“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” “The Lorax”, by Dr. Seuss
I’ve been going through some sort of weird internal transformation this year. This hommage piece is definitely a hint as to what has been eating at me.
Seriously, this cat is turning more and more alien the more I work with them as a “conceptual” messenger…
i learned that Dr. Seuss’s first book “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” was rejected by 27 publishers. He decided to destroy the book but randomly bumped into an old friend who’d just become a children’s book editor, who asked to look at it and ended up publishing it (x)
NPR turns 50 this year, so we’re celebrating some of the movies, music and books from the year of our birth, 1971 – like Dr. Seuss’s sadly prophetic The Lorax, which is even more prescient now in the wake of the recent U.N. climate report.
Our own Elizabeth Blair talked to scientists, environmentalists and educators about the book’s legacy – people like Mark Gozonsky, a writer and high school English teacher in Los Angeles whose students have analyzedThe Lorax in the context of global warming. “He kind of says ‘I told you so,’ like, I told you this was going to be bad and now it’s bad,” Gozonsky says. “The book ends on a question mark … 'Well, what are you going to do about it?’ And that’s the very question mark that we land on today.”
April Fool’s Day seems like it happened years ago, but we are carrying on the humor with our current pop-up exhibit, “Punny Pick-me-ups: Humor as a Social Medicine Prescribed by Professional Punsters,” curated by GA Kellie Clinton. On display are a series of joke books, also referred to as wits, witticisms, jests, satires, bon mots, boners, and more. These eleven books demonstrate how humor has evolved from 1658 to 1931. This particular exhibit looks at these items through the lens of using humor as a social medicine, defining both “ailment” and “social medicine” very broadly.
Included in these eleven books on display are four books that hold a unique connection to each other. The first book is Joe Miller’s jest book: an immense collection of the funniest jokes, quaint and laughable anecdotes. Mirth provoking stores, brilliant witticisms, and queer sayings, as told by the Original Joe Miller (Downs 0066). While I building the exhibit, the goal was to come up with a few examples from each century. However, Joe Miller’s jest book did not have a publication date attached to it anywhere, neither in the book itself nor in the catalogue records. A quick Google search revealed a more complex history of this book. It turns out that Joe Miller’s jest book was originally published under a different name in London: Jest Book: the choicest anecdotes and sayings by Mark Lemon, published in 1865 (Meine 808.7 L54j1865). While Lemon did not put his name anywhere in his book, he did sign the preface “M.L.”, a clue to readers about who the author is. It turns out that because Lemon’s joke book did so well in London, American publishers stole the book and published it in America, word for word. The entire book was stolen and republished, down to the illustrations and the preface being signed “M.L.”
So was the name Joe Miller significant, or just another name attached to the stolen book? A search of the name Joe Miller proved that he was real, and he was significant. The real Joe Miller (1864-1738) was an English actor at Drury Lane. During his time at Drury Lane, he was known to frequent a local bar where other frequenters knew him as being very serious. Due to his demeanor, the other bar frequenters began attributing jokes to him. These jokes were then compiled by John Mottley (under the pseudonym Elijah Jenkins, Esq.), numbered 1-247, and published as Joe Miller’s jests, or, the Wits Vade-Mecum. Being A Collection of the most Brilliant Jests; the Politest Repartees; the most Elegant Bon Mots, and most pleasant short stories in the English Language in 1739 (Meine 827 J59). Mottley’s book was so popular that jokes began to be referred to as a “Joe Miller,” “Joe Millerism,” or “Millerisms”. Other books that were unrelated to Mottley’s began using “Joe Miller” in the title to try and benefit from the success Mottley found with his book. This is evident in the previously mentioned Joe Miller’s jest book, but also in others, like The New Joe Miller’s Jest Book, published sometime in the 1860s in London (Meine 827 N422).
These four books, along with the other seven, can be found on display at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library through Friday, April 26th.
Image from The pocket book of boners: an omnibus of schoolboy howlers and unconscious humor, illustrated by Dr. Seuss.
The Great Birthday Bird has come from the land of Katroo to celebrate both Dr. Seuss’ birthday and Read Across America Day!
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as his pen-name Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2nd, 1904. His career in writing and drawing started in various advertising campaigns and magazines before making the switch to children’s books. His very first children’s book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was published in 1937 by Vanguard Press after it had been rejected by over twenty different publishers. He took a short break from children’s books during World War II to focus on political cartoons. He returned back to children’s book, this time under the publisher Random House, and continued publishing books that we continue to know and love today, like The Cat in the Hat (1957),How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), and Green Eggs and Ham (1960).
Beginning in 1998, the National Education Association (NEA) began observing Read Across America Day every year on March 2nd. On this day, it is common for libraries, schools, and community centers to host special reading-related events to celebrate this day. Join us in reading your favorite Dr. Seuss book on Read Across America Day!
Happy birthday to you! by Dr. Seuss. New York : Random House, [1959]. SE. G27ha
And to think that I saw it on Mulberry street by Dr. Seuss. New York : Vanguard Press, 1937. SE. G27a
Ash Wednesday - Signals the beginning of Lenten season for Christians. It takes place 46 days before Easter and the day after Shrove Tuesday. Those who celebrate Ash Wednesday reflect, fast, repent and celebrate. The ashes represent death and repentance and Ash Wednesday services focus on both. In many churches, the ashes are made from the palm branches that are burned from the previous Palm Sunday service. Following a service or mass, the pastor or priest will invite their congregation to receive the ashes on their forehead. A cross pattern or other similar mark is made. This solemn day begins a time of meditation, reflection, self-examination, study, and contemplation when Christians consider their own mortality and sinfulness in preparation for Easter.
Banana Cream Pie Day - The traditional custard pie was modified into a recipe that resulted in the appetizing and flavorful banana cream pie. Dating back to the 19th century, banana cream pie found its way into recipe books. Today, recipes fill cookbooks and flood the internet for this yummy pie. In the 1950s, soldiers of the United States Armed Services ranked the banana cream pie as one of their favorites.
Dr Seuss Day - Theodor Seuss Geisel, commonly known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, was a writer, poet and cartoonist. Though best known as a children’s author (he released a whopping forty-six books for tykes), his career also saw him work as an illustrator for advertising campaigns and a political cartoonist during the Second World War. He was also a true perfectionist, known to discard 95% of his material before settling on a theme for a new book, sometimes spending up to a year writing a single story, and preferring payment upon completion, rather than in advance. March 2nd is a celebration of his life and works, as it was on this day in 1904 that he entered the world. Having lived eighty-seven years and made an incredible impact on numerous generations, he died in 1991 at his home in La Jolla, California. His many bizarre, colorful and zany tales are still cherished by young and old alike
Old Stuff Day - A day to break out of the old routines and experience new ones.
We have all heard the saying, “same old, same old.” Well, this is the day to do things differently. There is no limit to how you can change up your day.
Read Across America Day - This motivational and awareness day calls all children and youth in every community across the United States to celebrate reading. It encourages them to read where ever they are.
World Teen Mental Wellness Day - According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z has the worst mental health of any generation. However, teens are dedicated to making a difference. According to YPulse, 64 percent of Gen Z say they want to achieve a healthier lifestyle for overall happiness, including a stronger self-care routine. Also, 94 percent consider mental health very important to their well-being. Ultimately, raising awareness about mental health and the importance of self-care can help improve an entire generation’s mental wellness.
As Nobby Holder once screamed into an unknowable future: “IT IS CHRIIIIIIISTMAAASSS” and therefore we are very much less than proud to showcase the SLIGHTLY WRONG QUOTES XMAS 2018 COLLECTION.
Check out the SLIGHTLY WRONG QUOTES online shop for the entire range and other terrible stuff for your loved ones this holiday seasoning: http://www.mysoti.com/designer/slightlywrong
Preview panel only. Click herefor full cartoon. Or see the on-site navigation tutorial. Cartoons may contain unmarked spoilers. Cartoons linked at 10:00 Central US are new. Cartoons at 22:00 are from the archive. Thanks for reading.
[Image description: Preview panel of the cartoon at the link. Sam I Am of Green Eggs And Ham holds a platter which bear the head of the reluctant diner. Unfortunately there are not image descriptions at the main Hero Of Three Faces site. End description.]
