Sneaking in a date-book double. Happy birthday, F. Scott Fitzgerald!

WORK

“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of—” I hesitated.

“Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly.

That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…

—F. Scott Fitzgerald
—from The Great Gatsby

WORD(S)

genizah. noun. A store-room or other repository in a synagogue or cemetery for damaged, discarded or heretical books, documents and relics—anything with God’s name written or inscribed one it—before they are properly buried. For example, Cambridge University has digitized many such items in their Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection. In Hebrew, literally, “hiding place.” Hat-Tip: Reader B.

“Among the Hebrew manuscripts recovered in 1896 from the Genizah of an old synagogue at Fostat, near Cairo…” (George Moore)

“In medieval Cairo, this custom was extended to anything written in Hebrew, but instead of being buried, such items were stored in a genizah in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fostat (Old Cairo), where most of the Jews lived; the arid conditions preserved them.” (Sara Reguer)

“Besides these sacred and semi-sacred books, the Genizah proved a refuge to a class of writing that never aspired to the dignity of real books but, are, for all of that, of the greatest importance for Jewish history.” (The Friend)

WEB

1. Mindell Dubansky publishes a detailed blog about “blooks” or book-shaped objects made to emulate books, such as book boxes, lamps, flasks, lighters, baking molds, pop-out snake toys and many, many more. Fascinating (the New York Times agrees). See also, an informative little article on blooks at Book Patrol and their associated blooks Pinterest board.

2. A moving, eye-opening article about the drought and farmers in California: “Scenes from the New American Dustbowl”

3. First Laura Mersini-Houghton proves that our universe is just one among many…then she proves that black holes cannot, mathematically, exist. I’m going to hope the first result stands and the second is reversed.

4. When the rent for his commercial space quadrupled, ►Michael Seidenberg moved his bookstore, Brazenhead Books to his apartment, creating a (not-so) secret shop.

5. Today in 1895, Annie Londonderry becomes the first woman to bicycle around the world, not only questioning Victorian era assumptions about women, but causing some to question if she is a woman at all. Read Peter Zheutlin’s two-part series on Londonderry in which he chases down the story—and the person—and then retraces her epic odyssey.

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

• Reader J. points out that Marian Call, featured here a short while ago performing an updated “Elements Song,” has been known to use a typewriter on stage and in her music. — I’ll trade you: a little Marian Call-related easter egg: http://ktxc.to/boing-xoxo-2014.

• Reader T. shares a video that “expand[s] on the winklepicker (and the poulaines of the middle ages).” He goes on, “Seems, like the mullet, there might be something deeper behind the historical tenacity of these choices.” — True that. In the case of the poulaine it appears to be a fashion that persisted, in part, as a form of religious rebellion.

• Reader J. echoes my own thoughts: “I’m so glad [you] spotlighted The Wheeling Year, which I’ve only begun to read, but it is bowling me over. Kooser, or his publisher, cannily classifies the book as ”Creative Nonfiction/Memoir“ (I believe—I don’t have it in front of me at the moment), but it’s really prose poems, it seems to me. Or maybe it’s just that Kooser can’t help but write poetry, whether in prose or verse. Great stuff!”

I welcome comments, suggestions, thoughts, feedback and all manner of what-have-you. Just press ‘Reply’ or email to: clippings@katexic.com.

And please feel free to share anything here as far and wide as you want! If you want to give a shout-out, please link to: http://katexic.com/clippings/.