Daily Thoughts 3/3/2009

In the frontispiece to Voltaire's interpretation of Isaac Newton's work, Elémens de la philosophie de Neuton (1738), the philosophe sits translating the inspired work of Newton. Voltaire's manuscript is illuminated by seemingly divine light coming from Newton himself, reflected down to Voltaire by a muse, representing Voltaire's lover Emilie du Châtelet—who actually translated Newton and collaboratored with Voltaire to make sense of Newton's work.

Daily Thoughts 3/3/2009

On the train to work, I finished reading The Sword by Deborah Chester. It is the first part in a three part series. I requested the second and third books in the series, The Chalice and The Ring. Towards the end of my trip, I started reading Words In Your Face. They mentioned a film in the book called Poetry In Motion which I will hopefully get to borrow by this weekend.

I am putting together a multi format display for noire mysteries which includes films, paperbacks, hardcovers, and graphic novels. The film that immediately comes to mind is The Maltese Falcon, L.A. Confidential, or Chinatown when you think Noire. In books, there is the paperback series, Hard Case Crime. There is of course Dashiell Hammett, James Ellroy, Max Allan Collins, and Raymond Chandler. In graphic novels there are Secret Agent X-9 by Raymond Chandler, Frank Miller's Sin City, Steve Canyon, Ms. Tree, Whiteout, and Jinx. The movie, Road to Perdition was also made into a graphic novel.

While I was looking at the noire graphic novels, I pulled out, Will Eisner Life, In Pictures Autobiographical Stores Introduction by Scott McCloud. It is a nice big new hardcover printed in 2007. There is an introduction by Scott McCloud and a foreword by Denis Kitchen. My favorite story so far is The Dreamers, an autobiographical cartoon about opening a comics studio in Manhattan, New York during the 1930s when comic books were just starting and the pulp magazines were dying out. The story is annotated by Denis Kitchen. It is in Will Eisner's unique black and white style. Will Eisner is credited with creating the term graphic novel. His writing and artwork are superb.