St Albans News

"Your diary is really good," said his wife. "My thoughts exactly," replied Samuel Pepys. Pre-order your new source of material. The Mary Shelley jokes are guaranteed to leave you in stitches. @BL_Publishing #ipgtopshelf

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KFC has just released its new winter catalogue of zesty cookbooks. It’s a mixture of eleven blurbs and spices. #bookjokes #books #BookLover

Just been given @shedworking's joke book as an early retirement present. I've been tittering all day - my wife is not amused. Great stocking-filler/ toilet visitor attraction.

President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a letter to his young son Quentin including a self-portrait (he's the one grinning) #onthisday 1907. He believed art maintained the virtues of the American way by expressing the soul of the nation & often doodled in his letters to his children.

Early copies in the @BL_Publishing office of @shedworking’s The Book Lover’s Joke Book - out October 13th. I think we could all do with a laugh, don’t you?

Thomas Carlyle sits for a portrait by James McNeil Whistler #onthisday 1873. It was offered to the National Portrait Gallery, London, but the director Sir George Scharfe refused it. "Has painting come to this?” he said, mocking the idea that “such work should pass for painting”.

Utterly in love with this beautiful book by @shedworking a combination of interesting facts about writers and where they write together with stunning illustrations by @JamesOses #books #booktwt

Andy Warhol unveils his Campbell’s Soup Cans #onthisday 1962 at the Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles. “I should have just done the Campbell's soups and kept on doing them,” Warhol said, “because everybody only does one painting anyway.” An early buyer was actor Dennis Hopper.

We’re giving away six original Virago Modern Classics. Follow and RT by midnight on Friday 1st July: the winner or winners will be informed next week. And you can listen to our episode on Rosamond Lehmann with guest @elizabday here. backlisted.fm/episodes/38-th…

Classic #PONT from 31 August 1938: "AND HERE'S ONE OF HIM TAKEN AT EASTBOURNE WHEN HE WAS FIVE." #Photographs #Embarrassed #family #cringe

English sculptor Alfred Gilbert's statue of Eros (actually it depicts his brother Anteros) was unveiled #onthisday 1893. His model was his assistant, the 16-year-old Angelo Colarossi. Hugely popular today, at the time The Times called it “a dripping, sickening mess”.

Cheers Alex @shedworking - enjoying reading ‘Rooms of Their Own’ sitting amongst the #wildflowers at home.

Augustus the Strong established the first European porcelain manufactory - the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Porcelain Manufactory - at Meissen, Germany #onthisday 1710. Pictured below are Commedia dell'arte figures from the factory c. 1740.

Charles F Tunnicliffe visits Henry Williamson #onthisday 1932 to discuss illustrating Tarka the Otter, roaming the countryside of the author's Devon home for inspiration. Tunnicliffe, known for his Ladybird illustrations, made 23 fullpage woodcuts & 16 line drawings for Tarka.

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf is published #onthisday 1927 with a cover designed by her sister Vanessa Bell. An artist and co-founder of the Omega Workshops design collective, Bell produced covers for all but one of Woolf's novels.

New book alert! Rooms of Their Own travels around the world examining the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works. All captured in evocative watercolour by James Oses ☀️ #illustration #artist #painting #design #writer #artwork

Mick Jaggers briefs Andy Warhol on the design of the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers #onthisday 1969