On This Day
1833 – A massive undersea earthquake, estimated magnitude between 8.7 and 9.2, rocks Sumatra, producing a massive tsunami all along the Indonesian coast.
The 1833 Sumatra earthquake occurred on November 25 at about 22:00 local time, with an estimated magnitude in the range of 8.8–9.2 Mw . It caused a large tsunami that flooded the southwestern coast of the island. There are no reliable records of the loss of life, with the casualties being described only as ‘numerous’. The magnitude of this event has been estimated using records of uplift taken from coral microatolls.[1]
Born On This Day
1880 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author (d. 1960)
Elsie Jeanette Dunkerley (25 November 1880 – 9 January 1960), was an English girls’ story writer, who took the name Oxenham as her pseudonym when her first book, Goblin Island, was published in 1907. Her Abbey Series of 38 titles are her best-known and best-loved books.[1] In her lifetime she had 87 titles published and another two have since been published by her niece, who discovered the manuscripts in the early 1990s. She is considered a major figure among girls’ story writers of the first half of the twentieth century, being one of the ‘Big Three’ with Elinor Brent-Dyer and Dorita Fairlie Bruce.[2] Angela Brazil is as well-known – perhaps more so – but did not write her books in series about the same group of characters or set in the same place or school, as did the Big Three.
Oxenham’s books are widely collected and there are several Appreciation Societies: in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa; with a total membership of over six hundred, some of whom live in the US, Canada, India and The Netherlands although belonging to one or more of the societies mentioned.
FYI
By Madeleine Muzdakis: Underwater Photographer Captures the Unique Beauty of Swimming With Humpback Whales
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By Luke Fater, Atlas Obscura: My Hunt for the Original McDonald’s French-Fry Recipe Veteran line-cooks, experts, and die-hard fans tell the story of the fries that birthed an empire, then disappeared—until now.
Via Minotaur: Maude Collins: Ohio’s First Female Sheriff
Recipes
Little House Big Alaska: Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
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Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!
Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
Thanks to everyone involved to keep this forum going: our blogging team, the well-read Stumper Magicians, the many referrals, and of course to everyone who fondly remembers the wonder of books from their childhood and wants to share or revisit that wonder. Isn’t it amazing, the magic of a book?