February 8, 2009

This Thursday is the 200th Anniversary of the births
of Lincoln and Darwin,Feb. 12, 1809. Look for many tributes.
Newsweek had a good one last July.



The NYT book section had a review on “Spade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett’s ‘The Maltese Falcon’ ” by Joe Gores. This one will be picked up soon.



The NYT crossword had OOLALa as an answer, but it made
me remember OOH LA LA.The song harks back to this old favorite:

XIII. "When I was one-and-twenty..."
by A. E. Housman (1859-1936)

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
'Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.'
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
'The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.'

And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.



Nice Joes Ades tribute on Gothamist.