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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · Apr 1
Thanks to Neel Lopes for an interview podcast with Greg Newby, Director of the PGLAF. The podcast covers Greg's early involvement with Project Gutenberg, and discussion about the background and status of Project Gutenberg's role in the world of online literature.

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Dr. Greg Newby on being CEO of Project Gutenberg and being with the Government of Yukon Territory
YouTube video by Knowledge and Mind
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Mary Wollstonecraft, The Woman Who Laid the Foundation for Feminism

www.thecollector.com/mary-wollsto...

Wollstonecraft at PG:

www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

#books #literature
Mary Wollstonecraft by John Opie
November 14, 2025 at 1:57 PM
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‘A girl of genius’: archives unsealed of Amy Levy, queer Jewish writer admired by Oscar Wilde

By Nadia Khomami

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...

Amy Levy at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

#books #literature #lgbtq
Amy Levy (1861-1889): english poetess and feminist who committed suicide when becoming deaf. This is a black-and-white portrait of Amy Levy with a calm, serious expression. She has dark, wavy hair pulled back and wears a dress with an ornate, lace-like collar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Levy#/media/File:Amy_Levy_1.jpg
November 14, 2025 at 10:26 AM
gutenberg.org
Blondie Bumstead has appeared in newspapers for over 95 years, evolving from flapper to businesswoman. Created by Chic Young, later overseen by his son, her early strips enter the public domain in 49 days.

By John Mark Ockerbloom (@everybodyslibraries.com)

everybodyslibraries.com/2025/11/13/r...
Keeping up with the times, Alexander and Dagwood are shown with a flat-panel computer in this strip from September 24, 2007. Blondie comic strip, saved as png file from a 24 September 2007 daily strip posted at Seattle Post-Intelligencer website (seattlepi.com). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blondie_(comic_strip)#/media/File:Blondie_flat_panel_20070924.png
November 14, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Project Gutenberg
bennevis.bsky.social
#OTD in 1850 Robert Louis Stevenson was born.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Art of Living (and Dying)

"Trenton B. Olsen Explores How the Author Navigated a Lifetime of Chronic Illness"

lithub.com/robert-louis...

Stevenson at @gutenberg.org

www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

Listen at librivox.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:29 PM
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#OTD in 1850 writer Robert Louis Stevenson was born.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Art of Living (and Dying)

"Trenton B. Olsen Explores How the Author Navigated a Lifetime of Chronic Illness"

lithub.com/robert-louis...

Stevenson at PG:

www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...
Wood carving of Robert Louis Stevenson by Henry Wolf
November 13, 2025 at 1:48 PM
gutenberg.org
Tutivillus Is Watching You

For medieval scribes, mistakes couldn’t be easily shrugged off, as Tutivillus, the stickler demon, was always looking over their shoulders.

By: Amelia Soth

daily.jstor.org/tutivillus-i...

At PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #old_manuscripts
Representation of Titivillus (14th century). The scene shows a scribe seated at a wooden desk, diligently copying a manuscript with a quill pen. He leans over an open book filled with red and black text. Behind him, Titivillus appears as a small, dark, winged creature with a mischievous face, hairy body, and clawed hands. The demon watches him intently. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Titivillus.jpg
November 13, 2025 at 10:49 AM
gutenberg.org
8 Times Scientists and Inventors Tragically Died for Their Experiments

Innovation can be deadly.

By Gayoung Lee

gizmodo.com/8-times-scie...

Science at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #literature
Death of the German physicist Georg Wilhelm Richmann (1711–1753), who was shocked by lightning during one of their electrical thunderstorm experiments in Saint Petersburg. In the center of the scene, Richmann is shown collapsing backward as a sudden bolt of lightning or electric discharge strikes the metal rod of his experimental apparatus. His face is contorted in shock, and his body is thrown off balance. To one side, a laboratory assistant or observer recoils in terror, his arms raised and face turned away from the flash. Objects in the laboratory—papers, instruments, and tools—are scattered or thrown into the air by the blast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Wilhelm_Richmann#/media/File:Richmanns_Tod_1753.jpg
November 13, 2025 at 10:33 AM
gutenberg.org
Counting down to Public Domain Day 2026

The New Classics Collective turned Fire!!, a 1926 Harlem magazine for young Black artists, into a play at Philadelphia’s Quintessence Theatre, featuring works by Langston Hughes & Zora Neale Hurston. via @everybodyslibraries.com@everybodyslibraries.com
#books
November 13, 2025 at 10:28 AM
gutenberg.org
What Happens When an Entire Generation of Scientists Changes Its Mind

By Charles C. Mann edited by Josh Fischman

www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

Michelson & Morley experiment at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70888

#books #historyofscience
Michelson's 1881 interferometer. Although ultimately it proved incapable of distinguishing between differing theories of aether-dragging, its construction provided important lessons for the design of Michelson and Morley's 1887 instrument. This is a technical line drawing labeled Fig. 3, illustrating the layout of Michelson’s original interferometer apparatus. The instrument rests on a central pedestal base with adjustable legs for leveling. From the center extends two perpendicular arms of equal length, each supporting various optical components. At the left end (marked a), a light source directs a beam toward a half-silvered mirror or beam splitter (labeled m) placed at the center. The beam is divided into two paths—one traveling along the horizontal arm (b–c) and the other along the vertical arm (b–d). Each arm contains mirrors and adjustable mounts (labeled l, k, etc.), which reflect the light back toward the center. At the center, the returning beams interfere with each other, producing an interference pattern observable through an eyepiece or telescope (u). The drawing shows precision details such as the rotatable table, the fine adjustment screws, and the mechanical supports, emphasizing the delicate alignment required for the experiment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelson%E2%80%93Morley_experiment#/media/File:Michelson1881c.png
November 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
gutenberg.org
How a Book Marketing Ploy Almost Ruined Edgar Wallace, Literature’s “King of Thrillers”

By Jane Alexander

www.mentalfloss.com/literature/a...

Edgar Wallace at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

#books #literature
Cover page of Room 13 Author: Edgar Wallace Original publication: London: John Long, Limited, 1924 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/76168/pg76168-images.html The cover features a dramatic, illustrated scene in a vintage 1920s art style. In the foreground, a woman dressed in a tailored mauve suit and white blouse is shown in motion, pushing a door closed with a determined expression. Her short, wavy hairstyle and fashion reflect the modern 1920s “flapper” style. Her body language suggests urgency or fear, as if she is trying to keep someone out. Behind the door, a man in a dark suit is partly visible, leaning through the opening, his expression alert and intent.
November 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM
gutenberg.org
Africa and The Mercator Map | Encyclopaedia Britannica

"The African Union has endorsed a campaign calling for the use of a world map that reflects countries' true sizes. Why doesn't our current world map do that?"

www.youtube.com/shorts/OAG1z...

#cartography #culture #africa
Mercator map from the 1930s
November 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Project Gutenberg
publicdomainrev.bsky.social
Landscapes of the Western Front, 1914–1918 — A century after their strategic function has passed, these official British army intelligence photographs offer an unusual and haunting portrait of the front: publicdomainreview.org/collection/l... #RemembranceDay #RemembranceDay2022 #ArmisticeDay
November 11, 2025 at 5:47 PM
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"We who go out to die shall be remembered, because we gave the world peace. That will be our reward, though we will know nothing of it, but lie rotting in the earth - dead."

~Philips Gibbs.

#OTD in 1918 - Armistice Day

The Soul of a Nation at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41308

#books #armistice
Armistice Day page from the New York Times. The image shows the front page of The New York Times from Monday, November 11, 1918, the day the Armistice was signed, ending the fighting of World War I. At the top of the page, in large, bold capital letters, the headline reads: “ARMISTICE SIGNED, END OF THE WAR!” This triumphant declaration spans nearly the full width of the page and dominates the layout, conveying the immense significance of the event. Beneath it, several subheadings and bulletins provide urgent details, such as the hour the cease-fire would take effect and reactions from world capitals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day#/media/File:NYTimes-Page1-11-11-1918.jpg
November 11, 2025 at 2:24 PM
gutenberg.org
Mark Twain Makes a List of 60 American Comfort Foods He Missed While Traveling Abroad (1880)

www.openculture.com/2025/10/mark...

#food #beverages #books
Mark Twain Makes a List of 60 American Comfort Foods He Missed While Traveling Abroad (1880)
Thinking of taking a trip abroad? Or maybe relocating for good? Americans would do well, even 150 years hence, to attend to Mark Twain’s satirical account of U.S. travelers journeying through Europe a...
www.openculture.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Project Gutenberg
nigelcallaghan.bsky.social
The history of women in WW1 is still sadly rather unknown. There are some fascinating memoirs written by the women themselves. Many are available free on @gutenberg.org Project Gutenberg. I particularly recommend "Fanny goes to War" by Pat Beauchamp of the F.A.N.Y. www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16521
Fanny goes to war by Pat Beauchamp Washington
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by volunteers.
www.gutenberg.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:20 AM
gutenberg.org
See How Manet and Morisot’s Creative Friendship Influenced Their Artistic Styles

by Ella Feldman

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/s...

Manet & Morisot at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#art #paintings #books
Berthe Morisot - Woman at Her Toilette - 1924.127 - Art Institute of Chicago Woman at her Toilette shows a woman in front of a mirror in her bathroom, facing away from the viewer. The piece contains a silvery-gray and white palette with subtle hints of blue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_at_her_Toilette#/media/File:Berthe_Morisot_-_Woman_at_Her_Toilette_-_1924.127_-_Art_Institute_of_Chicago.jpg Edouard Manet - The Balcony The Balcony (French: Le balcon) is an 1868–69 oil painting by the French painter Édouard Manet. It depicts four figures on a balcony, one of whom is sitting: the painter Berthe Morisot, who married Manet's brother Eugène in 1874. In the centre is the painter Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemet. On the right is Fanny Claus, a violinist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Balcony_(Manet)#/media/File:Edouard_Manet_-_The_Balcony_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
November 11, 2025 at 9:35 AM
gutenberg.org
Music and Musicians in the Medieval Persianate World

From royal courts to wine-filled gatherings, music played a vital role in medieval Persianate culture.

By Timur Khan

www.medievalists.net/2025/11/musi...

Music at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/books...

#books #music #literature
Sultan Mohammed. Kayumars' Court. Miniature, detail. "Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi. 1525-1535. Geneva, Collection of Sadruddin Aga Khan. At the center of the image, Kayumars sits elevated on a rocky outcrop, clothed in a robe of leopard skin. His haloed face is framed by a soft sky and floating clouds that blend seamlessly with the surrounding forms. Below and around him, courtiers, princes, and attendants are arranged in rhythmic harmony amid rich vegetation, flowering trees, and undulating rock formations. Among them roam wild animals and birds—leopards, monkeys, deer, and cranes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnameh#/media/File:The_Court_of_Gayumars_(Cropped).jpg
November 11, 2025 at 9:29 AM
gutenberg.org
Did Odysseus Really Travel All Around the Mediterranean?

"The traditional view of the Odyssey is that Odysseus traveled all over the Mediterranean. Is that really what Homer described?"

www.thecollector.com/odysseus-tra...

The Odyssey at PG:

www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1727

#books #literature
ODYSSEUS LOOKED DOWN AT THE WOODS AND THE SEA." - picryl.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:24 PM
gutenberg.org
A Fierce Devotion to the “Empress of Hell”

Medieval dramatizations of the confrontation between the Virgin Mary and King Herod offered a symbolic resistance to tyranny.

By: H.M.A. Leow

daily.jstor.org/a-fierce-dev...

Theater history at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #literature
In an attempt to thwart the prophecy about Christ's rise to power, King Herod orders his soldiers to kill all the male infants under the age of two living in Bethlehem. They do this with ruthless efficiency. Bartolo's color scheme uses naturalistic details to enhance the drama of the scene. Note the contrast between the rosy coloring of the infants who are still alive and the green pallor of those already dead. This painting, which is beautifully preserved, was part of a monumental altarpiece commissioned for the Church of San Agostino in San Gimignano and was placed atop a large painting of the Presentation in the Temple now in the Louvre Museum, Paris. The Massacre of the Innocents might have been executed by both Bartolo and Andrea di Bartolo (active 1389-1428), working collaboratively as a father and son team. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Massacre_of_the_Innocents.jpg
November 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM
gutenberg.org
From Tablets to Papyrus: When Was Paper Invented?

The invention of paper as a medium for writing was a revolutionary breakthrough that altered the course of human culture.

by Matt Whittaker

www.thecollector.com/when-was-the...

Papyrus at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#books #culture
The Heracles Papyrus (Oxford, Sackler Library, Oxyrhynchus Pap. 2331), a fragment of 3rd century Greek manuscript of a poem about the Labors of Heracles. The image shows a fragmentary piece of ancient papyrus, light brown in tone and worn with age, containing both text and illustrations. The papyrus surface is irregularly shaped, with rough, frayed edges and several missing sections that interrupt the writing and drawings. Across the fragment, lines of Greek script are written in dark ink, now faded to brown. Between the lines of text are small painted scenes depicting episodes from the Labors of Heracles (Herakles), rendered in a simple and expressive linear style. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus#/media/File:P._Oxy._XXII_2331.jpg
November 10, 2025 at 12:37 PM
gutenberg.org
Twelve Failed Constitutional Amendments That Could Have Reshaped American History

"These proposals sought to change the United States’ name, abolish the presidency and the vice presidency, and set a limit on personal fortunes, among other measures."

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/twel...
"Page one of Jacob Shallus' officially engrossed copy of the Constitution signed in Philadelphia by delegates of the Constitutional Convention in 1787" - Wikipedia
November 9, 2025 at 1:07 PM
gutenberg.org
What really happened on Easter Island? Ancient sediments rewrite the 'ecocide' story

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan

phys.org/news/2025-11...

Easter Island at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #earth #environment
RANO RARAKU FROM THE SEA. Title: The mystery of Easter island: the story of an expedition Author: Katherine Routledge Original publication: United Kingdom: Printed for the author by Hazell, Watson and Viney, 1919. The composition features the island’s rugged volcanic formation rising from the shore, rendered in delicate grayscale tones. Two distinct peaks dominate the center of the image: the left slope descends smoothly toward the sea, while the right peak is more sharply defined, showing vertical rock faces and shadowed ridges that emphasize its steepness and texture. The foreground suggests the calm surface of the sea, drawn in gentle horizontal strokes that contrast with the dark, angular shading of the mountainside. The sky is lightly toned, with minimal cloud detail, providing an open and atmospheric backdrop that enhances the sense of isolation and scale. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69807/pg69807-images.html#Page_124
November 9, 2025 at 10:55 AM
gutenberg.org
Is This Woman Old Master the Greatest Artistic Rediscovery of the Century?

The forgotten Old Master Michaelina Wautier comes roaring back in a sweeping exhibition at Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum.

by Katie White

news.artnet.com/art-world/mi...

#art #history #womeninart
Michaelina Wautier, Self‑Portrait (about 1645). The painting portrays a seated woman artist, identified as Michaelina Wautier herself. She is shown in three-quarter view, gazing directly at the viewer. Her expression is serene. Wautier wears a dark velvet mantle draped over a pale gown with a soft, pearly sheen. Around her neck, she wears a simple pearl necklace. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-portrait_with_Easel#/media/File:Zelfportret_wautier.jpg
November 9, 2025 at 10:46 AM
gutenberg.org
Einstein’s Divorce Letters and the Cruel List of Marital Demands He Imposed on His First Wife

www.openculture.com/2025/10/eins...

#history #scientists

Mileva Marić and Albert Einstein
Einstein’s Divorce Letters and the Cruel List of Marital Demands He Imposed on His First Wife
Albert Einstein is the rare figure who's universally known, but almost entirely for his professional achievements. Few of us who can explain the theory of relativity can also say much about the person...
www.openculture.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:37 PM
gutenberg.org
Postcards from Virginia Woolf

By Sarah Bochicchio

www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/11...

Virginia at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

#books #literature
Woolf in 1927. "Studio photograph of Virginia Woolf (c. 1927) reprinted by permission of the Mortimer Rare Book Room, Smith College" (p. XII) [, the Smith College having been presented by Esther Cloudman Dunn another print of the same picture]. The photograph was, according to the Smith College Library's web site, "used for promotion" by Harcourt Brace, the publisher of the American version of To the Lighthouse in 1927. In Virginia Woolf Icon (University of Chicago Press, 1999), Brenda Silver describes the photograph as an "(unidentified) studio photograph" and comments it "appear[ed] in in an number of Harcourt Brace ads and articles about Woolf and/or her works in the States during the late 1920s ans the 1930s" (p. 132). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf#/media/File:Virginia_Woolf_1927.jpg
November 8, 2025 at 10:17 AM