The "Longshanks" Tumblarian

I am an academic librarian with a background in theology who loves traveling space and time through the written word. As a lover of books I enjoy reading The Inklings writings, All things Arthur, Folktales, Fantasy, Science Fiction (especially cyberpunk), An Occasional Mystery, History, Politics (mostly left of center), Christian Literature, writings of the Church Fathers and Mystics, and much, much more......

[longshankstumblarian]

Steampunk auto Source: pinterest.com

[longshankstumblarian]

Classic fair Source: pinterest.com

[danskjavlarna]

Source details and larger version.

I’ve encountered quite a few vintage human giants in the course of my research.

[catswilleatyou]

play it cool

[vintagerpg]

Now, unlike Michael Newton’s book of hope, I appreciate the clarity of this book’s title: Encyclopedia of Things that Never Where (1985). Stating that definitively really gets all that belief malarkey out of the way and lets us appreciate these things on their own imaginary terms (as Georgess McHargue encouraged us to do on Monday).

This book is more like a collection of several small topical encyclopedias, each discrete from the others and in their own alphabetical order. Nor do they necessarily make a perfect or intuitive sense all the way through. Things of the Cosmos is mostly gods of major mythologies, but also King Arthur and his knights. Things of the Ground and Underground collects faeries and tree spirits, but also the manticore, Minotaur and Sphinx. Things of Wonderland seems to imply things from literature, but really it collects all manner of fantastical places, from fiction, but also from legend. Things of Magic, Science and Invention could just as well have been called Things and left it at that; it collects notable items, from Thor’s hammer to Jekyll’s potion to the many unusual uses for nails. Things of Water, Sky and Air covers all the creatures not detailed in Earth chapter — Grendel is here, griffins, too, and all the sea serpents. Finally, Things of the Night details the undead and other creatures who hide from the sun, whether they go bump or not.

Robert Ingpen’s art throughout is a pure joy. There are so many illustrations, the book is awash in them, and they’re all amazing, often subverting expectation but also remaining recognizable. There’s a warmth to it, like sitting by a fire, and he has a real talent for collaging together different elements that feels less museum-like and more evokes the crowded study of an eccentric scholar. I can’t imagine the amount of time it took to put together this portfolio, but it was well worth it. It’s a treasure.

[70sscifiart]

Robert Ingpen's illustration of that Aztec god felt very familar to me, so I looked it up - it seems likely he swiped the mask from this 1976 Dean Ellis cover for To Live Forever by Jack Vance. But perhaps they were both using the same reference material?

[robinboardman]

Glow worms take over old train station 🌟 Photograph: Josselin Coronou

[comic-covers]

(1975)

[publicdomainreview]

For #InternationalTigerDay… “Tigerlillia Terribilis” — from Edward Lear’s Nonsense Botany (1871–77).

More here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/edward-lears-nonsense-botany-1871-77 #InternationalTigerDay2022

[m1sgu1d3dgh0stss]

[pixel8or]

[michaelmoonsbookshop]

Inside Grandma’s House - from Le Petit Chaperon Rouge 

Little Red Riding Hood - Illustration by Felix Lorioux 1919

[michaelmoonsbookshop]

[Sold]

[nemfrog]

Feline motherhood. April’s kittens. 1940. Clare Turlay Newberry, illus. 

[barbariankingdom]

(via (1) Home / X)

[retroscifiart]

Marc Hempel ‘Spaceman: Daydreaming Can Be Dangerous’. I originally posted only the first page of this brilliant comic. Now here is the full illustrated story. Scanned from short lived sci-fi magazine Questar, February 1980.

[70sscifiart]

I’m writing a science fiction art collection right now - gonna try to see if I can get this entire comic into it!

[publicdomainreview]

Photographs of sea stars, collected during the Siboga Expedition around Indonesia, 1899–1900.

More here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/photographs-of-sea-stars-1917

[yutaan]

Papercraft commission of Frieren! I love this series, so I was extra excited to make this piece. ^_^

Since I had free choice of what spell to depict, I picked the Vollzanbel/black hole spell from the big magic fight in episode 25, because I thought it would look especially rad made out of shimmery holographic paper. Plus, I also got to make flying rocks! Bursts of fiery light! Lots of drama!! And, my favorite part - I got to go super, wildly detailed with Frieren's hair!

[gothredy]