Sunday, March 09, 2008

Inside the first and fairest pyramid

Legend to a cross-section of the Great Pyramid, from John Greaves' Pyramidographia, 1646:
ab the entrance to the Pyramid
bc the ascent into the first Gallery
ce the first Gallery
dr the Well
gh the passage to the arched Chamber
hi the arched Chamber
fk the second Gallery
knq the first anticloset
nqo the second anticloset
op the Chamber in which the tombe stands

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Master Storytellers

Jacket copy from Scholastic Book Services' Master Storyteller Series' The Turn of the Screw and other stories by Henry James, 1966:
The Turn of the Screw, one of Henry James's most mystifying tales, poses a psychological puzzle:
• Are the two children innocent or corrupt?
• Do ghosts have evil power over them—or over their young governess?
These questions have intrigued readers for more than half a century.

In the four stories in this collection—The Turn of the Screw, The Pupil, The Tree of Knowledge, and The Figure in the Carpet—most of the action takes place within the minds of the characters. James draws his readers into this electric inner atmosphere, asking much of the imagination but giving great enjoyment in return.