#James M. Barrie

[waiting-eyez]

The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.

(James M. Barrie)

[uwmspeccoll]

Publishers' Binding Thursday

This week's publishers' binding is Tommy and Grizel by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie (1860-1937). This is the first American edition of Tommy and Grizel, which was published in 1900 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The illustrator is not named in the book but we found out that the illustrations are by English cartoonist and illustrator Bernard Partridge. Some of the illustrations are quite strange, featuring ghostly figures and strange captions like "'I woke up,' she said."

The cover was designed and is signed by renowned publishers' binding designed by Margaret Armstrong—her signature MA stamp can be seen in the bottom left of the design. The design includes leafy vines with berries on them (perhaps a nod to Barrie's name?), a shield with two 3-leaved clovers in black and gold, and the title and author's name. On the spine the title and author's name are again stamped in gold accompanied by a floral decoration. The cover is a warm brown book cloth.

View more Publishers' Binding Thursday posts.

-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

[ragazzoarcano]

“Nel momento in cui dubiti di poter volare, perdi per sempre la facoltà di farlo. Il motivo per cui gli uccelli, a differenza degli esseri umani, sono in grado di volare, risiede nella loro fede incrollabile, perché avere fede vuol dire avere le ali.”

— James M. Barrie, Peter Pan nei Giardini di Kensington

[crazydetectivetimetraveler]

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.

- James M. Barrie

[careful-disorder]

Arthur Racham illustration for Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

"You must see for yourselves that it will be difficult to follow Peter Pan's adventures unless you are familiar with the Kensington Gardens." James M. Barrie, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens 

archive

[achieve-the-sun]

Bestfriends hanging out✨

+ doodle under the cut

[alovelywaytospendanevening]

British gay/bi male writers and their social circles

As a great admirer of gay literature, the social circles of gay and bisexual male writers is something that piques my interest. Due to the dangerousness of the matter in the past and also because it revolves around a relatively small niche, it seems that there was high level familiarity between these figures. The United Kingdom, a country whose literary input has abundant homoerotic tones, is a very adequate setting to analyze such a configuration.

I've been building a graph on this subject for some time, and now it seems mature enough for me to post it. It's a diagram based on friendship connections — deep or superficial —, although romantic and family-related connections are also included. Just a mutual recognition of existence isn't enough to justify a connection (otherwise most of them would be linked to Wilde!), and rivalries were not considered too. All the writers included were born during the Victorian and Edwardian eras (1837-1910), where this interconnectivity seemed particularly strong.

This is just an early version, as I imagine there is still a considerable amount of information that I missed. Therefore, I'm very open to suggestions and comments on it!

(Three Irishmen were also included in the diagram: Stoker, Wilde and Reid)

[andallshallbewell]

[sorryforthebonyelbows]

Willie Nelson

Emily Jane Bronte

Oliver Herford

James M Barrie

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

While I'm still Gaimanposting, does the Other Mother seem to anyone else like a weird hybrid of Peter Pan and Captain Hook? I mean, on one hand Peter is sorta the immortal god of a whimsical but dangerous fantasy world where kids can escape to, and due to his eternal immaturity he's more sinister and selfish than he initially appears. On the other hand, Hook has the animal nemesis and also the weird Freudian dynamic where he's like the fantasy world's alternate version of Wendy's dad (especially given that Hook and Mr. Darling are traditionally played by the same actor).

[waiting-eyez]

Dreams do come true, if we only wish hard enough, You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.

(James M. Barrie)

[geekcavepodcast]

Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer

Sooooo, did Mufasa seize the throne from the cub who helped him?

Rafiki tells Simba and Nala's cub Kiara the story of Mufasa; how he met the royal cub Taka, who would later become Scar, and how Mufasa rose to become King of the Pridelands. Timon and Pumbaa join in with their usual banter.

Mufasa: The Lion King stars the voice talents of Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Tiffany Boone (Sarabi), Kagiso Lediga (Young Rafiki), Preston Nyman (Zazu), Mads Mikkelsen (Kiros), Thandiwe Newton (Eshe - Taka's mother), Lennie James (Obasi - Taka's father), Anika Noni Rose (Afia - Mufasa's mother), Keith David (Masego -Mufasa's father), John Kani (Rafiki), Seth Rogan (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), Donald Glover (Simba), Blue Ivy Carter (Kiara - Simba and Nala's daughter), Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Nala), Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, and Dominique Jennings. Songs are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and produced by Miranda and Mark Mancina. Additional music and performances are by Lebo M. Barry Jenkins directs.

Mufasa: The Lion King hits theaters on December 20, 2024.

[jihef03]

Got a friend into Captain Hook like two days ago and she already asks the dangerous question of whether Hook wears a wig or not

[dragoneyes618]

In the midst of them, the blackest and largest jewel in that dark setting, reclined James Hook, or as he wrote himself, Jas. Hook, of whom it is said he was the only man that the Sea-Cook [Long John Silver] feared. He lay at his ease in a rough chariot drawn and propelled by his men, and instead of a right hand he had the iron hook with which ever and anon he encouraged them to increase their pace. As dogs this terrible man treated and addressed them, and as dogs they obeyed him. In person he was cadaverous and blackavised [of dark complexion], and his hair was dressed in long curls, which at a little distance looked like black candles, and gave a singularly threatening expression to his handsome countenance. His eyes were of the blue of the forget-me-not, and of a profound melancholy, save when he was plunging his hook into you, at which time two red spots appeared in them and lit them up horribly. In manner, something of the grand seigneur still clung to him, so that he even ripped you up with an air, and I have been told that he was a raconteur of repute. He was never more sinister than when he was most polite, which is probably the truest test of breeding, and the elegance of his diction, even when he was swearing, no less than the distinction of his demeanour, showed him one of a different cast from his crew. A man of indomitable courage, it was said that the only thing he shied at was the sight of his own blood, which was thick and of an unusual colour. In dress, he somewhat aped the attire associated with the name of Charles II, having heard it said in some earlier period of his career that he bore a strange resemblance to the ill-fated Stuarts; and in his mouth he had a holder of his own contrivance which enabled him to smoke to cigars at once. But undoubtedly the grimmest part of him was his iron claw.

Chapter 5 of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, describing Captain Hook

[mariocki]

A Ghost Story for Christmas: Count Magnus (2022)

"The, um, the mausoleum - the Count's tomb - might I crave a..."

"Yes?"

"A visit? It would be so helpful for my researches."

"Certainly. It is in the care of the church in the next village. I shall have a word with the deacon."

"Ah, now that must have been him I saw earlier."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I saw someone. Standing on the steps, locking, or unlocking I suppose, the door. That must have been your deacon."

"Yes. It must have been."