This Week in 1844: Awesome Ad

In contrast to the second half of the nineteenth century, in the first half, illustrated ads were the exception due to the high taxes on advertisements. So I was tickled pink to find this lovely thing in this week's ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS. It's a traveling dressing case with an in-built writer's desk. Very cool, isn't it?

Writer's Desk: Plotting Falling for a Scoundrel

Let's put it like this: I'm a tad late with this....

Fiction vs Reality

There's a scene in Mercedes Lackey's MAGIC'S PRICE where Stef, one of the main characters, plays the harp for too long and ends up with terrible, bleeding blisters on his hands. I've always thought this was some kind of dramatic exaggeration.

Eh.... not quite. In this case fiction seems to be uncomfortably close to reality.

An hour with the sweet thing in the picture up there and I have the beginnings of a fiendish blister on my index finger. As a (former) piano player, I've never fully appreciated the physical problems players of stringed instruments have to deal with.

But isn't it a pretty thing? It's a concert ukulele from Luna

This Week in 1844: Metropolitan News

 One of the columns in the Illustrated London News was titled "Metropolitan News" - and the following snippet appeared in the issue from 18 May 1844:

On Wednesday evening the Lord Mayor entertained her Majesty's Ministers, and several members of both houses of Parliament, at dinner, in the Egyptian Hall, at the Mansion-House [= i.e. the residence of the mayor of London]. Among the guests, who were very numerous, we observed the Lord Chancellor, Lord Wharncliffe, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Lincoln, Earl Delawarr, Earl of Devon, Earl of Shaftesbury, Earl of Jersey, Earl Jermyn, Lord S. Somerset, Viscount Barrington, Lord Canning, Lord Ashley, Lord Eliot, the Bishop of Llandaff, Sir Robert Peel, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Monteagle, Sirs G. Murray, James Graham, E. Knatchbull, Mr. E. Gladstone, Sir J. Nicholl, Captain Gordon, &c. All the leading members of the Corporation were also present.

(I assume that "Corporation" refers to the Corporation of London, the local government.)

This Week in 1844: News from America!

From The Illustrated London News, 18 May 1844: 

The city of Washington, the seat of the American Government, has just been the scene of two events of a very opposite character - the signature of the treaty for the annexation of the Republic of Texas to the United States, and the delivery of a Message by the President in communicating this treaty to the Senate; besides an affray in the House of Representatives, and the attempted assassination of one of its members.

This bit of juicy news was run by a number of British newspapers with reference to the New York Sun. What happened was that a brawl broke out between representatives during the discussion of a bill: Mr. Wright from Kentucky made a pass (and yes, that would be a physical pass...) at Mr. Rathbun from New York and both proceeded to hit upon each other. While the rest of the representatives tried to separate the two men, one William S. Moore, who had for some weeks tried in vain to obtain a claim from the government, tried to enter the house, was hindered, and proceeded to shoot at the representative from Ohio. He missed this man, but wounded another instead.

The whole affair was referred to a committee of five for investigation, with instructions to report a Bill for the punishment of offences committed within the House. At the solicitation of friends, Mr. Rathbun and Mr. White shook hands amid the applause of the House. Thus that affair ended.

Launch of THE BRIDE PRIZE

I'm thrilled to announce that THE BRIDE PRIZE, the first in the Allan's Miscellany series is now available on both Amazon and Kobo, with B&N soon to follow. Here's the blurb:

It's 1839, and Lord Eglinton's tournament in Scotland is the most anticipated event of the year: he and some of his noble friends will don medieval armor and joust like knights of old.

Does this mean a revival of true chivalry? Miss Florence Marsh thinks it might.

Or is the tournament mere tomfoolery and the greatest folly of the century? Mr. Robert Beaton thinks it is.

But when Flo and Robbie meet at Eglinton Park, they'll soon learn that a dash of romance can make the greatest differences look rather small and that true love might find you in the most unlikely place.

If only Robbie wasn't working for that scandalous new magazine Allan's Miscellany! If only Flo's father didn't detest the periodical press!

And if only they had remembered to bring an umbrella!

The novella is available in two different editions: a plain edition for 99 cents and an enhanced edition for $ 2.99. The latter includes detailed info about the historical background and illustrations. Here are the buy links:

Plain edition:
Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K9TEZ5S/
Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00K9TEZ5S/
and all other Amazon stores

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/the-bride-prize-1

Enhanced edition:
Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K9TLA38/
Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00K9TLA38/
and all other Amazon stores