The East · Books · Science · Mores · Ethnography
Modern medicine holds that birth inside the amniotic sac, or caul, occurs in roughly one case in eighty thousand, which is why such deliveries tend to become a significant news item for specialist journalists. In former times, children born in such a bubble, with the waters not yet broken, were
NB! · Books · Observations · Society
The Monarchess has arrived in Kyiv. A note for all those whom feminine forms irritate: in fact they are an organic and perfectly fitting linguistic phenomenon with a long history. From the book "Life and Military Deeds of Generalissimo Prince Italiysky Count Suvorov-Rymniksky"
Archive · Books · London · Mores · People
In May 1824 one of the greatest crimes in the history of English literature was committed in London. Barely a month after Byron's death, his memoirs were destroyed. And this was done in the presence of the poet's close friends and his executor. Memoirs are usually
Books · People
..Laughter, strictly speaking, is what saved me. Having passed through every stage of hatred and despair, I reached that height from which the ridiculous is visible as on the palm of one's hand. Having burst out laughing, I was cured, like that anecdotal fellow whose "abscess burst
NB! · Art · Books
Alice in Wonderland by the American artist Helen M. Turner, 1923
NB! · Books
NB! · Books · Mores · Nature
Architecture · Books · Heritage
The Main Public Library of Cincinnati was once considered the most beautiful library in America. Behind an unremarkable façade lay a modest building with an interior of extraordinary workmanship by the architect McLaughlin. The heart of the library was a four-storey atrium with five levels of cast-iron book
Books · Moscow · Education
Sergey Aksakov studied at university for two years and received a certificate. Nikolay Stankevich, by contrast, studied for four, having had to sit the same course twice on account of a cholera epidemic.
Books · Science · People · Nature
Strange as it may seem, Pushkin's Boldino Autumn, so often recalled of late in connection with coronavirus isolation, may also be linked to the volcanic eruptions of the 1810s, which had such a profound effect on the Earth's climate. It is believed that the gigantic cloud
Archive · The East · Books · Monarchies
King George, who attached little importance to appearances and their effects, was dressed in a military uniform and helmet, and rode on horseback. The Queen followed behind him in sumptuous attire, drawing the attention of the gawping crowds. George simply got lost among the generals, and, looking at the magnificently
Books · Heritage · Society · People
“Why are they riddling an ancient cathedral with holes? Because for a hundred years a bloated priest sat here, hiccuping, taking bribes and selling vodka. Why do they foul the manor houses so dear to our hearts? Because girls were raped and flogged there, if not by that squire, then