
AUTHOR OF ‘JOURNAL OF RESEARCHES DURING H.M.S. BEAGLE’S VOYAGE
ROUND THE WORLD.’

LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.

1859.

LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
AND CHARING CROSS.

ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES.

INTRODUCTION.

WHEN on board H.M.S. ‘Beagle,’ as naturalist, I was much struck with certain facts in the distribution of the inhabitants of South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent. These facts seemed to me to throw some light on the origin of species—that mystery of mysteries, as it has been called by one of our greatest philosophers. On my return home, it occurred to me, in 1837, that something might perhaps be made out on this question by patiently accumulating and reflecting on all sorts of facts which could possibly have any bearing on it. After five years’ work I allowed myself to speculate on the subject, and drew up some short notes; these I enlarged in 1844 into a sketch of the conclusions, which then seemed to me probable: from that period to the present day I have steadily pursued the same object. I hope that I may be excused for entering on these personal details, as I give them to show that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision. Continue reading On the Origin of Species — Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

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A Summer Memory

 

Here, where these low lush meadows lie,
We wandered in the summer weather,
When earth and air and arching sky,
Blazed grandly, goldenly together.

And oft, in that same summertime,
We sought and roamed these self-same meadows,
When evening brought the curfew chime,
And peopled field and fold with shadows.

I mind me of our last fond tryst:
The night was such a night as this:
And standing here, breast-high in mist,
We sealed our parting vows with kisses.

Ah, trust misplaced! ah, last false kiss!
She with another mate tomorrow;
And now my uttermost of bliss
Is made my uttermost sorrow.

I wrestle sore in bitter strife,
For night draws round me dull and darkling,
And in my darkened sky of life
No single star of hope is sparkling

Anonymous – Published in Harper’s Weekly Oct. 4, 1873

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Clairvoyance and Occult Powers

Vishnu as the Cosmic Man (Vishvarupa) Opaque watercolour on paper –  Jaipur, Rajasthan c. 1800-50

 

CLAIRVOYANCE AND OCCULT POWERS

By Swami Panchadasi

Copyright, 1916

By Advanced Thought Pub. Co. Chicago, Il

INTRODUCTION.

In preparing this series of lessons for students of Western lands, I have been compelled to proceed along lines exactly opposite to those which I would have chosen had these lessons been for students in India. This is because of the diametrically opposite mental attitudes of the students of these two several lands.

The student in India expects the teacher to state positively the principles involved, and the methods whereby these principles may be manifested, together with frequent illustrations (generally in the nature of fables or parables), serving to link the new knowledge to some already known thing. The Hindu student never expects or demands anything in the nature of “proof” of the teachers statements of principle or method; in fact, he would regard it as an insult to the teacher to ask for the same. Consequently, he does not look for, or ask, specific instances or illustrations in the nature of scientific evidence or proof of the principles taught. Continue reading Clairvoyance and Occult Powers

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Clairvoyance – Methods of Development

CLAIRVOYANCE

 by C. W. Leadbeater

Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Pub. House

[1899]

CHAPTER IX – METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT

When a men becomes convinced of the reality of the valuable power of clairvoyance, his first question usually is, “How can I develop in my own case this faculty which is said to be latent in everyone?”

Now the fact is that there are many methods by which it may be developed, but only one which be at all safely recommended for general use—that of which we shall speak last of all. Among the less advanced nations of the world the clairvoyant state has been produced in various objectionable ways; among some of the non-Aryan tribes of India, but the use of intoxicating drugs or the inhaling of stupefying fumes; among the dervishes, by whirling in a mad dance of religious fervour until vertigo and insensibility supervene; among the followers of the abominable practice of the Voodoo cult, by frightful sacrifices and loathsome rites of black magic. Continue reading Clairvoyance — Methods of Development

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Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois and the Dulwich Picture Gallery

Noel Desenfans and Sir Francis Bourgeois, circa 1805 by Paul Sandby, watercolour on paper

The Dulwich Picture Gallery was England’s first purpose-built art gallery and considered by some to be England’s first national gallery.  Founded by the bequest of Sir Peter Francis Bourgois, dandy, the gallery was built to display his vast picture collection and dedicated to public viewing, something that had not been done before in Great Britain as art collecting was considered a folly of toffs. Continue reading Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois and the Dulwich Picture Gallery

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What’s the Matter?

A rhetorical question?  Genuine concern?

In this essay we are examining another form of matter otherwise known as national literary matters, the three most important of which being the Matter of Rome, Matter of France, and the Matter of England.

Our focus shall be on the Matter of England or Britain.

What we are referring to is the Medieval literature and legends underpinning the history of Brittany to include the Arthurian literature of legendary and heroic King Arthur.  In contrast, the Matter of France focuses on the legends of Charlemagne and the Matter of Rome was derived from classical mythology.

French poet Jean Bodel’s La Chansondes Saisnes or Song of the Saxon first described the matters thus:

“Ne sont que III matieres a nul momme atandant, De France et de Bretaigne, et de Rome la grant.”

Not but with three matters no man should attend: Of France, and of Britain and of Rome the grand.”

Medieval literature could be considered an early form of state propaganda, written to ensure the acceptance of future kings by providing them with written history and pedigrees of lineage.  With grand myths of conquest and great deeds, heroic figures such as King Arthur became important early role models so as to provide the common people with a set of noble attributes by which to expect, see, and believe in their leaders; chief among these being chivalry, honour, and courage.  Along with the legend of King Arthur, this literature introduced us to Brutus of Troy, King Lear and Coel Hen.   In much of this literature, fact and fiction become blurred as the written word of historians supplemented the myths.  Themes of great conquests, adventure, Christianity, loyalty, and love abound in these tales and so does the lesson of negative consequences should one embark upon a darker path in seeking glory.

Among the notable Medieval(12th & 13th centuries) authors of this literature of matters we find Geoffrey of Monmouth, John Milton, Michael Drayton, Thomas Malory, Geoffrey Chaucer, Gottfried Von Strassburg, Chrétian des Troyes, Nennius, Thomas of Britain, and Talisein from the 6th Century. Shakespeare extended the time frame into the Elizabethan Era.

To learn more about Medieval authors and the works that underpin the Matter of Britain, click here.

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Blackberry Wine

BLACKBERRY WINE

  • 5 gallons of blackberries
  • 5 pound bag of sugar

Fill a pair of empty five gallon buckets half way with hot soapy water and a ¼ cup of vinegar.  Wash thoroughly and rinse.

Fill one bucket with two and one half gallons of blackberries and crush with hickory wood ax handle.  Add remaining 2 ½ gallons of berries and crush.  Add 2 ½ gallons of well water to berries, cover with muslin cloth and jute twine gardening string.  Allow to stand for 24 hours.

Strain through muslin cloth into second bucket.

Add a pound and a half of sugar to each gallon of juice.  Cover with muslin cloth and secure with jute twine gardening string.  When fermentation process ends, refine through muslin cloth into second bucket, fine with metabisulfate if needed, bottle and cork or store in wooden cask.

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A Crock of Squirrel

A CROCK OF SQUIRREL

    • 4 young squirrels – quartered
    • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 large bunch of fresh coriander
  • 2 large cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp. salted sweet cream cow butter
  • ¼ cup of brandy
  • 1 tbsp. turbinado sugar
  • 6 fresh apricots
  • 4 strips of bacon
  • 1 large package of Monterrey brown mushrooms
  • 2 small red onions quartered and sliced
  • ½ cup pecan halves

Grease crock pot with olive oil, turn on high heat. Cover bottom with 1 small red onion.  Fry bacon in skillet coated with olive oil along with 1 small red onion quartered and sliced and 2 clove smashed and chopped garlic.  As bacon begins to cook cut each piece in skillet into 6-8 pieces.  Add mushrooms as bacon begins to firm.

Remove pits from 6 fresh apricots and quarter.  Sauté in butter and brandy till wilted.  Add pecans and sugar. Stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes.  In large mixing bowl, combine with bacon mixture, add fresh chopped coriander & coat squirrels.  Cook for 4 hours on low heat.  Serve with biscuits and creamed corn.

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A Couple of Classic Tennessee Squirrel Recipes

FRIED SQUIRREL & BISCUIT GRAVY

  • 3-4 Young Squirrels, dressed and cleaned
  • 1 tsp. Morton Salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp. McCormick Black Pepper or to taste
  • 1 Cup Martha White All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Cup Hog Lard – Preferably fresh from hog killing, or barbecue table

Cut up three to four young squirrels into six pieces by using a meat cleaver and splitting the squirrel down the center of the backbone prior to cutting into sections.  Continue reading A Couple of Classic Tennessee Squirrel Recipes

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How to Make Money – Banking & Insurance – Part I

Royal Exchange and The Bank of England

From How to Make Money; and How to Keep it, Or, Capital and Labor  based on the works of Thomas A. Davies Revised & Rewritten with Additions by Henry A. Ford A.M. – 1884

CHAPTER XXVI
BANKING AND INSURANCE.

I wish I could write all across the sky, in letters of gold, the one word, SAVINGS-BANK. Rev Wm. Marsh

The relations of the banking system to the operations of general trade are so intimate and indispensable  that every man of business should be acquainted with their nature and extent. James D. Mills

Insurance is to-day recognized as not only an integral and necessary factor in the commerce of nations, but it is imperatively demanded for the establishment and maintenance of commercial credit among all civilized peoples. To such importance has it grown that governments have acquired immense revenues by taxing the income derived from it, and have in some instances assume greater or less control over it. Insurance Year Book

BANKS are of three kinds -of discount and deposit, individual or private, and savings-banks. They have all but one object—to make money with money. This principle is all-important with the money-maker; and to know how this is done is to accomplish a great object.  This chapter will not presue to give such institutions or individuals any information how it is to be done; for their success generally is a proof that they understand that. Further, it is an occupation—that may me considered a trade within itself— requiring long experience, large knowledge of values, good judgment, rare firmness, and in fact every business qualification in high perfection. Reference to banking as one of the most extensive means of making money with money, is simply to show the moneymaker, after he has got his dollar, how others manage their dollars to advantage, so that he may know the danger of managing his own with his trifling information—a subject which requires superior knowledge and high acquirements to do well. Continue reading How to Make Money — Banking & Insurance — Part I

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The Fowling Piece – Part I

THE FOWLING PIECE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811.

I AM perfectly aware that a large volume might be written on this subject; but, as my intention is to give only such information and instruction as is necessary for the sportsman, I shall forbear introducing any extraneous matter; at the same time, being careful to omit nothing which can be useful even in the remotest degree. That the fowling-piece is an object of the first consideration, will be readily allowed; hence the necessity of being able to form an opinion of its merits prior to laying out a considerable sum of money on this article, as Well as to prevent those dreadful accidents which too frequently occur from causes which at first sight are by no means obvious. Continue reading The Fowling Piece — Part I

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The Snipe

THE SNIPE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811

AFTER having given a particular description of the woodcock, it will only. be necessary to observe, that the plumage and shape of the snipe is much the same ; and indeed its habits and manners sets bear a great analogy. But there are three different sizes of snipes, the largest of which, however, is much smaller than the woodcock. The common snipe, weighs about four ounces, the jack snipe. is not much. bigger than a lark; the large snipe weighs about nine ounces, but is seldom met with.  Some have supposed that the common snipe is the jack’s female ; however, the contrary is now too well known to need a refutation in this place. Continue reading The Snipe

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Waterloo

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How to Make Money – Insurance

Life insurance certificate issued by the Yorkshire Fire & Life Insurance Company to Samuel Holt, Liverpool, England, 1851. On display at the British Museum in London. Donated by the ifs School of Finance. Photo by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)

From How to Make Money; and How to Keep it, Or, Capital and Labor  based on the works of Thomas A. Davies Revised & Rewritten with Additions by Henry A. Ford A.M.

CHAPTER XXVII.

LIFE INSURANCE.

It is an unselfish, generous act when one takes out a life policy to protect his family. Not only this, but he is doing his simple duty. ANONYMOUS.

The Life Insurance system has been for two centuries a positive force in the progress of modern civilization and the accumulation of national wealth. It has been an important educational factor in every community, which it has influenced in habits of economy, prudence, and providence. And it stands to-day side by side with the savings-bank and the trust company, sharing the confidence with which men who seek the welfare of their fellows crown all three. Rev. STEPHEN H. TYNG Jr.

THE origin of life insurance is attributed to the Rev. Wm. Anhote, D. D., of Middleton, Lancashire, England, who opened a public office about two hundred years ago, for the benefit of widows, especially those of clergy men, and for the settling of jointures and annuities.  In 1698, the “Mercers’ Company” began to assure lives for the benefit of widows; and in July, 1806,
under charter from Queen Anne, the “Amicable Society, or Perpetual Assurance,” opened the first general office. Within a century and a half from that time, about one hundred life companies were founded in the United Kingdom. In 1820 the ” Hospital Life Insurance Company,” first in this country, began its operations in Boston. Twenty-three years afterwards the first mutual companies were founded in that city and in New York. The number of life companies in the United States is now very large, and the system of late years has had an enormous development. It has become a highly important feature in the financial world; and its object is of a nature likely to commend it to every thinking mind. We have before insisted that it is the moral and political duty of every one so to arrange his affairs that he shall under no circumstances become a burden upon the public or his friends: we now say that this branch of finance offers the best way in which such result can be obtained. For if the man be alone in the world, with no onedependent upon him, it can be shown that he will accumulate for himself as fast in some other way on small amounts, while if he has others dependent upon him, this is the only way by which an independence can certainly be assured to them.

However industrious, prudent, and saving one may be under circumstances that protect him and his, Death stands at his door to put an end at any time to such efforts, however well directed. From the responsibilities of this end there is but one loophole of escape, but one way by which the man thus situated may see his way clear, and conquer even the efforts of Death to thwart him.  Life insurance meets the case; and while it does this effectually, if at the same time it accomplishes the further end of causing money to make money to the best advantage, it is still better. But if, again, it shows how to do this, and also to keep the accumulations, a treble triumph is won; and three problems harder to solve are not found in the whole range of finance. If, then, their solution can be accomplished by the most simple and untrained offinanciers, this may be said to be the El Dorado of the protector’s hope, if not of the unskilled money-maker and hoarder of his gains.

Let anyone, then, who has such obligations upon him, consider well their binding force, politically and socially, even if he have no promptings of love or gratitude to the same end. As an anonymous writer has put it, “What a neglect of duty it is for a head of a house to go uninsured! Probably more than two-thirds of the families in any community are dependent for their subsistence upon the daily earnings of the husband or father. Precarious, indeed, must that subsistence be, which hangs wholly and absolutely upon one life–that of the father. When he ceases to exist, not only a parent dies, but a fortune perishes. Then is his life-the mint-closed to those who drew from it. How deplorable such a state of things must be when so many sudden deaths occur ! “

Let the husband and father look over the following mortality table, and see what his expectancy of life is. It will in all probability arouse him to sudden and energetic action in the right direction, before his opportunities are past with no chance to retrace or amend his ways.

 

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A Cure for Distemper in Dogs

 

The following cure was found written on a front flyleaf in an 1811 3rd Ed. copy of The Sportsman’s Guide or Sportsman’s Companion: Containing Every Possible Instruction for the Juvenille Shooter,    Together with Information Necessary for the Experienced Sportsman by B. Thomas.

 

Transcript:

Vaccinate your dogs when young with the Cow pox by introducing the matter with a lancet on the fleshy part of the fore leg — taking care to have it effectually introduced and rubbed in, first clearing away the hair, sot that it may not obstruct the Lancet — mind that the pustule stands in duo time, and the disorder has taken effect.

Give a dose of Sulphur every other day for 3 days — immediately after the scab of the pustule is dead.

Mr. Windus has tried it, and has no doubt of it’s proven the distemper in dogs.

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A History of Fowling – Ravens and Jays

From A History of Fowling, Being an Account of the Many Curios Devices by Which Wild Birds are, or Have Been, Captured in Different Parts of the World  by Rev. H.A. MacPherson, M.A. 

THE RAVEN (Corvus corax) is generally accredited with a large endowment of mother wit. Its warning croak is usually uttered long before an expectant fowler has approached within several hundred yards of its nesting haunt. But even the bird of darkness is sometimes worsted by the craft of its human enemies. The modern Greenlander destroys the Raven with a shot-gun. Continue reading A History of Fowling — Ravens and Jays

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English Cottage Gardens

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Looking for a Gift for the Book Collector in the Family?

Buying a book for a serious collector with refined tastes can be a daunting task.

However, there is one company that publishes some of the finest reproduction books in the world, books that most collectors wouldn’t mind having in their collection no matter their general preference or specialty.

King Arthur Legends, Myths, and Maidens

King Arthur, Legends, Myths & Maidens is a massive book of Arthurian legends. This limited edition paperback was just released on Barnes and Noble at a price of $139.00. Although is may seem a bit on the high side, it may prove to be well worth its price as there are only [...] Read more →

Cup of Tea? To be or not to be

Twinings London – photo by Elisa.rolle

Is the tea in your cup genuine?

The fact is, had one been living in the early 19th Century, one might occasionally encounter a counterfeit cup of tea. Food adulterations to include added poisonings and suspect substitutions were a common problem in Europe at [...] Read more →

U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act – Full Text

WIPO HQ Geneva

UNITED STATES PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION ACT

TITLE I – PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION OFFICE Chapter Section 1. Organization and Publications . 1 2. Legal Provisions as to the Plant Variety Protection Office . 21 3. Plant Variety Protection Fees . 31

CHAPTER 1.-ORGANIZATION AND PUBLICATIONS Section [...] Read more →

Why Beauty Matters – Sir Roger Scruton

Roger Scruton – Why Beauty Matters (2009) from Mirza Akdeniz on Vimeo.

Click here for another site on which to view this video.

Sadly, Sir Roger Scruton passed away a few days ago—January 12th, 2020. Heaven has gained a great philosopher.

Home Top of [...] Read more →

The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Wound Healing

The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Wound Healing Experimental Study and Review of the Literature

Steven L. Henry, MD, Matthew J. Concannon, MD, and Gloria J. Yee, MD Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Missouri Hospital & Clinics, Columbia, MO Published July 25, 2008

Objective: Magnets [...] Read more →

Commercial Tuna Salad Recipe

Tom Oates, aka Nabokov at en.wikipedia

No two commercial tuna salads are prepared by exactly the same formula, but they do not show the wide variety characteristic of herring salad. The recipe given here is typical. It is offered, however, only as a guide. The same recipe with minor variations to suit [...] Read more →

Blackberry Wine

BLACKBERRY WINE

5 gallons of blackberries 5 pound bag of sugar

Fill a pair of empty five gallon buckets half way with hot soapy water and a ¼ cup of vinegar. Wash thoroughly and rinse.

Fill one bucket with two and one half gallons of blackberries and crush with [...] Read more →

Shooting in Wet Weather

 

Reprint from The Sportsman’s Cabinet and Town and Country Magazine, Vol I. Dec. 1832, Pg. 94-95

To the Editor of the Cabinet.

SIR,

Possessing that anxious feeling so common among shooters on the near approach of the 12th of August, I honestly confess I was not able [...] Read more →

Some Notes on American Ship Worms

July 9, 1898. Forest and Stream Pg. 25

Some Notes on American Ship-Worms.

[Read before the American Fishes Congress at Tampa.]

While we wish to preserve and protect most of the products of our waters, these creatures we would gladly obliterate from the realm of living things. For [...] Read more →

Horn Measurement

Jul. 23, 1898 Forest and Stream, Pg. 65

Horn Measurements.

Editor Forest and Stream: “Record head.” How shamefully this term is being abused, especially in the past three years; or since the giant moose from Alaska made his appearance in public and placed all former records (so far as [...] Read more →

The Age of Chivalry

KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS

On the decline of the Roman power, about five centuries after Christ, the countries of Northern Europe were left almost destitute of a national government. Numerous chiefs, more or less powerful, held local sway, as far as each could enforce his dominion, and occasionally those [...] Read more →

A Summer Memory

 

Here, where these low lush meadows lie, We wandered in the summer weather, When earth and air and arching sky, Blazed grandly, goldenly together.

And oft, in that same summertime, We sought and roamed these self-same meadows, When evening brought the curfew chime, And peopled field and fold with shadows.

I mind me [...] Read more →

Protecting Rare Books: How to Build a Silverfish Trap

Silverfish damage to book – photo by Micha L. Rieser

The beauty of hunting silverfish is that they are not the most clever of creatures in the insect kingdom.

Simply take a small clean glass jar and wrap it in masking tape. The masking tape gives the silverfish something to [...] Read more →

Peach Brandy

PEACH BRANDY

2 gallons + 3 quarts boiled water 3 qts. peaches, extremely ripe 3 lemons, cut into sections 2 sm. pkgs. yeast 10 lbs. sugar 4 lbs. dark raisins

Place peaches, lemons and sugar in crock. Dissolve yeast in water (must NOT be to hot). Stir thoroughly. Stir daily for 7 days. Keep [...] Read more →

AB Bookman’s 1948 Guide to Describing Conditions

AB Bookman’s 1948 Guide to Describing Conditions:

As New is self-explanatory. It means that the book is in the state that it should have been in when it left the publisher. This is the equivalent of Mint condition in numismatics. Fine (F or FN) is As New but allowing for the normal effects of [...] Read more →

Vitruvius Ten Books on Architecture

VITRUVIUS

The Ten Books on Architecture

TRANSLATED By MORRIS HICKY MORGAN, PH.D., LL.D. LATE PROFESSOR OF CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY

IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND ORIGINAL DESINGS PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF HERBERT LANGFORD WARREN, A.M.

NELSON ROBINSON JR. PROFESSOR OF ARCHITECTURE IN HARVARD [...] Read more →

The Kalmar War

Wojna Kalmarska – 1611

The Kalmar War

From The Historian’s History of the World (In 25 Volumes) by Henry Smith William L.L.D. – Vol. XVI.(Scandinavia) Pg. 308-310

The northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula, as already noticed, had been peopled from the remotest times by nomadic tribes called Finns or Cwenas by [...] Read more →

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Officers and men of the 13th Light Dragoons, British Army, Crimea. Rostrum photograph of photographer’s original print, uncropped and without color correction. Survivors of the Charge.

Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the [...] Read more →

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Home Top of [...] Read more →

Cocktails and Canapés

From The How and When, An Authoritative reference reference guide to the origin, use and classification of the world’s choicest vintages and spirits by Hyman Gale and Gerald F. Marco. The Marco name is of a Chicago family that were involved in all aspects of the liquor business and ran Marco’s Bar [...] Read more →

The First Christian Man Cremated in America

Laurens’ portrait as painted during his time spent imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was kept for over a year after being captured at sea while serving as the United States minister to the Netherlands during the Revolutionary War.

The first Christian white man to be cremated in America was [...] Read more →

The Standard Navy Cutter and a Whale Boat Design

Dec. 24, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 513-514

The Standard Navy Boats.

Above we find,

The accompanying illustrations show further details of the standard navy boats, the lines of which appeared last week. In all of these boats, as stated previously, the quality of speed has been given [...] Read more →

Proper Wines to Serve with Food

Foie gras with Sauternes, Photo by Laurent Espitallier

As an Appetizer

Pale dry Sherry, with or without bitters, chilled or not. Plain or mixed Vermouth, with or without bitters. A dry cocktail.

With Oysters, Clams or Caviar

A dry flinty wine such as Chablis, Moselle, Champagne. Home Top of [...] Read more →

The First Pineapple Grown in England

First Pineapple Grown in England

Click here to read an excellent article on the history of pineapple growing in the UK.

Should one be interested in serious mass scale production, click here for scientific resources.

Growing pineapples in the UK.

The video below demonstrates how to grow pineapples in Florida.

[...] Read more →

Sea and River Fishing

An angler with a costly pole Surmounted with a silver reel, Carven in quaint poetic scroll- Jointed and tipped with finest steel— With yellow flies, Whose scarlet eyes And jasper wings are fair to see, Hies to the stream Whose bubbles beam Down murmuring eddies wild and free. And casts the line with sportsman’s [...] Read more →

The Cremation of Sam McGee

Robert W. Service (b.1874, d.1958)

 

There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night [...] Read more →

A Conversation between H.F. Leonard and K. Higashi

H.F. Leonard was an instructor in wrestling at the New York Athletic Club. Katsukum Higashi was an instructor in Jujitsu.

“I say with emphasis and without qualification that I have been unable to find anything in jujitsu which is not known to Western wrestling. So far as I can see, [...] Read more →

The Black Grouper or Jewfish.

 

Nov. 5. 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 371-372

The Black Grouper or Jewfish.

New Smyrna, Fla., Oct. 21.—Editor Forest and Stream:

It is not generally known that the fish commonly called jewfish. warsaw and black grouper are frequently caught at the New Smyrna bridge [...] Read more →

Ought King Leopold to be Hanged?

King Leopold Butcher of the Congo

For the somewhat startling suggestion in the heading of this interview, the missionary interviewed is in no way responsible. The credit of it, or, if you like, the discredit, belongs entirely to the editor of the Review, who, without dogmatism, wishes to pose the question as [...] Read more →

The Field of the Cloth of Gold

Reprint from the Royal Collection Trust Website

The meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I, known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold, took place between 7 to 24 June 1520 in a valley subsequently called the Val d’Or, near Guisnes to the south of Calais. The [...] Read more →

Carpenters’ Furniture

IT requires a far search to gather up examples of furniture really representative in this kind, and thus to gain a point of view for a prospect into the more ideal where furniture no longer is bought to look expensively useless in a boudoir, but serves everyday and commonplace need, such as [...] Read more →

King Lear

Edwin Austin Abbey. King Lear, Act I, Scene I (Cordelia’s Farewell) The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dates: 1897-1898 Dimensions: Height: 137.8 cm (54.25 in.), Width: 323.2 cm (127.24 in.) Medium: Painting – oil on canvas

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Stoke Park – Granted by King Charles I

Stoke Park Pavillions

 

Stoke Park Pavilions, UK, view from A405 Road. photo by Wikipedia user Cj1340

 

From Wikipedia:

Stoke Park – the original house

Stoke park was the first English country house to display a Palladian plan: a central house with balancing pavilions linked by colonnades or [...] Read more →

The Perfect Salad Dressing

The following recipes are from a small booklet entitled 500 Delicious Salads that was published for the Culinary Arts Institute in 1940 by Consolidated Book Publishers, Inc. 153 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill.

If you have been looking for a way to lighten up your salads and be free of [...] Read more →

Mudlark Regulations in the U.K.

Mudlarks of London

Mudlarking along the Thames River foreshore is controlled by the Port of London Authority.

According to the Port of London website, two type of permits are issued for those wishing to conduct metal detecting, digging, or searching activities.

Standard – allows digging to a depth of 7.5 [...] Read more →

The Shirk – An Old but Familiar Phenomena

STORE MANAGEMENT—THE SHIRK.

THE shirk is a well-known specimen of the genus homo. His habitat is offices, stores, business establishments of all kinds. His habits are familiar to us, but a few words on the subject will not be amiss. The shirk usually displays activity when the boss is around, [...] Read more →

Napoleon’s Pharmacists

NAPOLEON’S PHARMACISTS.

Of the making of books about Napoleon there is no end, and the centenary of his death (May 5) is not likely to pass without adding to the number, but a volume on Napoleon”s pharmacists still awaits treatment by the student in this field of historical research. There [...] Read more →

How to Distinguish Fishes

 

Sept. 3, 1898. Forest and Stream Pg. 188-189

How to Distinguish Fishes.

BY FRED MATHER. The average angler knows by sight all the fish which he captures, but ask him to describe one and he is puzzled, and will get off on the color of the fish, which is [...] Read more →

Clairvoyance – Methods of Development

CLAIRVOYANCE

by C. W. Leadbeater

Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Pub. House

[1899]

CHAPTER IX – METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT

When a men becomes convinced of the reality of the valuable power of clairvoyance, his first question usually is, “How can [...] Read more →

The Preparation of Marketable Vinegar

It is unnecessary to point out that low-grade fruit may often be used to advantage in the preparation of vinegar. This has always been true in the case of apples and may be true with other fruit, especially grapes. The use of grapes for wine making is an outlet which [...] Read more →

List of the 60 Franklin Library Signed Limited Editions

The following highly collectible Franklin Library Signed Editions were published between 1977 and 1982. They are all fully leather bound with beautiful covers and contain gorgeous and rich silk moire endpapers. Signatures are protected by unattached tissue inserts.

The values listed are average prices that were sought by [...] Read more →

The Snipe

THE SNIPE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811

AFTER having given a particular description of the woodcock, it will only. be necessary to observe, that the plumage and shape of the snipe is much the same ; and indeed its habits and manners sets bear a great [...] Read more →

Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois and the Dulwich Picture Gallery

Noel Desenfans and Sir Francis Bourgeois, circa 1805 by Paul Sandby, watercolour on paper

The Dulwich Picture Gallery was England’s first purpose-built art gallery and considered by some to be England’s first national gallery. Founded by the bequest of Sir Peter Francis Bourgois, dandy, the gallery was built to display his vast [...] Read more →

Mocking Bird Food

Mocking Bird Food.

Hemp seed……….2 pounds Rape seed………. .1 pound Crackers………….1 pound Rice…………….1/4 pound Corn meal………1/4 pound Lard oil…………1/4 pound

 

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A Couple of Classic Tennessee Squirrel Recipes

FRIED SQUIRREL & BISCUIT GRAVY

3-4 Young Squirrels, dressed and cleaned 1 tsp. Morton Salt or to taste 1 tsp. McCormick Black Pepper or to taste 1 Cup Martha White All Purpose Flour 1 Cup Hog Lard – Preferably fresh from hog killing, or barbecue table

Cut up three to [...] Read more →

Fly Casting Instructions

It is a pity that the traditions and literature in praise of fly fishing have unconsciously hampered instead of expanded this graceful, effective sport. Many a sportsman has been anxious to share its joys, but appalled by the rapture of expression in describing its countless thrills and niceties he has been literally [...] Read more →

Commercial Fried Fish Cake Recipe

Dried Norwegian Salt Cod

Fried fish cakes are sold rather widely in delicatessens and at prepared food counters of department stores in the Atlantic coastal area. This product has possibilities for other sections of the country.

Ingredients:

Home Top of [...] Read more →

The Intaglio Processes for Audubon’s Birds of America

Notes on the intaglio processes of the most expensive book on birds available for sale in the world today.

The Audubon prints in “The Birds of America” were all made from copper plates utilizing four of the so called “intaglio” processes, engraving, etching, aquatint, and drypoint. Intaglio [...] Read more →

JP Morgan’s Digital Currency Patent Application

J.P. Morgan Patent #8,452,703

Method and system for processing internet payments using the electronic funds transfer network.

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a method and system for conducting financial transactions over a payment network. The method may include associating a payment address of an account [...] Read more →

A Creative Approach to Saving Ye Olde Cassette Tapes

Quite possibly, the most agonizing decision being made by Baby Boomers across the nation these days is what to do with all that vintage Hi-fi equipment and boxes full of classic rock and roll cassettes and 8-Tracks.

I faced this dilemma head-on this past summer as I definitely wanted in [...] Read more →

The Crime of the Congo by Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Man looks at severed hand and foot….for refusing to climb a tree to cut rubber for King Leopold

Click here to read The Crime of the Congo by Arthur Conan Doyle

Victim of King Leopold of Belgium

Click on the link below for faster download.

The [...] Read more →

The Fowling Piece – Part I

THE FOWLING PIECE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811.

I AM perfectly aware that a large volume might be written on this subject; but, as my intention is to give only such information and instruction as is necessary for the sportsman, I shall forbear introducing any extraneous [...] Read more →

Public Attitudes Towards Speculation

Reprint from The Pitfalls of Speculation by Thomas Gibson 1906 Ed.

THE PUBLIC ATTITUDE TOWARD SPECULATION

THE public attitude toward speculation is generally hostile. Even those who venture frequently are prone to speak discouragingly of speculative possibilities, and to point warningly to the fact that an overwhelming majority [...] Read more →

Pickled Eels

Vintage woodcut illustration of a Eel

 

This dish is a favorite in Northern Europe, from the British Isles to Sweden.

Clean and skin the eels and cut them into pieces about 3/4-inch thick. Wash and drain the pieces, then dredge in fine salt and allow to stand from 30 [...] Read more →

Origin of the Apothecary

ORIGIN OF THE APOTHECARY.

The origin of the apothecary in England dates much further back than one would suppose from what your correspondent, “A Barrister-at-Law,” says about it. It is true he speaks only of apothecaries as a distinct branch of the medical profession, but long before Henry VIII’s time [...] Read more →

Arsenic and Old Lace

What is follows is an historical article that appeared in The Hartford Courant in 1916 about the arsenic murders carried out by Mrs. Archer-Gilligan. This story is the basis for the 1944 Hollywood film “Arsenic and Old Lace” starring Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane and directed by Frank Capra. The [...] Read more →

Gold and Economic Freedom

by Alan Greenspan, 1967

An almost hysterical antagonism toward the gold standard is one issue which unites statists of all persuasions. They seem to sense-perhaps more clearly and subtly than many consistent defenders of laissez-faire — that gold and economic freedom are inseparable, that the gold standard is an instrument [...] Read more →

Audubon’s Art Method and Techniques

Audubon started to develop a special technique for drawing birds in 1806 a Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. He perfected it during the long river trip from Cincinnati to New Orleans and in New Orleans, 1821.

Home Top of [...] Read more →

Life Among the Thugee

The existence of large bodies of men having no other means of subsistence than those afforded by plunder, is, in all countries, too common to excite surprise; and, unhappily, organized bands of assassins are not peculiar to India! The associations of murderers known by the name of Thugs present, however, [...] Read more →

What’s the Matter?

A rhetorical question? Genuine concern?

In this essay we are examining another form of matter otherwise known as national literary matters, the three most important of which being the Matter of Rome, Matter of France, and the Matter of England.

Our focus shall be on the Matter of England or [...] Read more →

Indian Mode of Hunting – Beaver

Jul. 30, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 87

Indian Mode of Hunting.

I.—Beaver.

Wa-sa-Kejic came over to the post early one October, and said his boy had cut his foot, and that he had no one to steer his canoe on a proposed beaver hunt. Now [...] Read more →

A History of the Use of Arsenicals in Man

The arsenicals (compounds which contain the heavy metal element arsenic, As) have a long history of use in man – with both benevolent and malevolent intent. The name ‘arsenic’ is derived from the Greek word ‘arsenikon’ which means ‘potent'”. As early as 2000 BC, arsenic trioxide, obtained from smelting copper, was used [...] Read more →

The Basics of Painting in the Building Trade

PAINTER-WORK, in the building trade. When work is painted one or both of two distinct ends is achieved, namely the preservation and the coloration of the material painted. The compounds used for painting—taking the word as meaning a thin protective or decorative coat—are very numerous, including oil-paint of many kinds, distemper, whitewash, [...] Read more →

Platform of the American Institute of Banking in 1919

Resolution adapted at the New Orleans Convention of the American Institute of Banking, October 9, 1919:

“Ours is an educational association organized for the benefit of the banking fraternity of the country and within our membership may be found on an equal basis both employees and employers; [...] Read more →

Clairvoyance and Occult Powers

Vishnu as the Cosmic Man (Vishvarupa) Opaque watercolour on paper – Jaipur, Rajasthan c. 1800-50

 

CLAIRVOYANCE AND OCCULT POWERS

By Swami Panchadasi

Copyright, 1916

By Advanced Thought Pub. Co. Chicago, Il

INTRODUCTION.

In preparing this series of lessons for students of [...] Read more →

A Crock of Squirrel

A CROCK OF SQUIRREL

4 young squirrels – quartered Salt & Pepper 1 large bunch of fresh coriander 2 large cloves of garlic 2 tbsp. salted sweet cream cow butter ¼ cup of brandy 1 tbsp. turbinado sugar 6 fresh apricots 4 strips of bacon 1 large package of Monterrey [...] Read more →

The Hunt Saboteur

The Hunt Saboteur is a national disgrace barking out loud, black mask on her face get those dogs off, get them off she did yell until a swift kick from me mare her voice it did quell and sent the Hunt Saboteur scurrying up vale to the full cry of hounds drowning out her [...] Read more →

Producing and Harvesting Tobacco Seed

THE FIRST step in producing a satisfactory crop of tobacco is to use good seed that is true to type. The grower often can save his own seed to advantage, if he wants to.

Before topping is done, he should go over the tobacco field carefully to pick [...] Read more →

A General Process for Making Wine

A General Process for Making Wine.

Gathering the Fruit Picking the Fruit Bruising the Fruit Vatting the Fruit Vinous Fermentation Drawing the Must Pressing the Must Casking the Must Spirituous Fermentation Racking the Wine Bottling and Corking the Wine Drinking the Wine

GATHERING THE FRUIT.

It is of considerable consequence [...] Read more →

The Racing Knockabout Gosling

The Racing Knockabout Gosling.

Gosling was the winning yacht of 1897 in one of the best racing classes now existing in this country, the Roston knockabout class. The origin of this class dates back about six years, when Carl, a small keel cutter, was built for C. H. [...] Read more →

King James Bible – Knights Templar Edition

Full Cover, rear, spine, and front

Published by Piranesi Press in collaboration with Country House Essays, this beautiful paperback version of the King James Bible is now available for $79.95 at Barnes and Noble.com

This is a limited Edition of 500 copies Worldwide. Click here to view other classic books [...] Read more →

Palermo Wine

Take to every quart of water one pound of Malaga raisins, rub and cut the raisins small, and put them to the water, and let them stand ten days, stirring once or twice a day. You may boil the water an hour before you put it to the raisins, and let it [...] Read more →

Wine Making

Wine Making

Grapes are the world’s leading fruit crop and the eighth most important food crop in the world, exceeded only by the principal cereals and starchytubers. Though substantial quantities are used for fresh fruit, raisins, juice and preserves, most of the world’s annual production of about 60 million [...] Read more →

A Few Wine Recipes

EIGHTEEN GALLONS is here give as a STANDARD for all the following Recipes, it being the most convenient size cask to Families. See A General Process for Making Wine

If, however, only half the quantity of Wine is to be made, it is but to divide the portions of [...] Read more →

Glimpses from the Chase

From Fores’s Sporting Notes and Sketches, A Quarterly Magazine Descriptive of British, Indian, Colonial, and Foreign Sport with Thirty Two Full Page Illustrations Volume 10 1893, London; Mssrs. Fores Piccadilly W. 1893, All Rights Reserved.

GLIMPSES OF THE CHASE, Ireland a Hundred Years Ago. By ‘Triviator.’

FOX-HUNTING has, like Racing, [...] Read more →

The Hoochie Coochie Hex

From Dr. Marvel’s 1929 book entitled Hoodoo for the Common Man, we find his infamous Hoochie Coochie Hex.

What follows is a verbatim transcription of the text:

The Hoochie Coochie Hex should not be used in conjunction with any other Hexes. This can lead to [...] Read more →

44 Berkeley Square

The Clermont Club

Reprint from London Bisnow/UK

At £23M, its sale is not the biggest property deal in the world. But the Clermont Club casino in Berkeley Square in London could lay claim to being the most significant address in modern finance — it is where the concept of what is today [...] Read more →

The English Tradition of Woodworking

THE sense of a consecutive tradition has so completely faded out of English art that it has become difficult to realise the meaning of tradition, or the possibility of its ever again reviving; and this state of things is not improved by the fact that it is due to uncertainty of purpose, [...] Read more →

Indian Modes of Hunting – Setting Fox Traps

Aug. 13, 1898 Forest and Stream, Pg. 125

Game Bag and Gun.

Indian Modes of Hunting. III.—Foxes.

The fox as a rule is a most wily animal, and numerous are the stories of his cunning toward the Indian hunter with his steel traps.