Shelf Life

• Many say that Horace Walpole's “The Castle of Otranto” is the first gothic horror novel.  It was published in 1764.
• Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" was written when Mary was just 18 years old.
• Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be the first American professional writer - he made his living writing.
• Poe's most famous work was “The Raven”, a poem published in January 1845.  Some critics say that a talking raven belonging to Charles Dickens was the inspiration for the talking raven in the poem.  Dickens had a pet crow named Grip, who was the inspiration for a talking bird character in Dickens' novel "Barnaby Rudge."
• Stephen King's “The Shining” (published 1977) is considered to be his best book.  It was his third published novel.
• Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" is considered by many to be the best mystery book of all time.  Others say no, that "Murder on the Orient Express" is the best.  Either way Agatha wins.

Finally, about “it was a dark and stormy night” – this is the opening phrase of English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1930 novel “Paul Clifford”.   It is an often mocked and parodied phrase representing the best of “purple” prose.  But, it is also listed by the American Book Review as number 22 of the best opening lines of novels. 

The Peanuts comic strip character Snoopy, in his persona as World Famous Author, began his novels with the phrase.  It is also the opening line of the 1962 novel “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L'Engle.  AND, Chapter LXV of Alexandre Dumas' novel, “The Three Musketeers” begins with the phrase “C'etait une nuit orageuse et sombre” (it was a stormy and dark night).

Starting this Fall, study rooms in the library will be available for in-person booking only.

Visit the 2nd floor service desk, where our friendly staff will help you choose a room and make your reservation.

This change helps us ensure that more students have access to group study spaces when they need them most.
 

Thank you for your understanding—and we look forward to helping you find the perfect spot to study!

Valentine's Day is past and we are pretty sure you are over it, but…we just found something interesting and want to share.

Did you know that the oldest known love poem is over 4,000 years old?  In the late 1800's at a Sumerian archaeological site, a number of terracotta tablets were found. The table with the poem was labeled “Instanbul 2461” and put in a storage bin at the Instanbul Museum in Turkey where it sat until 1951.  It was uncovered and translated by scholar Samuel Noah Kramer.  It is now known as “The Love Song for Shu-sin”.  

Read more about it and read the text of the poem here.

Before the the Love Song for Shu-sin, the oldest love poem was considered to be the Song of Solomon in the Bible.

While we're talking love poems, you might be interested in the 10 Greatest Love Poems Ever Written as selected by The Society of Classical Poets.  (In case you were wondering, the number 1 is by Williams Shakespeare (of course) and is Sonnet 116.)

The Makerspace is pleased to announce new hours for the Spring 2025 semester.
 

We will be open on the weekend!  

Yes!  Sunday's from 3pm to 6pm.  Now projects can be completed on weekends when you have time to plan.

Spring 2025 hours:

Monday - 8am - 7pm
Tuesday - 8am - 5pm
Wednesday - 8am - 7pm
Thursday - 8am - 5pm
Friday - 8am - 5pm
Saturday - closed
Sunday - 3pm - 6pm 

See all Library hours

Got a hobby?  According to Statista (our statistics database) - the most popular hobby in the U.S. is cooking and baking.  About 41% of survey respondents in 2024 fill their spare time in the kitchen.  The second most popular hobby is reading at 36% (we in the library approve of that one).  After that comes Pets, Video Gaming, and Outdoor Activities.

Hobby is defined as a “favourite occupation or topic, pursued merely for the amusement or interest it affords” (Oxford English Dictionary).  

The word hobby first appears in English about 1400, meaning a small or middle-sized horse; a pony.  By 1778, the phrase hobby-horse came to be, which was a straight stick with a small horse's head made of wood or stuffed fabric.  From that came the expression “to ride one's hobby horse” meaning to do something for fun.  By 1816, a hobby was associated with recreation and leisure, first appearing in print with the sentence “I quarrel with no man's hobby."

If you have a hobby or are looking for one, try out our Hobbies and Crafts Source database.  In it are full-text hobby and craft magazines, hobby profiles, recipes and videos to inspire creativity and nurture your interests.   You will also turn up some hobby e-books.

January is National Hobby Month.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
 

Written in 1957 and published as a book by Random House and also an issue of Redbook magazine.  Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss's real name) said that the Grinch was based on himself, “I was brushing my teeth on the morning of the 26th last December when I noticed a very Grinch-ish countenance in the mirror.  It was Seuss!  So I wrote about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that I obviously lost.”  The Grinch is the first adult and the first villain to be a main character in a Dr. Seuss book.  Theodore Geisel's car license plate was “GRINCH”.

Some facts about the book:

• As of 2005, it has been translated into nine languages, including Latin.
• The first adaptation was an animated television special in 1966, with a narration by Boris Karloff, who also was the Grinch's voice.
• “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the 1966 special was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft in a deep bass voice.
• In 2000, the book was adapted into a live-action film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch.
• In 2018, a 3D animated feature film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch was released.
• In 2022, the book was adapted into a horror film, directed by Steven laMorte and starring David Howard Thornton as the Grinch.
• In 2009, an interactive e-book version was released for the iPhone.
• In 2023, Wondery released a podcast inspired by the book, hosted by James Austin Johnson.
• A musical stage version was produced in San Diego in 2007.  It was also produced on Broadway and went on tour in 2008.
• The National Education Association listed is a one of its “Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children”
• In 2012, it was ranked 61st among the 'Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by School Library Journal.  It was one of five by Dr. Seuss on the list.
• The word "grinch" is in the Merriam Webster dictionary.  It means killjoy or spoilsport

Source - Wikipedia

As the holiday break approaches, we'd like to remind you that the library, including Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services, will be closed from December 23-January 1.  

If you are doing research and plan to submit ILL requests, we recommend submitting them by the following dates to ensure you receive them before the break:

• Book requests - by December 6
• Article (copy/scan) requests - by December 13

For UHV-Katy faculty and staff - Please note that books sent to UHV-Katy require an additional 3-5 business days for transit.

Reach out to ILL for any questions or help - libill@uhv.edu

Celebrate the holidays with some good  reads, videos and ebooks. Happy Holidays from us to all of you. 

via GIPHY

Today is International Animation Day - commemorating the first public performance of Charles-Emile Reynaud's Theatre Optique at the Musee Grevin in Paris, 1892.

 Theatre Optique or Optical Theater was a machine that used a projector and mirrors to create images on a screen. The images were painted on a ribbon wound into a spool. Another spool unwound the ribbon as the images were projected on the screen.

Since 1892, animated movies, cartoon, and television shows have amazed us and brightened entertainment.  Where would we be without Mickey Mouse (born 1928), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (born 1984), and Bluey (born 2018) ? 

Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, made in 1906, is generally regarded by film historians as the first animated film recorded on standard picture film.  It is on deposit and preserved by the Library of Congress.  

Our November collection ranges from history to holidays to novels set during Thanksgiving. Enjoy!