Tag Archives: Quirk Books

Quirky History: Urchins, Igls, and Hogs. Hedgehogs in Medieval Manuscripts

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On April 7, 2017, I published the following post on Quirk Books.

Quirky History: Urchins, Igls, and Hogs. Hedgehogs in Medieval Manuscripts

We love hedgehogs! Hedgehogs are a commonly occurring animal in manuscripts and bestiaries throughout the Middle Ages (and who can blame the artists for including them?). If you’ve read other posts about medieval manuscripts, be warned: this might be the cutest one yet.

If you would like to read the rest of the post, please click here.

In the words of my friend, the Australian, I shall return.

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5 Aliens We Wouldn’t Mind Being Abducted By

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On January 25, 2016, I published the following post on the Quirk Books blog.

5 Aliens We Wouldn’t Mind Being Abducted By

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From 1993 to 2002, The X-Files brought conspiracy theories, Area 51, weirdos who need to eat women’s body fat to stay alive—and of course, alien abductions—right into our homes. Now, the aliens who abducted people on The X-Files were not particularly nice to their human captives, but we at Quirk believe that not all aliens are bad. Here are five aliens we wouldn’t mind being abducted by.

If you wish to read this post in its entirety, please click here.

In the words of my friend, the Australian, I shall return.

Quirky History: The Hatpin as a Lady’s Weapon of Choice

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On January 28, 2016, I published this post on Quirk Books.

Quirky History: The Hatpin as a Lady’s Weapon of Choice

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And you thought all this Pride and Prejudice and Zombies lady-fighter talk was just fiction. Hatpins were originally designed to be used in pairs to fasten a woman’s hat to her hair. But in the hands of a damsel in distress, a hatpin might just be the deadliest fashion accessory in history.

If you want to read the entire blog post, please click here.

In the words of my friend, the Australian, I shall return.

Why Are These Knights Battling Snails?

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On August 28, 2015, I published the following post at Quirk Books.

Quirky Books in History: Why Are These Knights Battling Snails?

191i6h6497x81jpgMedieval manuscripts are known for their beautiful illumination, aka the imaginative and colorful illustration inside letters or in the margin. But have you ever taken a closer look at what these illustrations actually depict? There can be some bizarre-looking stuff happening in these pages. This ain’t your typical Renaissance Fair fair.

If you would like to read the rest of the article, please click here.

Seven Reasons the Mechanical Pencil is a Writer’s Best Friend

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On April 23, 2015 I published the following post on Quirk Books’ blog where I declared my love for the mechanical pencil. Enjoy!

Seven Reasons the Mechanical Pencil is a Writer’s Best Friend

The year 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of Charles R. Keeran’s U.S. patent for the Ever-Sharp pencil, also known as the modern mechanical pencil. Combined with Tokuji Hayakawa’s Japanese patent from 1920 for the pencil’s metal core, Keeran’s invention paved the way for the mechanical pencils we use today.

I have been using mechanical pencils my entire writing life. If you ask me, the mechanical pencil is a writing tool superior to any other. Therefore, in celebration of the anniversary of Keeran’s patent, here are seven reasons why I believe the mechanical pencil is a writer’s best friend…

If you’d like to read the rest of the post, please click here.

In the words of my friend, the Australian, I shall return.