HARRY A. FRANCK: PRINCE OF VAGABONDS
IF ANYONE ever earned the title “Prince of Vagabonds,” it was Harry A. Franck. A trip around the world sans cash? Sure. Through Germany immediately after World War I? Yep. … Continue reading
VIRGIN ISLAND KITCHEN
THERE’S SERENDIPITY in organizing old books. Where else would I expect to find my signed edition, from 1969, of Erva Boulon’s cookbook? And why else would I research this Virgin … Continue reading
JAPANESE AESTHETICS, COURTESY OF MAZDA
SOME YEARS back, Mazda offered a short course in Japanese aesthetics through publication of several books. Being the Nipponophile I am, I am delighted to share details here. The four … Continue reading
YOU READ IT HERE FIRST (MAYBE)
EVERY SO often, even the blind pig finds a truffle. And so it is with this website. One way or the other, items in the past resonate with the latest news. … Continue reading
UNDERGROUND ART
THERE’S SOMETHING invigorating about public art. And, over the years, the London Underground has been a wonderful venue for its exhibition. London Underground art even generated its own typeface. Here, … Continue reading
ENGLISH CLUBLAND
NEITHER SHERLOCK Holmes nor his brother Mycroft were English Clubland sorts. True, Mycroft was a Founder of the Diogenes Club, an establishment said to have “the most unsociable and unclubbable … Continue reading
TSUKIJI FISH MARKET
JAPANESE BREAKFAST is the best breakfast in the world. It’ll have steamed rice, nori (dried seaweed, for dipping in a tad of soy sauce and making little rice rolls), miso … Continue reading
VENEZIA
ROBERT BENCHLEY had a good line: “Streets filled with water. Advise.” As a car enthusiast, I cannot fathom why this Italian city with flooded streets should hold my attraction. Yet … Continue reading
MEIJI-MURA
IT WAS during the Meiji era, 1868-1912, that Japan more than opened to western influence. The country, isolated by choice for the previous 300 years, enthusiastically assimilated western ways in … Continue reading
GIBRALTAR NEWS
GIBRALTAR HAS been in the news of late. And, with no modesty on my part, I admit this has nothing to do with my recent item on Peter Ustinov and … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 