What's the meaning of the phrase 'Nine days' wonder'?  A novelty that loses its appeal after a few days.  What's the origin of the phrase 'Nine days' wonder'?  In 1600, William Kemp, an Elizabethan clown actor, who is thought to have been the original Dogberry in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, 1599, danced a morris dance between London and Norwich.  He took up the challenge for a bet and covered the distance of a hundred miles or more in nine days (spread over a few weeks).  Some doubted that he had achieved this and, to quell dissent, he wrote 'Kemps nine daies vvonder', published in 1600:  "Wherein euery dayes iourney is pleasantly set downe, to satisfie his friends the truth, against all lying Ballad-makers; what he did, how hee was welcome, and by whome entertained."  There is little doubt that the event did take place.  The ample evidence to support it includes the 17th century records of the Norwich Town Council, which lists the payment of his prize money.  So, we have a well-authenticated historical event called 'Kemp's Nine Days' Wonder', dating back to 1600.  That might be thought to be enough to establish Kemp as the source of the phrase.  Actually, he wasn't.  The phrase dates from well before the 17th century.  As well as the date, there's the meaning of the phrase, which isn't 'something wonderful that took nine days to achieve', but 'something which becomes boring after nine days'.  The earliest citation, in Old English, is in the 'Harley Lyrics', circa 1325.  The earliest record in print that most people today would be able to decipher is in 'Poems written in English during his captivity in England, after the battle of Agincourt' by Charles, Duke of Orleans, 1465:  "For this a wondir last but dayes nyne, An oold proverbe is seid."  https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/nine-days-wonder.html   

The National Road, authorized by Congress in 1806, stretched from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois, passing directly through Zanesville, Ohio over what is now generally Route 40.  National Road and Zane Gray Museum just east of Zanesville, tells the history of the road that helped build America, with lots of memorabilia and displays about the road, including an extensive collection of dioramas depicting early life along the route.  Zanesville native Zane Grey was once arguably the most famous author in the United States and produced dozens of popular Western novels, many of which were turned into movies in the early days of Hollywood.  The museum’s exhibit on Grey includes information and mementos about his life in Zanesville and later, including a re-creation of his California study and library where he wrote many of his novels.  The museum also celebrates the pottery art for which the region is famous. Many beautiful and rare pieces from a variety of local companies are displayed in a large exhibit at the center of the museum.  Steve Stephens  https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/local/2019/06/02/ohio-s-first-capitals-zanesville/5005366007/   

The Buckeye State, so-named for the golf ball-sized chestnuts produced by its native tree Aesculus glabra, covers 44,852 square miles in the American Midwest.  The state's name--Ohio--comes from the Iroquois word for "great river," a reference to the Ohio River to the south.  The capital of Ohio is Columbus, but two other cities--Chillicothe and Zanesville--served as the state's seats of government in the early 1800s.  https://classroom.synonym.com/what-three-cities-have-served-as-the-capital-of-ohio-5996240.html   

Irish writer Jonathan Swift used the phrase "the sight of you is good for sore eyes" in 1738.  The idiom “a sight for sore eyes,” meaning a welcome and pleasant event, appears to date back to at least the 1700s, although it may have been used earlier.  “Sore,” in this particular case, refers to being tense, fearful, worried, or sorrowful.  While this meaning of the word in English is no longer widespread, during the time of the King James Bible, it was a commonly accepted usage.  Since the King James Bible was one of the earliest official translations of the Bible into English, it can be assumed that many of the word usages in the Bible reflected common usage, since the intent was to make the Bible accessible for all.  During this period, many people wrote and spoke of things like being “sore afraid,” for “extremely afraid.”  Mary McMahon  https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-are-the-origins-of-the-phrase-a-sight-for-sore-eyes.htm   

I was born in Maine, grew up in Maine, and expect to be buried in Maine.  Before that happens, I’ll continue to eat in Maine, and many of the things I’ve eaten are presented (under different names in most cases) in Theresa Carle-Sanders’ lovely little cookbook.  This overnight French toast casserole is packed with cranberries and maple syrup and topped with a walnut streusel.  Serve with a pitcher of orange juice and a fruit salad for a weekend or holiday breakfast.  Stephen King  Makes 6 servings.  Find recipe at https://lithub.com/stephen-king-on-what-authentic-maine-cuisine-means-to-him  Reprinted with permission from Castle Rock Kitchen:  Wicked Good Recipes from the World of Stephen King by Theresa Carle-Sanders with a foreword by Stephen King, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.  © 2022 by Theresa Carle-Sanders   

Lee Child and Andrew Child on Discipline, Dread, and Writing Late at Night And Why There’s No Point in Trying to Organize a Bookshelf  https://lithub.com/lee-child-and-andrew-child-on-discipline-dread-and-writing-late-at-night/   

The Manhattan Well Mystery:  On America’s First Media Circus Around a Murder Case by Sam Roberts  https://lithub.com/the-manhattan-well-mystery-on-americas-first-media-circus-around-a-murder-case/   

Daniel Chester French (1850–1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture The Minute Man in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Chester_French   

http://librariansmuse,blogspot.com  Issue 2584  October 28, 2022