Thursday Links

The blog silence will likely continue since I have a good incentive now to finish up the Amazing Mr. Book. I can still provide links to good reads, however.

So, the new History Carnival is up at Philobiblon. I've enjoyed posts on Gender in Archaeology, which begins with a disagreement about the role of feminism and gender in archaeology and ends with an excellent point about how understanding gender as a concept has moved historians and archaeologists beyond "gender" and into a broader understanding of the role of difference in human society. The comments are thought-provoking too. Giornale Nuovo presents wonderful pictures and information about the beginnings of natural history. For fans of the American Revolution, read all about Thaddeus Kosciuszko.

Jonathan at Head Heeb posted the first online symposium on the Old Bailey Proceedings Online. This is a fantastic set of searchable collection of seventeenth and eighteenth-century court papers, and the online "conference papers" about selected Old Bailey records are a great way to start a conversation about historical research, historical writing, and the internet. I'm just starting to read it, so I don't have particular recommendations, but they all look pretty good!

My colleague and fellow Cliopat Mark Grimsley will be posting a series of ruminations on the state and status of military history in the academy today. Here's the inaugural post, to be followed by more!

And now, for a dose of history humor, from a link generously donated by reader and fellow Batesie Mike D., The Onion's take on historians, comment cards, and Denny's:

On the card was written, "My bacon was crispy, and my waitress filled my coffee three times." Willeford rated his dining experience "good."

Historians have only just begun to unlock the secrets the cards hold, as there are over 270,000 to go through. According to Brayton, trends are already beginning to emerge.

"By examining these comment cards, we have unique insight into not just Denny's, but the tapestry of food-service heritage itself," Brayton said. "Here is a history writ large, with little yellow golf pencils."

The comment-card archive charts not only the quality of Denny's service over time, but also patrons' response to select menu items. Of particular interest to scholars is the nation's initial reaction to what would become Denny's most popular menu item, the Grand Slam Breakfast.

Said Brayton: "Many people at the time thought it was just too much breakfast."

Hee hee. Now, back to our regularly scheduled dissertation.