Book Thread: July 5th, 2026 (MP4)

Good morning, ‘rons and ‘ronettes. It’s time once again for the monthly MP4-hosted Sunday Book Thread. Dress for men, as always, is country club casual. Women are encouraged to wear their best Lilly Pulitzer:
https://tinyurl.com/8n8dd49y

So ask the barman for a cocktail, covfefe or tea and let’s get started!

‘we hold these truths to be self-evident’

By the time this is posted, I expect Independence Day will be behind us. What will happen that day? Nationwide hate-Trump riots? More “No Kings” marches? Democrat politicians of all skin hues and aspirations lecturing Americans about the inherent, inborn, unforgivable evil that is the United States? I don’t know. I do know that the 250th anniversary will be (or was) a sadder, more divisive and ultimately poorer celebration than that of 1976.

During the Bicentennial, I had the pleasure of visiting Filthadelphia, where I saw the meeting room of the Continental Congress (much smaller than that version seen in 1776) and came away with a copy of Edmund Morgan’s The Meaning of Independence, a collection of three lectures he gave in 1975 regarding Adams, Washington and Jefferson. It was the first book I had ever bought regarding the Revolution and to this day I still pick up the occasional volume that catches my eye. Allow me to mention a few:

Spies of the Revolution by Katherine and John Bakeless. My copy is from Scholastic Book Services and is a YA adaptation of their 1959 Turncoats, Traitors and Heroes. It’s a fad these days to write about Washington’s network of spies, but the Bakelesses covered that and more decades ago.

A.G. Langguth’s Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution is, IMO, probably the best one-volume history of the Revolution and one written to appeal to all reading levels, charting the course of the conflict from the Stamp Act all the way to Yorktown and beyond.

For a close look at the Declaration itself, Pauline Maier’s American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence is a must-have. She examines not only the writing of the Declaration, but its antecedents, its mirror declarations in various colonies and how, in the 19th century, the document itself was ‘sanctified.’ An appendix reprints Jefferson’s original draft, enabling you to see how and where he was improved or watered down.

Thomas Fleming’s Liberty: The American Revolution was a companion volume to the 1997 PBS series. It’s a lavishly-illustrated book which begins in the aftermath of the French and Indian War, proceeding through the various Parliamentary attempts to squeeze money from the colonies and on into war, victory and the framing of the Constitution.

And, of course, if you happen to prowl used bookshops, you might come across any one of the various American Heritage books about the Revolution, colonial settlement or American history. An excellent example is their two-volume 200 Years: A Bicentennial Illustrated History of the United States.

And I can’t finish without mentioning Westholme Publishing, who specialize in the 18th century and have a companion website, Journal of the American Revolution. I’m looking forward to the publication of City Tavern: The Founding Table by Becky Libourel Diamond.

What about you? What books captured your imagination or influenced your thinking about independence? Will our 300th anniversary be as celebratory as 1976, or are we a rusty clock, winding down to a sad, empty silence?

[A Personal Request:
My new Theda Bara novel, Ten Thousand Midnights, is at reading draft stage and I'm looking for a few people to share thoughts. If you've read my first two, you know the scene - silent star Theda Bara is an amateur detective along with her makeup artist Toby Swanson. The new book has her asked by the LA police to help solve the 1922 murder of Paramount director William Desmond Taylor.

If you're interested, email me at christopherdigrazia@gmail.com and I'll send you a word file and what I'm looking for.]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 08:53 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 No real reading again. Must be the weather.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 08:55 AM (1Ff7Z)

2 Tolle Lege!

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at July 05, 2026 08:56 AM (c3YdQ)

3 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at July 05, 2026 08:57 AM (Ia/+0)

4 Women are encouraged to wear their best Lilly Pulitzer

How contemporary for you, MP. Not even a hobble skirt. Are you feeling well?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 08:58 AM (1Ff7Z)

5 From what I have read, that painting has one realistic trivia.
They pulled the curtains to keep the sun out, and the spying

Posted by: Skip at July 05, 2026 09:00 AM (Ia/+0)

6 Good morning again dear morons and thanks MP4 not a lot of reading this week, although I borrowed a new book based on rhomboid's recommendation about naval action in the Mediterranean during WW2.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at July 05, 2026 09:01 AM (RIvkX)

7 Good morning, Poppins and Horde.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:02 AM (kpS4V)

8 Tall leggy

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at July 05, 2026 09:02 AM (Kt19C)

9 Word I learned this morning: “tsundoku,” the Japanese term for collecting books and letting them pile up unread.

Posted by: gp at July 05, 2026 09:02 AM (Jr5Lq)

10 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading. With the brutal heat this week I had a good excuse to stay in the air conditioning and read.

Posted by: JTB at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (yTvNw)

11 I have a large single volume Washington biography I haven't read. A couple of years ago I read a bio of Nathaniel Greene.

Sad to say reading revolutionary books in today's state makes you wonder if they would have done it knowing what miscreants and evildoers are perpetrating on this country.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (1Ff7Z)

12 Morning, MP4.

Howdy, Horde.

Not much reading this week either. Have started Karamazov and am almost a third of the way in, but started feeling like reading something else, so am now halfway through a revisit on A Farewell to Arms which I read who knows how long ago and about which I recall almost nothing. Can't seem to stay with anything really long these days.

Hope everyone's had a pleasant 4th.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (q3u5l)

13 Will our 300th anniversary be as celebratory as 1976, or are we a rusty clock, winding down to a sad, empty silence?
=====
Without some major changes in demography and policy, we won't make it another 25 years. Our enemies have been fighting 50 years for our destruction while we deny they even exist.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (RIvkX)

14 although I borrowed a new book based on rhomboid's recommendation about naval action in the Mediterranean during WW2.
Posted by: San Franpsycho
_________

Cunningham was the shit. The Italian navy was no joke.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at July 05, 2026 09:07 AM (XvL8K)

15 ... so am now halfway through a revisit on A Farewell to Arms which I read who knows how long ago and about which I recall almost nothing.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (q3u5l)

I recall everything!!

Posted by: Michelle Fields at July 05, 2026 09:07 AM (1Ff7Z)

16 Morning, Horde...How goes it?

One of the "perks" of an extended power outage is that there's not much else to do besides read.

I finished two books yesterday and started a third.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at July 05, 2026 09:07 AM (FZ29D)

17 Morning, Book Addicts!

MP4, I'll send you a note today.

As for my reading adventures: I finished S.M. Stirling's first in his alternate Roman Empire series, To Turn the Tide, and am deep into its sequel, The Winds of Time. The setup: In 2032, a professor of ancient history (and former combat soldier) and four of his graduate students are catapulted in time, a second before a fusion bomb destroys Vienna, back to 165 AD, during Marcus Aurelius's reign. The time machine's inventor was killed in the time flip; but he had been preparing to avoid the coming nuclear holocaust. So the professor and his students have some antibiotics, models of machinery and textbooks, laptops and phones -- and knowledge of techniques and technology the world does not yet have.

They are not considered madmen or executed as wizards. They all speak Latin and some Greek, and with the friendship of a Jewish merchant, begin to introduce new tech to the Empire: the wheelbarrow, an improved sickle, saddles with stirrups, and much more. The two novels are rather Heinlein-esque, in that you are being educated in tech and economics while enjoying every second of it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:08 AM (wzUl9)

18 Currently reading "The Fifth Heart," by the recently late Dan Simmons (of Hyperion Cantos fame). This was recommended last week on the book thread, and is an excellent story.

Writer Henry James very reluctantly teams up with the Legendary Sherlock Holmes to solve a murder mystery, while Holmes battles heroin addiction and undergoes the existential crisis of not knowing if he is, in fact, a real person, or is merely a character in Dr. Watson's numerous recountings of his adventures.

An excellent premise well-crafted.

Posted by: Sharkman at July 05, 2026 09:10 AM (/RHNq)

19 Sad to say reading revolutionary books in today's state makes you wonder if they would have done it knowing what miscreants and evildoers are perpetrating on this country.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (1Ff7Z)

I think yes, absolutely. But if anyone could have foreseen Marx and Mao, they would have made appropriate pre-emptive law.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 09:10 AM (h7ZuX)

20 Heinlein's early work as collected in his Future History volume, The Past Through Tomorrow, not only showed me what SF was supposed to be about, but also started me thinking about freedom. "You can't control a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

His other works like The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress carried me along in that vein.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:11 AM (wzUl9)

21 Wonderful christopher

Ive been reworking my story a graat romance set in bosnia a colonisl epic set in aden and a caper in marbella thats 60,000 words

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at July 05, 2026 09:13 AM (y3wWc)

22 I recently read an Osprey book about "The New Model Army," Cromwell's army during the English Civil War. (Not directly related to this week's topic, but maybe tangentially related) I generally buy Osprey books for the illustrations, but I'm making an effort to actually read through the books I buy. Alas, there wasn't a whole lot of useful information in this book's text.

But there was some interesting speculation. This was the era when English soldiers first stated dressing in their distinctive red coat. The book mentioned that we don't know much about the development of the redcoat costume; which sent me down a mental rabbit-hole. The red overcoat, that makes a certain amount of sense, from a practical standpoint. But the big lapels along the full height of the coat, the giant cuffs, the colored interior lining, and all the lace and decorations....That all seems very odd. Especially on a common soldier. And yet, at some point, it all made sense for the people who authorized it. Kinda makes me wonder why that all those decisions were made the way they were....

Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:13 AM (3v7ra)

23 I think yes, absolutely. But if anyone could have foreseen Marx and Mao, they would have made appropriate pre-emptive law.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 09:10 AM (h7ZuX)

It was only around 70 years between the Declaration and the commie manifesto.

Posted by: Michelle Fields at July 05, 2026 09:14 AM (1Ff7Z)

24 Yesterday was nothing but reading. From cover to cover I finished R A Salvatore's The Lone Drow and The Two Swords.

Read The 1000 orcs a few days ago. Pretty good story and blissfully unwokified.

Posted by: Will Robinson at July 05, 2026 09:15 AM (4a6AT)

25 I daresay that for a lot of us, Independence Day No. 250 was like our previous celebrations. Same parade (my church has a small one as part of our neighborhood party), same party, same friends ... maybe the food is different.

Oh, yeah, same fireworks racket into the night.

Posted by: Weak Geek at July 05, 2026 09:16 AM (IDILA)

26 I'll second that on Heinlein.

Detoured for a while during and after college into being a good little lefty but came back to my senses after seeing the reactions to Reagan's SDI proposals.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 09:16 AM (q3u5l)

27 Additionally, Stirling's The Winds of Time introduces a conflict. The Chinese government in the 2030s stole the time machine tech from the German inventor and had their own machine and materiel ready to go, when Beijing is hit in the conflagration. A Chinese colonel and several more selected technicians and historians flip back to 165 AD as well, though in China instead of Austria. And they have heard of the new tech and procedures the Americans are introducing in Europe and western Asia.

In other words, as the American professor thinks, they are in for the same division within humanity -- competing political systems -- that led to nuclear bombs 2000 years hence.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:16 AM (wzUl9)

28 I read the YA novel Chasing Embers by Glenn Beck with Mikalela G. Hedrick. After a war, the new world is run by Topos, Inc. Our history and our lives are a series of stories, and who control the stories controls our lives. Day after day, year after year, Topos has told lies to the people. People not only believe the lies, but they cease to care what is the truth. Seem familiar? Sounds like our far left. There is a group of people, the Oarsmen, living outside of Topos' control, and are committed to remembering the old true stories of our history. Lots of action-adventure.

Posted by: Zoltan at July 05, 2026 09:17 AM (VOrDg)

29 Still waiting for Eric Metaxas' "Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World". Supposed to be delivered by this Friday, it's already been delayed once. The demand is high.

Posted by: Tuna at July 05, 2026 09:18 AM (lJ0H4)

30 I do plan to reread the Declaration of Independence today. Too busy yesterday.

And ...

I'm trying a new approach to whittling my TBR list. Specifically, reading books I've acquired as gifts. So I've boarded "Von Ryan's Express" by David Westheimer.

Col. Joseph Ryan enters a POW camp in Italy and, as the senior officer, takes command and whips his slovenly charges into shape. His abrasive approach earns him the soubriquet "Von Ryan," but the men learn again to comport themselves as officers. But now Italy has surrendered, the guards have abandoned the camp -- and I still have half a book to go. Something's bound to go wrong. And it will likely involve a train.

Posted by: Weak Geek at July 05, 2026 09:18 AM (IDILA)

31 With the brutal heat this week I had a good excuse to stay in the air conditioning and read.
Posted by: JTB at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM (yTvNw)

I love it. I've been sitting outside on the porch as much as possible. AC gets too cold for me. So, I get cold, and then I go out in the sauna for a couple of hours, come in and cool off, repeat.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 09:18 AM (h7ZuX)

32 Sorry I'm late, I overslept!

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 09:19 AM (qRla/)

33 . . . The red overcoat, that makes a certain amount of sense, from a practical standpoint. But the big lapels along the full height of the coat, the giant cuffs, the colored interior lining, and all the lace and decorations....That all seems very odd. Especially on a common soldier. And yet, at some point, it all made sense for the people who authorized it. Kinda makes me wonder why that all those decisions were made the way they were....
Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026

***
A method of instilling pride within the soldier, a patriotic sensibility that would make him feel he was part of an elite within an elite, perhaps.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:19 AM (wzUl9)

34 I think there is one thing people are forgetting about the 200th and 250th. The 200th had a bunch of the same type of assholes running around that we have now. But… ack then, things in the country sucked, politically and economically. The 200th was a great excuse to take time to forget all that.

Now look at the 250th. Is the country not in a more prosperous state now than it was in 1976? There’s less of a need for escapism this go around.

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:19 AM (4g5V+)

35 Oh, yeah, same fireworks racket into the night.
Posted by: Weak Geek at July 05, 2026 09:16 AM (IDILA)

It went on a lot longer than usual in the neighborhood last night. I swear one of the people in the area shot off more than the show at the business down the street. I stood in the back yard and saw fireworks coming from every point of the compass. Too many people were doing it, so the police did nothing.*

*Roman candles are illegal here, but the Injuns sell them.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 09:20 AM (1Ff7Z)

36 Booken morgen horden!!!
Happy start of Year 251 of the the greatest nation in history!

Congrats on nearing the finish line on Theda bk3, MP4

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 09:21 AM (ZBho7)

37 I didn't do any reading related to Washington or the Revolutionary War, but I did watch the "Young Washington" movie, which I do recommend. The battle scenes were on par with any big-budget historical epics. Alhtough I leave it to others who are better versed in the topic to discuss their historical accuracy...

It was also an interesting change of pace to see a main character who was actually brought low by his failures. (Aka, Fort Necessity) A real 'second act low point' is rare in this age of Mary Sues and Girlbosses. Anyways, this made Washington's subsequent redemption all the more cathartic to watch.

Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:22 AM (3v7ra)

38 I often think about the men who we would now consider working by mostly candle light at night, to somehow keep a more or less coherent track of what they were talking about at that building we now call Independent Hall. Their was a lot of bickering among the members over what to write in both the Deceleration of Independent and the Constitution. Not unlike we would see today if the document was written today. It wasn't all agreed on what they want to say, and probably some back stabbing among the delegates. And the horse back riding between the states and Philadelphia to get information back and forth.

Posted by: Colin at July 05, 2026 09:22 AM (CiQE7)

39 I got around to Dungeon Crawler Carl this week. I am not a gamer, never have been. I mean, Pong was amazingly high tech when I was at an age when I might have gotten interested in gaming.

But I've gotten interested in this. It's funny, which is a nice change from my usual selections. I feel like I'm in the game, without having to learn how to play it. It's a nice diversion, and I'll keep reading.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 09:23 AM (h7ZuX)

40 13 Will our 300th anniversary be as celebratory as 1976, or are we a rusty clock, winding down to a sad, empty silence?
=====
Without some major changes in demography and policy, we won't make it another 25 years. Our enemies have been fighting 50 years for our destruction while we deny they even exist.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at July 05, 2026 09:04 AM

Defeatist cynicism is an arrogance that we too know an outcome – we do not. Our Creator expects us to fight for good until He ends the game, not us.

Posted by: Robert W. Pratt at July 05, 2026 09:23 AM (4g5V+)

41 The American Revolution is one of my favorite periods of history it was philosophical/idealistic and also about war. History was my undergrad, but don't repeat that.

I enjoy books that cover STEM type topics. I enjoyed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Deming's Out of the Crisis, a book titled The God Particle by Leon Max Lederman, and a book of essays called The World Within the World, by John Barrow.

I've gotten very interested in the history of math, but haven't had time to devote to it. I do want to say that Euler is among the greatest geniuses to have ever lived, and possibly he is the greatest. My opinion.

Posted by: meh at July 05, 2026 09:24 AM (zZxsY)

42 More prosperous in 2026 than 1976?

Depends on how you measure it, what the criteria and so forth. I’m going to argue some things are better. Mostly a lot worse, and not a prescription for confidence going forward

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:24 AM (yKoRs)

43 Damn. Meant to read more bios on Founders and Founders adjacent at this point…

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:25 AM (4g5V+)

44 Wolfus, I enjoyed that series by Stirling. Kinda reminds me of his Nantucket series.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 09:25 AM (u/wrI)

45 Read Revolution by Metaxas.

Metaxas is an excellent storyteller and made this latest historical journey through our founding very enjoyable.

Posted by: 13times at July 05, 2026 09:25 AM (fnZRl)

46 A lot of practical choices went into those uniforms -- as into the civilian men's clothing they were derived from. Big cuffs? Those are the parts that get dirty and worn soonest, so you're basically adding a protective layer. Big lapels? SO you can button the whole thing right up to your chin in cold weather. Long coats so the rain will run off and not get into your boots. They were doing their best to create durable, all-weather gear but only had wool and linen to work with.

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:26 AM (78a2H)

47 The Little League organization here has a ballpark across the street and south a bit from our house. They had a huge fireworks display last night -- it was terrific.
The whole evening was fireworks around us. That went on until midnight. Our poor cat finally came out from under the bed and slept with me.
The law here is fireworks for only the 3-5th of July, but as soon as the fireworks businesses open up we hear it, and will, for weeks. Just not as much as last night.

Posted by: TecumsehTea at July 05, 2026 09:27 AM (4VH0B)

48 42 More prosperous in 2026 than 1976?

Depends on how you measure it, what the criteria and so forth. I’m going to argue some things are better. Mostly a lot worse, and not a prescription for confidence going forward

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:24 AM (yKoRs)

The 70s were the era of stagflation, stubbornly high unemployment, and pessimism as a whole abounded. I’m not saying it’s all sunshine now, but would people trade this year for the 1970s? I doubt it.

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:28 AM (4g5V+)

49 Defeatist cynicism is an arrogance that we too know an outcome – we do not. Our Creator expects us to fight for good until He ends the game, not us.

Posted by: Robert W. Pratt at July 05, 2026 09:23 AM (4g5V+)
====

I see your point, but I probably live at least 25 years in the future from where you do.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at July 05, 2026 09:28 AM (RIvkX)

50 I think there is one thing people are forgetting about the 200th and 250th. The 200th had a bunch of the same type of assholes running around that we have now. But… ack then, things in the country sucked, politically and economically. The 200th was a great excuse to take time to forget all that.

Now look at the 250th. Is the country not in a more prosperous state now than it was in 1976? There’s less of a need for escapism this go around.
Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:19 AM (4g5V+)

I'll also say that social media and the fracturing of the MFM monopoly did a lot to sow discord. In 1976, the hate-America crowd didn't have access to the worldwide sewer of Facebook and could only spew their vomitus within their own neighborhoods.

Now Muhammad Muhammad can post "Fuck you, America!" from his cosy Dearbornistan house and tens of thousands of like-minded amplify his message and you're suddenly slapped in the face with the number of assholes living here who would gladly tear it all down.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 09:29 AM (qRla/)

51 H. Rider Haggard wrote King Solomon's Mines as sort of a lark, just to prove how easy he thought it would be. The book became so popular, that like Arthur Conan Doyle, he could not abandon his character due to reader demand. The sequel he wrote next is simply entitled Allan Quatermain.

This story begins with the funeral for Allan's son Henry. As Quatermain grieves, he is approached by Sir Henry Curtis and John Good, who were his companions in the previous story. They both are looking for one more African adventure, and want to explore the legend of a civilization located beyond Lake Victoria. Allan, with nothing to hold him in England any more agrees to one last journey

As the party moves across East Africa, they find their old Zulu friend Umslopogaas, who joins them in defending a mission station before they resume their journey to find the legendary tribe in the West. Almost from the moment they enter Africa, the team are forced to fight for their lives against daunting odds, and to endure overwhelming danger and near impossible situations. This is another rousing adventure story.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at July 05, 2026 09:29 AM (0U5gm)

52 33 A method of instilling pride within the soldier, a patriotic sensibility that would make him feel he was part of an elite within an elite, perhaps.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:19 AM (wzUl9)

That makes as much sense as anything. That and maybe making them look impressive when on parade and when standing guard around the palace...

Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:29 AM (3v7ra)

53 I was glad to hear a lot of fireworks last night. The Fourth in 2025 was too quiet. As long as your neighbors are willing to defy the law and make some noise to celebrate their nation, hope can remain.

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:29 AM (78a2H)

54 I also read the YA novel Paper Towns by John Green. This is the story of a group of teens in their last weeks of high school. Quentin has loved his neighbor, Margo, from afar. Margo is a free spirit and enlists Quentin in an all-night campaign of revenge on her former friends who treated her wrongly. The following morning, Margo has disappeared. Q and his friends decipher clues left by Margo to track her down, missing high school graduation while doing so. Not the best YA book that I have read, but full of action and teenage angst.

Posted by: Zoltan at July 05, 2026 09:30 AM (VOrDg)

55 I saw a pretty edition of the Federalist Papers at the local warehouse club - tempted to get it.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 09:30 AM (ZBho7)

56 Considering “Independence” is the holiday under discussion , the number of individuals wholly or mostly dependent on government largesse is not encouraging. Industry has been hollowed out. This was a huge problem in 1976 as well. So was illegal migration.

Attitudes were certainly different. No self respecting family man would accept welfare if he could help it. People were proud of the fact they weren’t on the dole. Now? You’re a fool if you don’t steal whatever ain’t nailed down.

Quality Learing Centers. Medical fraud. Home day care.

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:30 AM (yKoRs)

57 But there was some interesting speculation. This was the era when English soldiers first stated dressing in their distinctive red coat. The book mentioned that we don't know much about the development of the redcoat costume; which sent me down a mental rabbit-hole. The red overcoat, that makes a certain amount of sense, from a practical standpoint. But the big lapels along the full height of the coat, the giant cuffs, the colored interior lining, and all the lace and decorations....That all seems very odd. Especially on a common soldier. And yet, at some point, it all made sense for the people who authorized it. Kinda makes me wonder why that all those decisions made the way they were....
Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:13 AM (3v7ra)
---
Military uniforms are a fascinating subject, and Osprey Publishing pretty much made a fortune on documenting all of it.

The core purpose is unit/faction identification, so if one side is wearing blue, you need to wear red or something else. Royal troops wore blue, and they still do today. The Household Guard wears blue uniforms. The Royal Artillery wore blue with red facings.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:31 AM (ZOv7s)

58 Thanks for the recommendations, MP4. I always have a tab open for my library when I read the book thread.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:31 AM (kpS4V)

59 The books that influenced me the most
about The American Revolution were:

Johnny Tremain. (Esther Forbes)
(by far and away - the most influential)

Ben and Me (Robert Lawson)

Mr. Revere and I (Robert Lawson)

Arundel (Kenneth Roberts)

Rabble in Arms (Kenneth Roberts)

I read them all in grade school in the '60's
I now have First Editions of each.

Posted by: retropox at July 05, 2026 09:31 AM (j/x/c)

60 The only downside from July 4: I'm going to be eating leftover potato salad and hot dogs until August.

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:31 AM (78a2H)

61 >>> 60 The only downside from July 4: I'm going to be eating leftover potato salad and hot dogs until August.
Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:31 AM (78a2H)

You must not have a dog or a hog.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at July 05, 2026 09:33 AM (R+iUD)

62 53 I was glad to hear a lot of fireworks last night.

--

Here too! Despite a thunderstorm with lightning, and our local woke town canceling fireworks coz of the heatwave, I could hear a lot of booms all night.
Stayed up past midnight watching the DC fireworks.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 09:34 AM (ZBho7)

63 46 Big cuffs? Those are the parts that get dirty and worn soonest, so you're basically adding a protective layer. Big lapels?
Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:26 AM (78a2H)

See, that's the sort of thing that no book I've read has covered, or even suggested...

Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:34 AM (3v7ra)

64 I read/listened to Remarkably Bright Creatures and All the Colors of the Dark.
I really enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures, it was an engaging book and I hear the movie is pretty good too. I'll try and watch it soon, maybe later today.
All the Colors of the Dark was good too, although he could have easily cut 100 pages in the middle. It had very unexpected twists and was a compelling read. It was beautifully written and the language and prose captivating.
I have The Hail Mary Project downloaded to Audible for our road trip next week for the spawn's probably last Nationals competition's.

Posted by: lin-duh at July 05, 2026 09:35 AM (VCgbV)

65 My potato salad's too good to waste.

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:35 AM (78a2H)

66 Most of my reading this week has been a series of books from Arcadia Publishing - you know, the outfit that specializes in local history, printing histories of towns, cities, attractions and so on.

Mine have been all book-related - Early Paramount Pictures, Early Hollywood, Santa Monica, Early Universal City and so on - because I need to get as many details right as I can.

I've also got a large map of 1922 LA which I need to spend time with this week, marking out the various spots my characters visit so that I have the geography as correct as can be.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 09:36 AM (qRla/)

67 The Type 56 youtube channel has a recent post about how PLA uniforms went from simple to complex and the short version is that uniforms are a code to tell people within a large organization full of strangers who does what at a glance.

When armies were small (say local militia or feudal levies) everyone knew everyone. There wasn't a lot of technical complexity. Status/rank was obvious ("he must be royalty, he's not covered in shit") but as armies get more technical, more sprawling, units and weapons become more specialized, suddenly you need to be able to quickly tell your riflemen from your "line" infantry, artillerists from cavalry and horse artillery from infantry artillery.

You also need to know who is under your command. The various regimental uniforms seem absurd to Americans, but our armies were traditionally tiny. Then the Civil War came, and what do you know - we started making soldiers wear special badges on their hats and uniform so we could tell which brigade, division and corps they belong do. And still do that today.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:37 AM (ZOv7s)

68 That red uniform was certainly impressive, but when I see it I always find myself thinking, "Whoa, bummer of a birthmark, Hal."

200 as opposed to 250? One nice thing about the 70s was that the Dems were not yet importing the third world as fast as they could. They'd laid the groundwork IIRC, but they hadn't pushed the controls to ludicrous speed.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 09:37 AM (q3u5l)

69 64 I read/listened to Remarkably Bright Creatures and All the Colors of the Dark.
I really enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures, it was an engaging book and I hear the movie is pretty good too. I'll try and watch it soon, maybe later today.
All the Colors of the Dark was good too, although he could have easily cut 100 pages in the middle. It had very unexpected twists and was a compelling read. It was beautifully written and the language and prose captivating.
I have The Hail Mary Project downloaded to Audible for our road trip next week for the spawn's probably last Nationals competition's.

Posted by: lin-duh at July 05, 2026 09:35 AM (VCgbV)

As is usually the case the book is much better than the movie...

Posted by: It's me donna at July 05, 2026 09:37 AM (u0koz)

70 No need to remind me, I was there in the 70s and it was horrible for a lot of people. It’s sort of moot in a way. Most of the problems were government induced due to currency devaluations and epic deficit borrowing and spending. Just like today.

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:38 AM (yKoRs)

71 51 H. Rider Haggard wrote King Solomon's Mines as sort of a lark, just to prove how easy he thought it would be. The book became so popular, that like Arthur Conan Doyle, he could not abandon his character due to reader demand. The sequel he wrote next is simply entitled Allan Quatermain.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at July 05, 2026 09:29 AM (0U5gm)

I need to read those stories. I've seen a few different movie versions of them (including one super low-budget movie that had me rolling on the floor laughing because the characters walked off to adventure without even a prop-canteen) but never actually read them. I think I have "King Solomon's Mines" as the 'main event' in a hardcover pulp-anthology I bought from Barnes and Noble years ago. Maybe that should move to the top of the to-b-read pile...

Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:38 AM (3v7ra)

72 20 Heinlein's early work as collected in his Future History volume, The Past Through Tomorrow, not only showed me what SF was supposed to be about, but also started me thinking about freedom. "You can't control a free man; the most you can do is kill him."

His other works like The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress carried me along in that vein.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:11 AM (wzUl9)
----

I was going to say that Heinlein was probably my introduction to pondering about freedom. One of his juveniles had a team of young adults having to establish a society from scratch.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:39 AM (kpS4V)

73 Wolfus, I enjoyed that series by Stirling. Kinda reminds me of his Nantucket series.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026

***
I haven't seen those at my local library. I'll have to look around.

Stirling's name first came to my attention with one of his Known Space short stories in The Man-Kzin Wars volumes. I'll have to look and see which one. (No, I did not name my cat for him!)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:39 AM (wzUl9)

74 I read The Declaration of Independence and took my time with it. Reading it the first time was an assignment in grade school with little context, just told it was important. Now I read it with some understanding of the geopolitical, historical and philosophical underpinnings which makes the document even richer and more impressive. I use the B and N "The Constitution of the United States of America: And Selected Writings of the Founding Fathers". It's one of their fancy hardcover editions and provides the basic documents. The selected writings provide a lot of context that is probably ignored in classrooms today.

Posted by: JTB at July 05, 2026 09:40 AM (yTvNw)

75 Another excellent single volume book on the Revolution is Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution.

Bobrick and Metaxas are great storytellers.

Posted by: 13times at July 05, 2026 09:41 AM (fnZRl)

76 Speaking of writing, I posted a distillation of our new deacon's homily from yesterday - about prayer and the founding
*points to link in nic*

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 09:41 AM (ZBho7)

77 No fireworks in my neck of the woods. Not even by private individuals. Didn't hear a single pop. But that has more to do with the red-flag fire restrictions, and the near-record lack of snowfall and drought than anything else. So, while regrettable, it is understandable and actually responsible...

Posted by: Castle Guy at July 05, 2026 09:41 AM (3v7ra)

78 We are deep in the crazy years

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at July 05, 2026 09:41 AM (y3wWc)

79 A lot of practical choices went into those uniforms -- as into the civilian men's clothing they were derived from. Big cuffs? Those are the parts that get dirty and worn soonest, so you're basically adding a protective layer. Big lapels? SO you can button the whole thing right up to your chin in cold weather. Long coats so the rain will run off and not get into your boots. They were doing their best to create durable, all-weather gear but only had wool and linen to work with.
Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:26 AM (78a2H)
---
The big cuffs could be folded down to cover your hands. Cheaper than buying everyone mittens or gloves, which would immediately be lost.

And yes, you are correct. The illustrations we typically see (and what reenactors wear) is the "parade/inspection" look, not how they were worn in the field.

Blankets are an interesting example. On the march, you typically want it rolled and lashed to your knapsack to keep it out of the way, but in cold weather, you might wear it diagonally across your back and chest like a sash.

The Prussian Army also "rolled blankets" when going into action because it added extra protection against bullets and bayonets.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:42 AM (ZOv7s)

80 Thanks for the Book Thread, MP4!

Received Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood. Looking forward to reading it.

Here's to at least another 250 years for the U.S.A.!

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at July 05, 2026 09:42 AM (D/6p1)

81 Families were still largely intact, out of wedlock births, welfare, dysfunctional social systems.

The rot has spread far and wide and there’s nowhere to run, (which was something leftists had on their radar)

Sorry, I’ll stop being a Debbie Downer. We have much to be thankful for! It’s just tragic that all this shit was avoidable.

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:42 AM (yKoRs)

82 Speaking of Gen. Washington's spies --

I never had heard of his Culper Ring until Vertigo Comics published its adventure series Y: The Last Man.

The premise was that somehow every male creature on Earth suddenly died except one guy (I don't recall his name) and his pet Caupachin, Ampersand. (His name I do recall.)

This sounds like the basis for a sex comedy, but it is treated with deadly seriousness. No males -- no continuing food supply, for openers.

How does the Culper Ring figure in this? The agency has been operating all this time, and its Agent 355 shows up to help the last man, who is trying to find his girlfriend while not being discovered to be a man, which would make his life a worse hell. Not only would every government want him, there's a band of Amazons who are out to finish the job.

Posted by: Weak Geek at July 05, 2026 09:42 AM (p/isN)

83 I was going to say that Heinlein was probably my introduction to pondering about freedom. One of his juveniles had a team of young adults having to establish a society from scratch.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026

***
Oh, that's right -- Tunnel in the sky, where a high school class dropped by matter transmitter on a wild alien planet as a field exercise gets stranded, and have to survive and build their own small society. Maybe it was RAH's direct answer to Golding's Lord of the Flies? Golding's book appeared the year before Heinlein's.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:43 AM (wzUl9)

84 What good does a Stovepipe hat (or a bowler) do for the Sun? Seems like headgear wasn’t always practical. And hats were expensive. Clothing in general, cost a fortune. They didn’t have sweatshops in Honduras

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:44 AM (yKoRs)

85 63 46 Big cuffs? Those are the parts that get dirty and worn soonest, so you're basically adding a protective layer. Big lapels?
Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:26 AM
----

I assume lapels can be folded up and pinned to form a collar for warmth. The narrowness or hangglideryness depends on how a Beau Brummell defines the fashion for that time period.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:45 AM (kpS4V)

86 I love those Arcadia Publishing books! I buy them at garage sales or thrift stores whenever I see them, because they are kinda pricey for what they are.
Looking at all the old architecture, and the downtowns/neighbor hoods of days past makes me think about all the hopes and dreams those builders and citizens and storekeepers had for the future of their city/neighborhood/country.

It's sad when I see what the downtown was like, in say, Adrian, MI, near where we lived. They really had it going on, with manufacturing, society things, retail -- beautiful buildings. A sense of pride shows through in the photos. And then drive through the same area today, or even 25 years ago, and it's just sad. I'm glad the founders and builders and dreamers of that bustling town did not live to see what it has become.

Posted by: TecumsehTea at July 05, 2026 09:45 AM (4VH0B)

87 I finished Three m’en on the Bummel, this week. Not as good as Three Men in a Boat. They should have brought Mntmorency along. Made no progress on One of Ours. Maybe this week. Started Nick Tosche.s bio of Dean Martin. Not at all happy with his writing style but still interested in the story he’s telling so I will soldier on.

Posted by: Who Knew at July 05, 2026 09:45 AM (0QMbS)

88 Here too! Despite a thunderstorm with lightning, and our local woke town canceling fireworks coz of the heatwave, I could hear a lot of booms all night.
Stayed up past midnight watching the DC fireworks.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 09:34 AM (ZBho7)
---
We had a thunderstorm hit right after sunset, but it pushed through quickly and as soon as the rain was gone, there was an eruption of man-made thunder from all sides. It was great. There was still lighting in the distance - God joining in the celebration!

I went for a bigger display this year, and everyone loved it. I'll improve on it next year. Lots of heavy stuff going up in my liberal college town, which bodes well for the future.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:45 AM (ZOv7s)

89 MP4, thanks for today's book thread.

Anybody have an opinion on Gordon Wood? It seems I see his name a few times with regards to books about the Revolutionary War.

Posted by: dantesed at July 05, 2026 09:45 AM (Oy/m2)

90 67 The Type 56 youtube channel has a recent post about how PLA uniforms went from simple to complex and the short version is that uniforms are a code to tell people within a large organization full of strangers who does what at a glance.

You also need to know who is under your command. The various regimental uniforms seem absurd to Americans, but our armies were traditionally tiny. Then the Civil War came, and what do you know - we started making soldiers wear special badges on their hats and uniform so we could tell which brigade, division and corps they belong do. And still do that today.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:37 AM (ZOv7s)

IIRC the PLA actually tried to not have a rank structure at all under Mao. The mind boggles as to how that would actually work.

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:46 AM (4g5V+)

91 84 What good does a Stovepipe hat (or a bowler) do for the Sun? Seems like headgear wasn’t always practical. And hats were expensive. Clothing in general, cost a fortune. They didn’t have sweatshops in Honduras
Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:44 AM (yKoRs)

Boonies FTW.

When I was deployed, I was not sent downrange with one. I ordered one online straightaway.

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:47 AM (4g5V+)

92 MP4. Glad to hear about your progress on the new Theda Bara, I throughly enjoyed the first two and am looking forward to the new one

Posted by: Who Knew at July 05, 2026 09:48 AM (0QMbS)

93 Another excellent single volume book on the Revolution is Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution.

I have that as well as Gordon S Wood's The American Revolution: A History (190 pages) and Bruce Lancaster's The American Revolution (American Heritage Library, 368 pages).

And since I live in Massachusetts, I have a fondness for pre-revolutionary works about Boston. I'm slowly making my way through Brian Deming's dense Boston and the Dawn of American Independence.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 09:48 AM (qRla/)

94 Drinking coffee from my Philadelphia Starbucks coffee cup.

Going through 1989 cured me of my Eeyore tendencies. If we want them to, great things will happen. On to 2276 and beyond.

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:49 AM (4g5V+)

95 "Sorry, I’ll stop being a Debbie Downer. We have much to be thankful for! It’s just tragic that all this shit was avoidable."

I wonder if it was. Envy and sloth lie at the heart of a lot of that crap, and I can't see those aspects of human nature ever being completely eliminated. Suppressed for a while and discouraged maybe, but never completely eliminated. Without them the left would be laughed off the world stage whenever it showed up.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 09:49 AM (q3u5l)

96 Also reading Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman.

"The structure of Life and Fate is similar to that of War and Peace: the life of a whole society is evoked by means of a large number of different sub-plots centered around one family."

Posted by: 13times at July 05, 2026 09:51 AM (fnZRl)

97 Books can have pictures. Pictures can be boobs. Or dogs.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at July 05, 2026 09:51 AM (Kt19C)

98 It’s just tragic that all this shit was avoidable.
Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:42 AM (yKoRs)
---
I don't think it was. I think every generation has its own follies and societies regularly repeat the same mistakes because we are all fallible. Humans are not perfectible, certainly not in a secular sense.

But just as virtues can go into eclipse, so can vices, and so hard time make harder people. I'm actually thrilled at the state of affairs, particularly the speed with which society reversed itself regarding trans crap and other issues.

The 1970s objectively sucked. They were ugly and depressing. There were some bright spots (burning the bra being one of the biggest), but there was a lot wrong and I think the Bicenntennial was a brief attempt to cheer everyone up. Then we got Jimmy Carter. Ugh.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:51 AM (ZOv7s)

99 IIRC the PLA actually tried to not have a rank structure at all under Mao. The mind boggles as to how that would actually work.
Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:46 AM (4g5V+)
-----

They did, briefly. It did not work. Rank isn't just to establish hierarchy, ya damn hippiecommies.

It was about as practical as "Red means GO!" for traffic lights.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:51 AM (kpS4V)

100 Both a stovepipe/top hat and a bowler put lots of air space above your head inside the hat -- just like pith helmets and "sun helmets" for tropical protection. In their earliest versions both hats had pretty wide brims -- they got narrower as the hats became purely items of fashion. Look at a picture of Lincoln in his famous stovepipe hat and the brim is at least 3-4 inches wide.

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:52 AM (78a2H)

101 I started reading the first Flavia de Luce book. She is only 11 so I'm going to say it's a children's/YA book. Not bad through the first chapter.

Posted by: lin-duh at July 05, 2026 09:52 AM (VCgbV)

102 Also influential Revolution books (read in grade school)

Drums (James Boyd).

I don't have a First Edition of it with the N.C. Wyeth illustrations. Yet.

And, I note, that N. C. Wyeths art was also a large influence on me. We had a 'coffee table' book of his art when I was a kid - hugely influential.

I still get apprehensive when I see a picture
of 'Blind Pew' (from Treasure Island - also a favorite book of Colonial times)

Posted by: retropox at July 05, 2026 09:53 AM (j/x/c)

103 Started Nick Tosche.s bio of Dean Martin. Not at all happy with his writing style but still interested in the story he’s telling so I will soldier on.

Tosches is very much and acquired taste. I've read that book, but while it's thorough, it ends up fairly depressing and cynical.

You might want to at least dip into William Schoell's Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 09:53 AM (qRla/)

104 Also on my TBR pile . . . well, there isn't much from the library. The Lords of Creation, the third in S.M. Stirling's alternate Solar System series; and Life Stories: Profiles From the New Yorker, David Remnick, ed. I've dipped into the latter to read the profiles of Brando (by Truman Capote), Johnny Carson (Kenneth Tynan), Hemingway, and Richard Pryor. And the comic skewering of Henry Luce, founder of Time, using the kind of prose Time itself created ("Backward ran sentences until reeled the mind").

There is one other I want to check out, the profile of Roseanne Barr.

Otherwise I have a couple of early William Goldman novels Just Some Guy sent me!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:53 AM (wzUl9)

105 Birdbath status?

Posted by: Just Wondering at July 05, 2026 09:53 AM (2Ez/1)

106 What good does a Stovepipe ..

Storing documents and rabbits?

Posted by: 13times at July 05, 2026 09:54 AM (fnZRl)

107 I wonder if it was. Envy and sloth lie at the heart of a lot of that crap, and I can't see those aspects of human nature ever being completely eliminated. Suppressed for a while and discouraged maybe, but never completely eliminated. Without them the left would be laughed off the world stage whenever it showed up.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 09:49 AM (q3u5l)
---
This being the Book Thread, I will note that a lot of nonsense we deal with today is not new. G.K. Chesterton addressed it, as did Evelyn Waugh. Orwell was more political, but others focused on social fads which are drearily familiar.

Heck, even Dickens created characters we would immediately recognize, like Mrs. Jellby, who obsesses about foreign kids while neglecting her own. Nothing is new.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:54 AM (ZOv7s)

108 One of my favorites, acquired during a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, is Mr. Revere and I by Robert Lawson. Revere's ride from the perspective of his horse, Sherry. It's YA and mostly lighthearted but does not shy away from unpleasantness and the reality of the times. I especially appreciate that Sherry starts off being a very conforming British horse but makes her own decision to support the colonials and it makes sense. Features very nice pen and ink illustrations by the author, who also wrote Ferdinand.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at July 05, 2026 09:55 AM (LuunY)

109 It was about as practical as "Red means GO!" for traffic lights.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:51 AM (kpS4V)

You make a joke, but the PM of the PRC had to intervene to prevent the Red Guards from doing exactly that with traffic lights. (Or maybe you already knew that?)

Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:55 AM (4g5V+)

110 The simple idea of literacy has failed.

The survey, first spotted by the Economist, tested around 160,000 people of all ages, across all 38 member states. It found that across all OECD member countries, a full 8 percent of college students are reading at the level of a ten-year-old, if not worse. While countries like Germany and France rang in at under 5 percent, countries like Poland, Israel, and the United States blew the curve at 21, 20, and 14 percent, respectively.

Posted by: rhennigantx at July 05, 2026 09:57 AM (/+uur)

111 MP4, I'm not a good choice for a proof/beta reader because I am much too forgiving of authors but I am looking forward to publication. Congrats and best wishes.

Posted by: Oddbob at July 05, 2026 09:57 AM (vTZFs)

112 It’s just tragic that all this shit was avoidable.
Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:42 AM (yKoRs)

*Ponders the Old Testament, and the many blessings and opportunities that God gave His people, and the many times they screwed that up, and the ensuing forgiveness and wins, and etc.

Now today, where commies are winning certain seats, but most of America has had it with their BS. I think it's going to be all right. Pendulum swings.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 09:58 AM (h7ZuX)

113 and I can't see those aspects of human nature ever being completely eliminated.
——

That’s not the point. Of course they can’t be eliminated. The government encourages it now, that’s the problem.

Posted by: Common Tater at July 05, 2026 09:58 AM (yKoRs)

114 IIRC the PLA actually tried to not have a rank structure at all under Mao. The mind boggles as to how that would actually work.
Posted by: Cow Demon at July 05, 2026 09:46 AM (4g5V+)
---
The PLA did not have ranks initially, but because it was small, that wasn't an issue. During the civil war, they were able to get by because the core leadership knew each other so well, and also it was just masses of light infantry, fighting exhausted conscripts.

When it tried to modernize, it adopted Soviet ranks and then ran wild, creating crazy different branches. That army never saw any action, however, because as part of the Cultural Revolution, Mao forced the PLA to "revert" to the old system, which was a complete shitshow, leading to humiliations against both the Soviets and the Vietnamese.

Then the ranks came back.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 09:58 AM (ZOv7s)

115 Looks like it's gonna rain off and on today. Better huddle inside with a stack of books.

Thanks to whoever recommended "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" by Grady Hendrix. It's a hoot and genuinely scary. Grady also wrote "Horrorstör", about an IKEA-esque big box store where strange things are afoot.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:59 AM (kpS4V)

116 Heck, even Dickens created characters we would immediately recognize, like Mrs. Jellby, who obsesses about foreign kids while neglecting her own. Nothing is new.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026

***
I wish I liked Dickens on the page better. His prose is rather dense. But his characters are timeless, as are their names. Few authors have ever named characters as well as Dickens and Shakespeare did: Sairey Gamp, Lady Dedlock, Sir Toby Belch, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, to name just four.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:59 AM (wzUl9)

117 Hillsdale College has a nice summary of the Revolution on utube, called American Revolution, and has Tom Selleck narrating.

Posted by: Deplorable Ian Galt at July 05, 2026 09:59 AM (pMl/x)

118 Two of my favorite YA books were about the Revolutionary war:

"The Reb and the Redcoats" by Constance Savery and "The Sherwood Ring" by Elizabeth Pope.

TR&R is about some British children living with their Uncle Lawrence, who is back from the war in America. He is given custody of an America POW, who strikes up a friendship with the children -while all the time trying to figure out how to escape to France.

TSR is about a young modern American woman who lives with her uncle in the family mansion in New York state. A British researcher who comes to look into the local history and sparks her interest in the War - then four ghosts from the Revolutionary War era each appear to tell her about what really happened in the area.

Posted by: Wethal at July 05, 2026 10:00 AM (gihWY)

119 Don't even get me started on uniforms and equipment.

I've got all I can handle right now with flags.

Posted by: Sheldon Cooper at July 05, 2026 10:00 AM (kK7U2)

120 Grady also wrote "Horrorstör", about an IKEA-esque big box store where strange things are afoot.
Posted by: All Hail Eris,

I enjoyed leafing through that - the Ikea-ish catalog format was brilliant.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 05, 2026 10:01 AM (u/wrI)

121 In their earliest versions both hats had pretty wide brims -- they got narrower as the hats became purely items of fashion. Look at a picture of Lincoln in his famous stovepipe hat and the brim is at least 3-4 inches wide.
Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:52 AM (78a2H)
---
Elaborate clothing was a valuable status symbol. One of the aspirations of lower class people was to own a suit and hat, or a nice dress. Buying a wedding gown (a one-use item) was conspicuous consumption.

We've generally lost that idea, substituting cars and electronics (but retaining jewelry and watches).

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 10:02 AM (ZOv7s)

122 Thanks to whoever recommended "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" by Grady Hendrix. It's a hoot and genuinely scary. Grady also wrote "Horrorstör", about an IKEA-esque big box store where strange things are afoot.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026

***
That was me, Eris. I'll look for more of Hendrix's stuff on my next library flyby. It sounds to me like he produces just the kind of stories I like to read and write.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 10:02 AM (wzUl9)

123 Reading Malcolm Guite's "Galahad and the Grail" epic poem has had (considering it's me) predictable side effects.
1 - I'm collecting some of the literature of the King Arthur legends, both historical like Le Morte D'Arthur and recent like Roger Lancelyn Green's "King Arthur and His Knights". There is a strong connection of the Arthur story with several of the Inklings.
2 - Dealing with the period of the early tales, roughly 12th century, has led to other writing from that period which is how I learned about Hildegard of Bingen. She is turning out to be one of the most extraordinary people, of any period, who ever lived. I have to learn more about her.
3 - All of this has led to a new appreciation of what the medieval religious orders preserved and created while much of the West was floundering in the dark.

Posted by: JTB at July 05, 2026 10:03 AM (yTvNw)

124 Grady also wrote "Horrorstör", about an IKEA-esque big box store where strange things are afoot.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 09:59 AM (kpS4V)

That was a ridiculous horror romp. Putting "Southern Book Club..." on my library list now.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 10:04 AM (h7ZuX)

125 Hats, up to 1960s but going back centuries was a necessity daily wear. Look at these old movies of city steer life, most men woill be wearing hats. At a recent office refurbished their was a wall size photo of very early 1900s with has to be a thousand people in the picture. Very few didn't have a hat on, we actually tried to count and it isn't many.

Posted by: Skip at July 05, 2026 10:04 AM (Ia/+0)

126 Insignia and indications of rank may have been necessary, but IIRC, stripes and bars were often removed when a unit was out in the field so that an enemy couldn't easily tell who was in charge. And God help the man who saluted a superior out in the field and marked him for possible snipers.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 10:04 AM (q3u5l)

127 118 Two of my favorite YA books were about the Revolutionary war:

"The Reb and the Redcoats" by Constance Savery and "The Sherwood Ring" by Elizabeth Pope.

Thanks, Wethal!
Did not know of those two.

Posted by: retropox at July 05, 2026 10:05 AM (j/x/c)

128 I wish I liked Dickens on the page better. His prose is rather dense. But his characters are timeless, as are their names. Few authors have ever named characters as well as Dickens and Shakespeare did: Sairey Gamp, Lady Dedlock, Sir Toby Belch, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, to name just four.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 09:59 AM (wzUl9)
---
Waugh of course loathes Dickens (most English do, and find America's fondness of him just one more example of our low culture), but he also does the fun naming thing, particularly in his "smart set" novels.

His newspapers are Daily Brute, the Daily Beast (yes, that's where it comes from), the Daily Excess - and the editors are Lord Copper and Lord Zinc (how they made their money, natch) and of course there is Lady Metroland, etc.

Though more rooted in "our" world, Brideshead Revisted and Sword of Honour do contain some nods to his earlier works.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 10:06 AM (ZOv7s)

129 100 Both a stovepipe/top hat and a bowler put lots of air space above your head inside the hat -- just like pith helmets and "sun helmets" for tropical protection. In their earliest versions both hats had pretty wide brims -- they got narrower as the hats became purely items of fashion. Look at a picture of Lincoln in his famous stovepipe hat and the brim is at least 3-4 inches wide.
Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 09:52 AM (78a2H)
Recommended by his dermatologist. Unfortunately Lincoln was not wearing his hat when he was shot.

Posted by: Eromero at July 05, 2026 10:08 AM (LHPAg)

130 Last night I had a startling example of just how bad AI can be. I had occasion to search for a street here in town, "Dorgenois," as one of Miss Linda's genealogy sources indicated that it once was named "Dolhonde." The Qwant "Flash Answer" told me that Dorgenois Street is part of the Lower Garden District, that it runs between St. Charles and Lafayette Streets, is parallel to Jackson Avenue, and is lined with historic and often stately homes.

Not a single one of those sentences is true. The entire thing was hilariously, and yet frighteningly, inaccurate.

Beware.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 10:09 AM (wzUl9)

131 I have bought but only just begun to read Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay. Obviously inspired, at least in part, by Philip K. Dick, it's about Julia Flang, a twenty-something former semi-professional gamer offered a temp job with a payday she can’t refuse, to chaperone a man in a vegetative state—one with proprietary AI implanted in his head—from California to the East Coast using a video game like controller.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks and His All White Jury! at July 05, 2026 10:09 AM (ndZc7)

132 I'm collecting some of the literature of the King Arthur legends, both historical like Le Morte D'Arthur and recent like Roger Lancelyn Green's "King Arthur and His Knights". There is a strong connection of the Arthur story with several of the Inklings.

You might enjoy Mike Ashley's The Mammoth Book of King Arthur. He covers the candidates for the historical Arthur, the evidence for his existence and then takes a dive into the legend itself and its accretions before going on to a survey of Arthurian movies and novels.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 10:10 AM (qRla/)

133 I read that WWII caused men to rebel against mandatory hat-wearing. Don't know if that's true, but I do recall CPOs' passion for yelling about putting one's damn cover on.

I for one am pro hat.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 10:10 AM (kpS4V)

134 Insignia and indications of rank may have been necessary, but IIRC, stripes and bars were often removed when a unit was out in the field so that an enemy couldn't easily tell who was in charge. And God help the man who saluted a superior out in the field and marked him for possible snipers.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 10:04 AM (q3u5l)
---
That's a very modern phenomenon. With a smoothbore musket, sniper-level accuracy is impossible. With rifled muskets, it became an issue, and that's when US officers began taking their shoulder straps off an pinning officer rank on a private's uniform. The NCOs were still highly visible, not not considered a priority.

Europeans struggled with that, though, and as late as WW I, officers wanted to be identified. The British Army banned its officers from wearing riding pants because the casualty rates were so high.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 10:10 AM (ZOv7s)

135 Grady also wrote "Horrorstör", about an IKEA-esque big box store where strange things are afoot.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes

Horror/suspense is usually not my cuppa tea but that sounds just weird enough to be interesting.

(* looks up on Amazon *)

Ouch, ten bucks for Kindle. OK, maybe later. But it goes on The List.

Posted by: Oddbob at July 05, 2026 10:11 AM (vTZFs)

136 I think one reason everybody dresses like slobs nowadays is simply that clothing is so damned cheap there's no point in trying to dress for status. Even a nice suit is just a few weeks' income for a working class person nowadays. In the 19th century the relative cost was 10x greater, so having _more than one suit_ was a sign you were a gentleman.

We have some artificially-inflated luxury brands which exist basically as a way to advertise how expensive they are, but that's essentially a niche interest.

So most people just dress for comfort/practicality all the time now. How many men don't even own a tie any more?

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 05, 2026 10:11 AM (78a2H)

137 And since I live in Massachusetts, I have a fondness for pre-revolutionary works about Boston.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at July 05, 2026 09:48 AM (qRla/)

Has anyone ever written a book about post Treaty of Paris NYC? It'd be interesting to read what the British did after they were informed, and finally left. Did they stay in barracks? Still patrolled the city? Get attacked by citizens? Might be an interesting story.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 10:11 AM (1Ff7Z)

138 Hats, up to 1960s but going back centuries was a necessity daily wear. Look at these old movies of city steer life, most men woill be wearing hats. At a recent office refurbished their was a wall size photo of very early 1900s with has to be a thousand people in the picture. Very few didn't have a hat on, we actually tried to count and it isn't many.
Posted by: Skip at July 05, 2026

***
Hats were a fashion item, but also very useful: shade from sun, protection from rain, a certain amount of warmth for the head in winter. And no, it is not true that JFK's hatlessness in pictures started the decline in hat wearing. It had been declining ever since WWII. A lot of soldiers and sailors came home from that war tired of wearing caps or helmets or anything on their heads, and began (despite what we see in pictures and movies) declining to wear them.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 10:12 AM (wzUl9)

139 Grady Hendrix and Will Errickson also co-wrote the delightful book Paperbacks from Hell, a look at horror paperbacks from the 70s and 80s. Worth a look just for the reproductions of some of the covers.

They put together the Paperbacks from Hell series -- reissues of a number of good horror titles for Valancourt Books.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at July 05, 2026 10:12 AM (q3u5l)

140 Ouch, ten bucks for Kindle. OK, maybe later. But it goes on The List.
Posted by: Oddbob at July 05, 2026 10:11 AM (vTZFs)

Do you use library apps? I read it with Libby.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 10:13 AM (h7ZuX)

141 Maier's books good. Joseph ellis. I still have that same YA SPIES book from as scholastic. Scholastic. Brings back memories. That company really had kids and schools suckered in

Posted by: Jj at July 05, 2026 10:13 AM (X7dyz)

142 I read that WWII caused men to rebel against mandatory hat-wearing. Don't know if that's true, but I do recall CPOs' passion for yelling about putting one's damn cover on.

I for one am pro hat.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 10:10 AM (kpS4V)
---
I think the issue isn't wearing a hat, it's the rules about wearing the hat, which take some getting used to.

Plus, sailors have those gay dog dish hats.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 10:14 AM (ZOv7s)

143 Again, big thumb's up for "The White Pill" by Michael Malice, for an unflinching history of the Communists in the USSR and their enablers in the West.

How can Malice have a shred of optimism after such an exhaustive accounting?

"It is possible that those of us who fight for the dignity of mankind will lose our fight. It is not possible that we must lose our fight. That is the white pill."

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 10:14 AM (kpS4V)

144 I read that WWII caused men to rebel against mandatory hat-wearing. Don't know if that's true, but I do recall CPOs' passion for yelling about putting one's damn cover on.

I for one am pro hat.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026

***
Exactly.

I wear my fedoras in cooler weather, and a straw in warmer. In truly hot weather like now, I'm out in the sun very little anyway, so I skip tossing on a lid.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 10:14 AM (wzUl9)

145 Plus, sailors have those gay dog dish hats.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026

***
There are dishes especially for gay dogs?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 10:15 AM (wzUl9)

146 I see there will be a new Little House On the Prairie series. I can only imagine the woke horror!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks and His All White Jury! at July 05, 2026 10:16 AM (ndZc7)

147 MP4, if I had the time, I'd buy all the history books you mentioned.

Time. Sigh!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at July 05, 2026 10:17 AM (y1wyK)

148 There are dishes especially for gay dogs?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at July 05, 2026 10:15 AM (wzUl9)
---
It is said that sailors first discovered sex, but it was the Marines who introduced it to women.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 05, 2026 10:17 AM (ZOv7s)

149 Now today, where commies are winning certain seats, but most of America has had it with their BS. I think it's going to be all right. Pendulum swings.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at July 05, 2026 09:58 AM (h7ZuX)

Hopefully, it end in the breakup of the D party. The only downside to that is the GOPe would think it means they have free rein to continue their grifts.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at July 05, 2026 10:18 AM (1Ff7Z)

150 133 I read that WWII caused men to rebel against mandatory hat-wearing. Don't know if that's true, but I do recall CPOs' passion for yelling about putting one's damn cover on.

I for one am pro hat.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at July 05, 2026 10:10 AM (kpS4V)
I take off my hat to pray, eat at a table, sleep, and bathe, all of which I usually do indoors,

Posted by: Eromero at July 05, 2026 10:19 AM (LHPAg)

151 George Washington Vol 2 by Douglas Southall Freeman, is my current Revolutionary reading. Lines up with the new movie which I'll see next week. Recommendations above will push some of these titles into sooner than later pile.

Unexpected great read this week is 'Appendix N' by Jeffro Johnson. It's an overview of more than 40 books central to the creation & rules of D & D. Although I'm a space nerd & never truly got into the game, I did spend time with the rule books and made a brief exploration into playing. Appendix focus is on where & how aspects of these books are incorporated into D&D. Lots of pulp novels from more genres than I was expecting.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at July 05, 2026 10:19 AM (KaHlS)

152 Ace, I tried to comment on Chateau Lloyd and just got a message that the comment couldn’t be posted is there another way I could DM you,

Posted by: Who Knew at July 05, 2026 10:20 AM (0QMbS)

153 I enjoyed leafing through that - the Ikea-ish catalog format was brilliant.

Now I wish I had grabbed a paperback Ikea catalog when they still had them*. That and a copy of this side-by-side on the bookshelf would be perfect.

* IIRC, they stopped a few years ago but even if I'm wrong about that, the nearest store is 3 hours away.

Posted by: Oddbob at July 05, 2026 10:20 AM (vTZFs)

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