Proverb  success has many fathers, failure is an orphan  Many people will seek credit for success, but few will accept responsibility for failure.  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/success_has_many_fathers,_failure_is_an_orphan   

War with the Newts by Karel Čapek, published in 1936, is a dystopian novel where huge population of newts grows and lives under the sea.  When the book opens, Captain Jan Van Toch is a sailor who does trade in the Indonesian waters and he barely makes ends meet.  One day, he hears about Devil’s Island, a place that the locals avoid because it’s populated by devils.  Van Toch goes there anyway and discovers that the so-called devils are actually salamanders.  If he trades knives with them, they can fish oysters and help him find pearls.  Van Toch likes the newts and strikes an agreement with them:  he provides knives to help them fend off their enemies, they fish oysters for his pearl business.  Van Toch goes into business with G.H. Bondy, a tradesman who accepts this weird pearls/salamander business.  Van Toch handles the newts on the field, GH Bondy manages the pearl trade back in Europe.  It’s mutually beneficial.  Progressively, the territory of the newts expands, humans discover that they can learn how to speak and how to use tools.  https://bookaroundthecorner.com/2020/12/26/war-with-the-newts-by-karel-capek-still-relevant-alas/   

Karel Čapek (1855-1938) was a critic, playwright, and novelist who wrote science fiction before it was officially a genre.  He is known for several novels and plays including, War with the Newts that was published in 1936 and the play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) in January 1921.  This particular play introduced the word “robot” for the first time.  An asteroid discovered by Lubos Kohoutek in 1931 was named after Čapek.  https://history-computer.com/karel-capek-complete-biography/   

Henry Rutgers was born on October 7, 1745, in New York City.  He was a Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist.  Rutgers served as a Queen’s College trustee, and his critical endowment provided much-needed financial stability for the school during a period of great uncertainty.  In 1825, Queen’s College was renamed Rutgers College in honor of its benefactor.  Rutgers passed away on February 17, 1830, at the age of 84.  Thanks to Henry Rutgers’ enduring educational legacy, we are now known as Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  To learn more about Henry Rutgers, read "Benevolent Patriot: Henry Rutgers, 1745–1830" by David J. Fowler, former project historian with Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University Libraries.  https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/news/happy-birthday-henry-rutgers  

In the 17th century, a good spice rub was the ultimate display of wealth.  Back then, people would risk their lives for a sack of cloves.  See peacock pie recipe published in 1612 and pictures at https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/01/01/461504972/episode-674-we-cooked-peacock  

Still Life with Peacock Pie, 1627  See picture of a large―more than four feet across―and magnificent banquet piece by Pieter Claesz (1596/97–1660) at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.  A sumptuous feast is set with some of the most extravagant foods available in the Netherlands in the early 17th century.  A large peacock pie is festooned with the fowl’s own feathers and gullet—a true delicacy marking only the most special occasions—plus a pink rose placed in its beak.  Find directions and hours at https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.132271.html  Admission is always free.    

Dolly Parton has partnered with Gov. Gavin Newsom to bring her free books program to children across all 58 counties of California.  As part of the partnership June 6, 2023 Parton’s Imagination Library will provide California children younger than 5 with a free book—available in English and Spanish—every month.  Imagination Library currently serves 30 California counties.  The newly unveiled expansion is expected to serve the entire state by 2028.  ALEXANDRA DEL ROSARIO  LA Times  June 7, 2023  

1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro, is the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize’s 25th Anniversary Winner of Winners award.  The Baillie Gifford Prize rewards excellence in non-fiction writing, bringing the best in intelligent reflection on the world to new readers.  It covers all non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.  https://www.thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk/

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2681  June 9, 2023