Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Megan L. Cook

@meganlcook.bsky.social

6.3K followers 840 following 3.3K posts

Your favorite medievalist's favorite medievalist. Middle English literature and/in early modern books, with a side of textual editing. In progress: Dirtbag Medievalism, Chaucer's Readers: 1400-2000, Lydgate's Shorter Works

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Megan L. Cook

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 17h

I really love this photo from 1981 of a man and small child looking in the front window while someone composes on a Linotype machine (digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/pphnegs_imag...)

A black and white photo taken from the interior of the Anthoensen Press in 1981 shows a figure seated at a linotype machine. Outside the large window, a man holds a small child, and both look in at the printer at work.

2 16

Reposted by Megan L. Cook

Tom Reagan’s Hat @rufustsuperfly.bsky.social · 16h

Milei looks like all the cast of Are You Being Served in one

73 380 1.8K

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 17h

My approach to book history is 100% shaped by early familiarity with presses and printing equipment (at least those in use in the 80s). I've tried to remember when I learned how moveable type worked, and I simply could not tell you. It's always been there

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 17h

This makes me wonder what other book/print historians' first memories of print technology are. I was probably a little older than the kid in the photo when my mom took me in to the Grand Rapids Press offices with her to drop off some camera-ready art, and I got to see the big web press in action

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 17h

I really love this photo from 1981 of a man and small child looking in the front window while someone composes on a Linotype machine (digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/pphnegs_imag...)

1 10

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 17h

I really love this photo from 1981 of a man and small child looking in the front window while someone composes on a Linotype machine (digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/pphnegs_imag...)

2 16

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 17h

What the article doesn't mention is the building was home to the Anthoensen Press, which between 1875 and 1987 printed for Colby, Bowdoin, the Boston Atheneum and more, as well as scholarly journals like the Publications of the Bibliographical Society of America: www.pressherald.com/2025/10/13/t...

They heard The Thirsty Pig was haunted. So they spent the night there. | Column

Two local musicians wanted to promote their Halloween event at the Portland bar — and witness the phenomena themselves.

www.pressherald.com

1 4 9

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 18h

I'm pleased but not too surprised (as someone who has reason to look up "boffer" on wikipedia in the first place) that this article is so comprehensive: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foam_we...

Foam weapon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

2 6

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 21h

It has not, though individual interviews have been mentioned, so thank you!

1 1

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 21h

I did! I thought they did a really nice job with it, even though the podcast form is not necessarily equipped to deal with the book's, uh, infrastructural weight

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 22h

I love this! I'm not allowed to talk about Robert Caro in public without affirmative consent, because I will not shut up about his work and all the things I learned from it, but someday I want to teach a course in our January term all about the Power Broker

1 2

Reposted by Megan L. Cook

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 1d

The Regime's goal is to grind everyone down. Plain & simple. Our goal is to refuse this by taking turns to fight where and how we can. When one group needs to bow out, then another group needs to step in and so on. We don't all have to do everything. We can all do something though. Stay in the fight

26 1.4K 4.4K

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

Oof, relatable

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

A big part of me refuses to believe that full prof is as promoted as you can get, and if I do this right a whole other system will be revealed to me, like when you unlock the reverse castle in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night by freeing Richter Belmont from the evil spell instead of killing him

3 20

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

It's got a terrific opener: "I began writing ''The Name of the Rose'' in March of 1978, prodded by a seminal idea: I felt like poisoning a monk."

Whomst among us, etc

3 13

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

Coming back to this at some remove to confirm that yes, he did: www.nytimes.com/1984/10/14/b...

HOW I WROTE 'THE NAME OF THE ROSE' (Published 1984)

www.nytimes.com

3 6

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

John, I have no idea WHAT you're talking about!

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

Today did seem like a good day to reorganize my books, definitely. (And I have finished it, so I am OK to be back on the internet, at least until I start task #2 for the day)

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks, that's very kind!

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks. They did but unfortunately I am constitutionally incapable of absorbing positive feedback

1 1

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 1d

Whew! That was unpleasant. But I did it.

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 2d

Today I will stay off the internet and finish my promotion dossier, so help me God

2 23

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 2d

As someone prone to self-doubt and self-deprecation, I am not enjoying this exercise at all. The impulse to spend the whole statement talking about all the things I've done wrong is very strong

1 5

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 2d

Today I will stay off the internet and finish my promotion dossier, so help me God

4 31

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 2d

You will! Confidence and calmness go a long way

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 2d

I pill cats on restricted diets weekly at the shelter! It can be done

1 1

Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · 2d

Yes, you of course! Thank you