The Idler's Glossary: The Cover

A first look at the final Idler's Glossary cover. The glossary should go off to the printer tomorrow. The book was designed by Seth, who did a fabulous job: cover, endpapers, 3 title pages, 30 word definition illustrations. It's a gorgeous production, or will be, with embossing, metallic ink, on a nice uncoated stock. I'm thinking, if I can squeeze in the time, of doing a hand bound edition of 20 copies using a version of the endpapers as the covering paper. More on this later. Let me know if you might be interested in a copy of this edition.

While I'm on all things idle, I've finally got the Royal Order of the Indolent blog going more regularly -- all this blog work is getting in the way of my ability to idle. This week, I've gathered Robert Louis Stevenson's wonderful essay, Apology for Idlers, where he argues "Idleness so called, which does not consist in doing nothing, but in doing a great deal not recognised in the dogmatic formularies of the ruling class, has as good a right to state its position as industry itself." As well, you'll find "An Invitation to Lubberland," from a 1685 Broadside, the early version of the hobo's heaven popularized by Harry McClintock in "Big Rock Candy Mountains." In Lubberland you'll find that:

The rivers run with claret fine,
The brooks with rich canary,
The ponds with other sorts of wine,
To make your hearts full merry:
Nay, more than this, you may behold,
The fountains flow with brandy,
The rocks are like refined gold,
The hills are sugar candy.

"Rose-water is the rain they have,
Which comes in pleasant showers,
All places are adorned brave,
With sweet and fragrant flowers.
Hot custards grows on ev'ry tree,
Each ditch affords rich jellies;
Now if you will be ruled by me,
Go there and fill your bellies.

"There's nothing there but holy-days
With music out of measure;
Who can forbear to speak the praise
Of such a land of pleasure?
There may you lead a lazy life
Free from all kind of labours:
And he that is without a wife,
May borrow of his neighbour.

Go check both out:

/theroyalorderoftheindolent.blogspot.com/