The modern “word-cross” appeared for the first time in print in the December 21, 1913 edition of New York World’s FUN Supplement. Section editor Arthur Wynne, trying to fill the Christmas insert, drew inspiration from his native England. - Zocalo Public Square
If all works of literature are haunted by the ideal forms of which they are but imperfect instantiations, then the blank book symbolises the refusal to compromise authorial vision. - Aeon
From the Horatio Alger stories which launched the genre to memoirs by billionaires and even to Fifty Shades of Grey and other "billionaire romance" books (an actual category at Amazon), rags-to-riches narratives demonstrate that financial success is not, in fact, due to hard work alone. - The New York Times Magazine
By his count, it is actually 37 more languages, with at least 24 he speaks well enough to carry on lengthy conversations. He can read and write in eight alphabets and scripts. He can tell stories in Italian and Finnish and American Sign Language. - Washington Post
"I spend my days writing optimized blog articles that feature short paragraphs and less-sophisticated wording — proven SEO winners — to help my clients appear at the top of search results. ... (My clients') instructions are usually simple: 'See what the top articles are doing, and do it better.'" - MSN (The Boston Globe)
The annual report from the American Library Association said that there were 729 challenges to books in school, university, and public libraries in 2021, up from 157 in 2020. Many of those challenges covered more than one book: the total number of individual titles contested was 1,597. - NPR
So, what is grammaticalization? Roughly speaking, it is the series of steps by which collections of individual words that refer to objects and actions gradually mutate into complex systems of grammar, with pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, verb endings, agreement, and so on. - LitHub
The 1830s notepads, last seen 22 years ago and formally declared missing in 2020, were left in a pink gift bag on a floor in the Cambridge University Library with a printed note reading "Librarian, Happy Easter, X." - BBC
That discovery came nearly 150 years after Marianne North drew the plant, in Borneo. She was a different kind of illustrator - she used oils, and painted the surroundings. "Not only did Marianne tie down exactly where grew, her paintings also indicated the environmental conditions they grew in." - Atlas Obscura
She created tiny books, as did her sisters, when she was a young teen, to amuse her family and to help create her imaginary world. This one was last seen at auction in 1916. - The New York Times
Linguistic assimilation was meant to unify Italy as a country. "Even by the 50s, though, Italian remained a made-up language, manufactured and largely spoken by the intelligentsia, and associated with politeness and self-control." - LitHub
A new movie revives the (surprisingly intense) discussion. "Isabelle Popp ... proposed a 'words to Fabio' standard for mainstream romance coverage that boils down to: the sooner he’s mentioned, the less effort or expertise went into the story." - Slate
Eric Yip is the youngest winner ever - and he's an engineering student. And "Yip, who cites Ocean Vuong as a writer who made him realise he 'had a right' to be heard, speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, but writes poetry in English." - The Guardian (UK)
The lead organizer started a new union from scratch, and raised money through GoFundMe. "It looked like a quixotic venture," to vastly undersell the difficulties. But Jeff Bezos' rocket ship sure didn't help the company's argument. - Slate
