Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Gold-Bug” (1843)
Poe’s story of a treasure hunt, revealing the fantastical writer’s hyper-rational penchant for cracking codes….more
Language
A Collection of Fashionable English Words (1887)
Japanese woodcuts from a series by Kamekichi Tsunajima titled “Ryūkō eigo zukushi”, showing images of animals, activities and objects each with their Japanese…more
Guess Me (1879)
Illustrated by George Cruikshank among others, a collection of word, number, and picture puzzles in the form of enigmas, conundrums, acrostics, and a series of incr…more
The Postures of the Mouth (1846)
Diagrams showing the postures of the mouth when demonstrating proper elocution, from a 19th-century book dedicated to elocution….more
The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
A satirical dictionary written by American journalist and author Ambrose Bierce (1842-ca.1914), a man whose savage wit apparently earned him the nickname “Bitter Bi…more
Speech of Satan to his Legions… (with Gestures)
A series of diagrams illustrating the proper gestures to adopt when public speaking, using a section from Milton’s Paradise Lost, in which Satan, expelled from Hea…more
An Alphabet of Celebrities (1899)
Intricately rhymed and beautifully illustrated alphabet book on the world of late 19th century celebrity….more
Original Acrostics on all the States and Presidents of the United States, and Various Other Subjects (1868)
Original acrostics on all the states and presidents of the United States, and various other subjects, religious, political, and personal ; illustrated with portrait…more
