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NB! · Books · Observations · Humour
A Maestro Fresh off the Press
A maestro fresh off the press. Enthusiasts and admirers have a unique opportunity to acquire Ponasenkov's second book, in its 2007 edition, for a mere 115,000 roubles. True, only recently this same book was sitting on Ozon for 419. Nevertheless. My business is to inform.
Archaeology · Architecture · Observations
Papyrus columns at Luxor and the Fifth Dynasty models from Niuserre's chapel
If you look closely at this type of Egyptian column, made in the form of bound papyrus stems with capitals shaped like unopened papyrus flowers, it resembles a pair of mighty hands holding up the architrave on five outstretched fingers. The columns in the photograph are from Luxor. In architectural
NB! · Archive · Mores · Society
Nancy Reagan shields her husband's head after his recent surgery, 1989
Nancy Reagan shields her husband's head as he, forgetting his recent head surgery, takes off his hat to wave to the crowd. 1989
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Civil Courts Building in St. Louis with a colonnade and pyramid roof
NB! · Archive · Architecture
Installing an Ionic capital on the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis in 1930
Installing a capital on one of the 32 Ionic columns, nearly 13 metres high, on the top of the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis, 1930. The roof of this building was modelled on one of the wonders of the ancient world, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.
Archive · Books · Observations · Society
Perhaps not the most intriguing piece of news, but still, to some extent, topical
Perhaps not the most intriguing piece of news, but still, to some extent, topical. In the diary of the Dutch poet Willem de Clercq (not to be confused with his exact namesake, the President of South Africa in the 1990s), there is an entry about a sorrowful letter from Beler,
NB! · Archive · Science · Society · Humour
A Nineteenth-Century Caricature of the Anti-Vaccinationists
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The Terrace of the Lions on Delos under the Milky Way
NB! · Art · Observations · Nature · Humour
The two most beautiful things I have seen this year are the sumptuous cake at my birthday party and these incredible photographs by the astrophotographer Lukas Hapsis from the Greek island of Delos
NB! · Books · Monarchies · Moscow · Observations
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, recommends on her Instagram blog Amor Towles's "A Gentleman in Moscow", a book about the life of Count Rostov, confined by the Bolsheviks in... the Metropol Hotel
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, recommends on her Instagram blog Amor Towles's "A Gentleman in Moscow", a book about the life of Count Rostov, confined by the Bolsheviks in... the Metropol Hotel. Well, for a third recommendation it is an interesting choice. One can hardly refuse Cam,
Monarchies · Observations · Mores
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain mark 59 years since their wedding
Today is the fifty-ninth wedding anniversary of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía. Looking at these loving people, one wishes everyone to carry through the whole of life a kind, warm and tender feeling for somebody, be it a spouse, a partner, a child, a friend, or