KS gave me Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking Glass last week, very thoughtful of him. I sort of remember having this book (with original illustrations in my old home in West Coast) but I've not seen it in years, and may never see it again, so perhaps it's time to read it over again.
I'm also studying a vintage issue of Harpers & Queen (which is no more, alas!) dated September 1994 and am struck afresh by the brilliance of the writing. Everything is readable because it is so properly written. In front, the agenda section is called Barometer, and the parties section called Party Line. A story about restaurant decor starts "Airy-fairy, quite contrary...". A routine story about mascara is given sheen by calling it Beau Peep. A salon listing is titled Pick of the Croppers, and a feature on diet fads titled Feeder's Digest. Womb Service is about gynaecologists. The fashion spread on the colour red is called Rouge Awakening, and the feature on social kissing is titled No Pecks Please, We're British (with beautiful illustrations by Steven Appleby) which is blurbed on the cover as Pecking Order. The food column features sausages and is titled On A Roll.
Sigh. Writers don't write like this anymore, and editors don't think anymore.
I'm also studying a vintage issue of Harpers & Queen (which is no more, alas!) dated September 1994 and am struck afresh by the brilliance of the writing. Everything is readable because it is so properly written. In front, the agenda section is called Barometer, and the parties section called Party Line. A story about restaurant decor starts "Airy-fairy, quite contrary...". A routine story about mascara is given sheen by calling it Beau Peep. A salon listing is titled Pick of the Croppers, and a feature on diet fads titled Feeder's Digest. Womb Service is about gynaecologists. The fashion spread on the colour red is called Rouge Awakening, and the feature on social kissing is titled No Pecks Please, We're British (with beautiful illustrations by Steven Appleby) which is blurbed on the cover as Pecking Order. The food column features sausages and is titled On A Roll.
Sigh. Writers don't write like this anymore, and editors don't think anymore.
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