And then what happened?

Amazing Good Omens title sequence. I LOVES IT, I DO I DO.

(Source: balphesian)

I bought this for my Dad for Christmas, but couldn’t resist reading it myself. I’m obviously a terrible gift-giver. There are some absolute gems in here though. Choice extracts:

*   *   *   *   *

The Odyssey

Aegean forecast -

storms, chance of one-eyed giants.

Delays expected.

*   *   *   *   *

The Scarlet Letter

Grim, grey New England - 

all adulterers receive

free monogramming

*   *   *   *   *

Doctor Faustus

A scholar trades a

few fun years for endless Hell.

Maths was not his field.

*   *   *   *   *

Well done, David Bader, well done indeed.

thedailywhat:

Things That Should Be Real of the Day: From “Five Sci-Fi Children’s Books” by Caldwell “The Man, The Myth, The” Tanner.

[thanks andrew!]

If someone made this into a poster I would buy the HELL out of it.

The Puffin Book of Nonsense Stories by Quentin Blake | LibraryThing

I found it!!! What an amazingly good kids’ book it is. Hell, what an amazing book it is, full stop. I really want to read it again.

via iamshallow.files.wordpress.com

Joys of Nonsense

So, I am almost halfway through Through the Looking-Glass, having finished Alice in Wonderland this morning for the first time in many years and thoroughly enjoying it. It reminded me, in fact, that once upon a time I used to absolutely adore any sort of story that was mostly nonsense. Walking home tonight from the bus, I suddenly remembered a story I hadn’t thought of in years - but all I could remember of it was that there were children in a boat with an enormous kettle, that they encountered vast quantities of remarkable food, and that they took home a rhinoceros to use as a doorscraper (which seemed very unfair).

A little digging brought it all back - The Four Little Children Who Went Round the World by Edward Lear, a magnificent story which I originally owned in a compilation illustrated by - I think - Quentin Blake. Probably called something along the lines of the Nonsense Book of Nonsense. I wonder what happened to it? Anyway I highly recommend whatever it is.

On Tuesday I had the happy fortune of having a couple of hours between the end of the movie I had gone to see (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, surreal and disjointed and not for the overly serious) and meeting some generally excellent folk at the Bavarian Bier Cafe. As is my habit when I’m in the middle of Sydney with time on my hands, I drifted towards Kinokuniya with the vague intention of taking up my spot by the window to finish the novel I’d been reading. However, as usual, I ended up in the graphic design section and happened upon a thing most glorious: an Edward Gorey poster book. I stood there grinning like an idiot for a good ten minutes as I went through each one, and now I’m thinking that it would make an excellent Christmas present for my mother, who sent me Edward Gorey cards every fortnight while she was overseas a few years ago. Also I really want an excuse to buy it.

Of the pictures I’ve posted up top, only the Veiled Bear one is actually in the poster book, but I couldn’t find images of my favourite ones. Anyway the gist of this post is Edward Gorey is phenomenal.

Liz Wolfe makes photographs. Ah, saccharine horror, always a good way to start the week. As a side note, that donut one I’ve posted up there reminds me of nothing so much as the ‘D’ page in Graeme Base’s Animalia, which is probably one of the best books ever invented in the history of everything.

Shaun Tan. <3.

So I changed my Tumblr appearance/theme/thing. I think I like it better now.

I owe a great debt to girlscoutcookie and also my dear friend Ele for introducing me to the literature of Mr. Gaiman. Have I mentioned that before? I mention it again, and will continue to do so. In related news this is a fantastic photo.

This is by someone called littlewolfstar and I would like to personally shake their hand. This is a Good Omens joke. If you do not know what Good Omens is, I suggest you find out. IMMEDIATELY.

Oh my oh my oh my. I want stairs like these please.

(via mariamaria0101)