Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Honest Abe and marginalia

This evening was spent away from the computer, out in Grant Park watching Henry Fonda in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)--which, though it could charitably be said to be based on Lincoln's life, could not under even the most generous of readings be said to evince a familiarity with the law: the film's climactic courtroom scene is among the most preposterous ever filmed. Still, Henry Fonda gives a surprisingly convincing portrayal of the popular pre-war conception of Honest Abe as folksy savant, and no evening spent thinking about Lincoln is ever wasted.

That does mean, however, that I've got no proper post for you tonight. Instead, I suggest you take a look at the title page of the copy of Henry W. and Frank G. Fowler's The King's English (1906) that Google Book Search scanned from the University of Michigan Library. The marginalia on that page won't disappoint, I promise.

I should be back with a proper post tomorrow.

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