Endnotes 23 May: Atlantic City, Pierogies, Birding Essays, Argentine Comics, Switzerland & More

Plus a new episode of The Library of Lost Time

Hello, friends!

While delving into the sweet history of salt water taffy for today’s episode of The Library of Lost Time, the photo above kept popping up in my search results. The benevolent King Neptune and fresh-faced Lady Liberty were too adorable to resist. Join me down the rabbit hole of September 1921 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

We’ll begin with the gentleman: Hudson Maxim, he of the white beard and kind eyes. He played the role of King Neptune during the first two years of the Miss America Pageant in 1921 and ’22. His day job? He was an inventor and chemist dubbed ‘the most versatile man in America’ by Thomas Edison. (It’s also worth noting that the Smithsonian American Art Museum includes his bronze bust from 1921.) Maxim’s career started with a book about calligraphy and penmanship — but he also worked with explosives (!) and eventually invented smokeless gunpowder, a compound that drove torpedoes, a delayed-action detonating fuse, and other explosive bits and bobs.

Despite his work, he was a firm believer in peaceful arbitration. The New York Public Library says, ‘While war and explosives were his main subjects, Maxim also expressed opinions on poetry, women’s rights (which he was for), and prohibition (against).’ It’s also worth noting he was an ‘enthusiastic cook’ and experimented with soybeans — which he canned and tried to market. The NYPL has an archive of his papers — available to read by appointment — that includes speeches, photographs, recipes, and his correspondence, which he’s categorized as ‘good letters not sent’ and ‘amusing,’ among others.

Now, on to Margaret Gorman — the first Miss America.

In the summer of 1921, The Washington Post had dubbed the 16-year-old ‘the most beautiful girl in town’ and winner of a citywide photo contest. That August, she was chosen as Washington, DC’s representative at the first-ever ‘Inter-City Beauty Contest.’ When reporters went to tell her the good news, they didn’t find her at home: She was in a nearby park, shooting marbles in the dirt with the neighborhood kids.

Eventually, she and nine other contestants, dressed as sea nymphs, made a theatrical entrance by barge, then rode a parade float up the boardwalk — escorted by ‘Neptune’ — to the Garden Pier and the judges. Eventually, Gorman won the ‘Golden Mermaid’ trophy. As this Washington Post article explains, ‘Judges, audience, and press all swooned for the youngest lady in the competition, her curls worn long in the Victorian style.’

Later, she used her scholarship money to attend George Washington University, married her high school sweetheart, and lived a quiet life. ‘I never cared to be Miss America,’ she said, ‘It wasn’t my idea. I am so bored by it all.’ But she still owned the sea-green chiffon and sequined dress she wore in competition. More on her here.

Endnotes: 23 May

Judith Viorst is the author of the stone-cold classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In this short Q&A, she talks about her life and what it’s like to be 94.

In today’s episode of The Library of Lost Time, Dave recommended the Pulitzer-winning graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts. She talked to the Seattle Times about the ‘surreal experience’ of winning the Pulitzer Prize.

This is an epic reading list from Goodreads! 144 Summer Reading Recommendations by Setting. The books are in categories like ‘I’m going by train’ and ‘This one time at summer camp.’

Ooh la la, it’s a cinephile’s guide to Paris. (BTW, the last time we were in Paris, I heard a woman begin a sentence with ‘ooh la la,’ and I was giddy with happiness for the entire day.)

News you can use: 5 European Countries for Cheaper Summer Travel.

If you enjoyed our podcast episode Secret Passages: Down the Rabbit Hole, you might like this: 6 Famous Attractions With Secret Rooms.

This coffee table!

12 Nonfiction Books That Read Like Novels. Memoirs! Biographies! Books about animals!

Must-click headline: This 105-Year-Old Woman Just Renewed Her Library Card. ‘Lily Walter, who turns 105 this May, has spent over a century developing her love of books. She first entered a library at four years old, receiving her first library card. Now, over one hundred years later, she’s just renewed her card at the Hubbard Public Library in Ohio.’

Do you like birds? Actress Lili Taylor likes birds, and she wrote a book about it! In this episode of the Kirkus podcast, she talks about her new essay collection and the soothing benefits of birding.

Sort of related: 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again.

The quest for pierogies in Pennsylvania. ‘I spent decades chasing down the Eastern European classic that defined my family’s celebrations. A chance encounter led me to the source.’

Switzerland! It’s extremely spectacular and incredibly sylvan.

You definitely want to read about the Argentine comic strip heroine who took on the world. ‘Mafalda is the eponymous heroine of a comic strip by the cartoonist and illustrator Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón… She lives in Buenos Aires with her parents, whom she torments when she’s not occupied with her friends or the news. Mafalda’s central conceit is its protagonist’s obsession with the state of Argentina and the world. She’s constantly listening to the radio and studying her surroundings, trying to understand what’s going on and why it’s so disappointing.’

New Episode of The Library of Lost Time

In each mini-podcast episode, we discuss two books at the top of our TBR, then share a fun book- or travel-related distraction. Get all the episodes and books galore here.

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: Aftertaste: A Novel by Daria Lavelle and Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls. Then Mel delves into the story of New Jersey’s favorite beachy souvenir for National Taffy Day.

listen + show notes | transcript

Wishing you a sweet start to your summer.