Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

Category Archives: I Usta be an Editor Y’Know

REMEMBERING THE GROUND OBSERVER CORPS PART 2

YESTERDAY, MY AEROBIBLIOGRAPHIC RECOLLECTIONS encountered Bruce Callander’s “The Ground Observer Corps,” Air & Space Forces Magazine. Today in Part 2, we continue gleaning tidbits from it, together with my (barely … Continue reading

October 8, 2025 · Leave a comment

REMEMBERING THE GROUND OBSERVER CORPS PART 1

I WAS LEAFING THROUGH MY AVIATION SHELVES, a collection, I immodestly note, better than in many secondhand bookshops I peruse from time to time. This includes gems such as “Jane’s … Continue reading

October 7, 2025 · Leave a comment

SEVERAL HELPFUL PHRASES

TRUTH IS, I’M NOT REALLY INTO SELF-HELP (this, despite those who might suggest otherwise). However, I was impressed by Catherine Pearson’s “8 Phrases to Help Your Relationship Thrive,” The New … Continue reading

September 30, 2025 · Leave a comment

CROSS-REFERENCES FOR FUN AND ILLUMINATION PART 2

YESTERDAY, CROSS-REFERENCES OFFERED an innovative means of indexing material. Today in Part 2, we continue this investigation from Brewer’s Rogues, Villains & Eccentrics: An A–Z of Roguish Britons Through the … Continue reading

September 12, 2025 · Leave a comment

CROSS-REFERENCING FOR FUN AND ILLUMINATION PART 1

THOUGH OTHER BREWER’S PUBLICATIONS HAVE APPEARED here at SimanaitisSays, I don’t believe I’ve ever told you about Brewer’s Rogues, Villains & Eccentrics: An A–Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages.  … Continue reading

September 11, 2025 · Leave a comment

MORE DIRTY BOOKS

THERE—THAT SHOULD GET YOUR ATTENTION AGAIN. Who would have guessed Boccacio’s Decameron was once described as “probably the dirtiest great book in the Western canon.” I gleaned this from Barbara … Continue reading

September 3, 2025 · Leave a comment

ENZO FERRARI TIDBITS FROM THE LRB PART 2

THOMAS JONES’ ARTICLE IN LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS “Lunch With Mussolini” is replete with tidbits continued here in Part 2. A Young Enzo. Jones relates that Ferrari’s first business venture … Continue reading

August 28, 2025 · 2 Comments

ENZO FERRARI TIDBITS FROM THE LRB PART 1

I’M OFTEN ENTERTAINED BY THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. To cite a few examples, see “Just Because I’m a Librarian Doesn’t Mean I Have to Dress Like One”—Belle Da Costa … Continue reading

August 27, 2025 · 1 Comment

MERRIAM-WEBSTER NEW ENTRIES

I ENJOY TWO EXTREMES IN DETERMINING WORD DEFINITIONS: the online Merriam-Webster and the microprinted Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, 1971. The M-W is only a click away; but … Continue reading

August 25, 2025 · Leave a comment

ETYMOLOGIES FOR OUR TIMES REDUX

IT’S FUN—AND ILLUMINATING—TO SEE WHERE WORDS ORIGINATE. Sometimes the answer is trivial. For example, “Pettiness” from the French petit, little; as in “Short-fingered vulgarian’s pettiness.” Other times, it’s rather more … Continue reading

August 12, 2025 · 2 Comments