Turning the Book Wheel

Pugilist Peter Maher from the Police Gazette Sporting Annual, 1897. The Annual contains a plethora of records and statistics of the sporting world. You can find Mr. Maher’s full record in these pages, if you so desired.

One for bike month from our friends to the North. The Canadian Wheelman like our American publications contains articles, letters, and advertisements. But Vol 4, No. 8 also has a poem entitled “The Return” which includes a possibly not unfamiliar scenario for the modern day cycling enthusiast…

That morn he’d started early
To make a two hours’ run,
But tempted by the skies so fair,
Full fifty miles he’d spun.
Then came to him the query:
Can I get home to-night?
If not, I have myself to blame
For this most dismal plight.

A few more polypes for International Day of Biological Diversity - four members of the genus Sagartia, and one Adamsia. taken from A history of the British sea-anemones and corals available on biodiversitylibrary.org.

May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity. This year the theme is marine biodiversity.

International Day for Biological Diversity was created by the United Nations to increase the understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.

Images above from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (Smithsonian Libraries is just one of the many libraries that contribute to this collection, this item comes from our friends at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard.) The volume is entitled An attempt towards a natural history of the polype. Polyps belong to the phylum Cnidaria, which includes

many charismatic organisms such as hydras, sea fans, jellyfishes, sea anemones, corals, and the Portuguese man-of-war. Cnidarians all have some type of specialized stinging cell organelle. Cnidarians’ bodies typically take one of two forms: the polyp or the medusa. While the polyp form is adapted for a sedentary or sessile lifestyle, the medusa form is adapted for floating or free-swimming. Sea anemones and corals (class Anthoza) are all polyps. (quote from eol.org )

A Spring/Sports themed mustache Monday. ”The Three Presidents” A.G. Mills, N.E. Young and W.A. Hulbert from Spalding’s base ball guide, and official league book…(1894.)

W.A. Hulbert served as president of the National League from 1876 until his death in 1882, and according to the editors of Spalding’s

…Mr. Hulbert was the great moving spirit in the reforms in the government of the professional clubs….It was his influence, largely, which led to the war upon the ‘crookedness’ which marked the early years of professional base ball history, in which pool gambling was the potent factor. [1894 edition, p. 136]

More bicycle ads, this time from Bicycling World and L.A.W. Bulletin (May, 1889). Three lovely bikes from Starley Bros. (Coventry, England) who want you to know that the Capital Cycle Co. of Washington, D.C. is the sole and exclusive agent for their machines in the U.S.

Oh, and did they mention their bikes are called “Psycho”? What the?

SIL’s Dibner Library manuscripts collection includes this intriguing volume (MSS 000253 B), the Discorso di Leontio Artefice sopra la Sfera di Arato et Fabbrica di Quella, a late 16^th or early 17^th century Italian astronomical text by Bernardino Baldi, bound in an old vellum manuscript. The volume previously belonged to the collections of Baldassarre Boncompagni (d. 1894) and the Albani family (probably Annibale Albani, d. 1751). The large printed paper label on the front cover bears the catalog number cited in Narducci’s 1892 edition of the Catalogo di Manoscritti da Boncompagni.

The text, date, and geographical origin of the vellum manuscript used for the bookbinding is currently unidentified, and is thought to date from the 13^th century. We present this as a challenge to the community of Latin paleographers: can anyone identify the text, author, and likely date and place of origin for this manuscript?

todaysdocument:

The stories in these records are a direct consequence of the Chinese Exclusion Act, approved May 6, 1882:

riversidearchives:

Records of Chinese Deportees, 1912-1920

These records are part of a series of forms processed as individuals were deported under enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Each record in this series, which is dated around about 1910-1920, usually includes a physical description of the person and an indication as to where he was deported to and the ship on which he was sent. Some of the records also indicate further reasoning for the deportations and additional information about the individuals.

The men pictured are Fung Lock and Kim Jow. Both certificates are dated in January 1913.

Observing Asian-Pacific Heritage Month

To pay tribute to the many generations of Asian-Pacific Americans that have enriched our nation’s history, the National Archives at Riverside will be highlighting some of our holdings relating to Asian American history in our region (Southern California, Arizona, and Clark County, NV), including records relating to enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act, records relating to Japanese internment and relocation, and many more.

For more information about Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, see http://asianpacificheritage.gov/

A bicycle month public service announcement. Are you insured?

Accident insurance for less than $12 a year sounds like a bargain. That looks like a heck of a bike accident and no one is wearing helmets! Looks at those hats fly! I hope the little kid landed on something soft. From the Springfield Wheelman’s Gazette, (1885)

spx:

ALA Announces Graphic Novel Conference http://bit.ly/JoNx3B

spx:

ALA Announces Graphic Novel Conference http://bit.ly/JoNx3B