Elmer Paisley:

April232012

“I write of melancholy, by being busy to avoid melancholy. There is no greater cause of melancholy than idleness, no better cure than business.”

Full text (1638 edition): http://books.google.com/books?id=cPgveWnCdRcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true

“The Anatomy of Melancholy” by Robert Burton, 1621. I just stumbled upon this eccentric book last night and ended up skimming through it well into the wee hours of the morning. Words completely fail me, so here’s Wikipedia instead: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anatomy_of_Melancholy

the anatomy of melancholy literature books library depression

12AM

the tell-tale heart edgar allan poe animation art library

April222012

(Source: quaintra, via arthistorianmindswirls)

aubrey beardsley arthurian legend le morte darthur sir thomas malory literature illustration library

9PM

jan svankmajer animation art library

April182012

Carl Tanzler von Cosel (1877-1952) was an eccentric radiologist who became obsessed with tuberculosis patient Elena de Hoyos. After she died he took her body to his house and crudely but painstakingly preserved it and lived with it for seven years. They say he even inserted a tube into her vagina so he could have intercourse with the corpse. In 1947 he wrote an account of his twisted love story for the pulp magazine “Fantastic Adventures”. Read “The Secret of Elena’s Tomb” here: http://www.unz.org/Pub/FantasticAdventures-1947sep-00008

The lovingly preserved body of Elena de Hoyos