Jim Wald
@citizenwald.bsky.social
Historian, Hampshire College, Amherst MA
Europe C18-20, book history, historic preservation
Past service: SHARP sharpweb.org, Massachusetts Center for the Book https://www.massbook.org/
Co-editor, Routledge History of Antisemitism
http://tiny.cc/pb7xzz
Europe C18-20, book history, historic preservation
Past service: SHARP sharpweb.org, Massachusetts Center for the Book https://www.massbook.org/
Co-editor, Routledge History of Antisemitism
http://tiny.cc/pb7xzz
Reposted by Jim Wald
It's axiomatic! You have to hold them by the head!
In pre-modern England, the expression, "Holding an eel by the tail" meant that you were doing something the wrong way. Like...did you just buy a cyber truck so that you could look cool and pick up women? You, sir, are holding an eel by the tail.
In pre-modern England, the expression, "Holding an eel by the tail" meant that you were doing something the wrong way. Like...did you just buy a cyber truck so that you could look cool and pick up women? You, sir, are holding an eel by the tail.
If you ever wonder why people say "slippery as an eel" I can confirm that one time we had to hold an eel for a vet to do a blood draw and that eel ended up on the floor 47 times out of 48 attempts
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 AM
It's axiomatic! You have to hold them by the head!
In pre-modern England, the expression, "Holding an eel by the tail" meant that you were doing something the wrong way. Like...did you just buy a cyber truck so that you could look cool and pick up women? You, sir, are holding an eel by the tail.
In pre-modern England, the expression, "Holding an eel by the tail" meant that you were doing something the wrong way. Like...did you just buy a cyber truck so that you could look cool and pick up women? You, sir, are holding an eel by the tail.
Reposted by Jim Wald
The newest addition to the Pantheon will be the great French historian and resistance fighter Marc Bloch
Historian and WWII resistant Marc Bloch will be inducted into France's Panthéon
www.lemonde.fr/en/fr...
3/3
Historian and WWII resistant Marc Bloch will be inducted into France's Panthéon
www.lemonde.fr/en/fr...
3/3
Historian and WWII resistant Marc Bloch will be inducted into France's Panthéon
French President Emmanuel Macron said Bloch would be honored 'for his work, his teaching and his courage.' Bloch was executed by the Gestapo in 1944.
www.lemonde.fr
November 26, 2024 at 4:12 AM
The newest addition to the Pantheon will be the great French historian and resistance fighter Marc Bloch
Historian and WWII resistant Marc Bloch will be inducted into France's Panthéon
www.lemonde.fr/en/fr...
3/3
Historian and WWII resistant Marc Bloch will be inducted into France's Panthéon
www.lemonde.fr/en/fr...
3/3
Reposted by Jim Wald
The Pantheon witnessed some coming & going during the Revolution. The remains of former hero Mirabeau were removed once his collaboration with the monarchy was proven. Marat's remains were in turn removed under the Thermidorean regime in February 1795
academic.oup.com/boo...
2/3
academic.oup.com/boo...
2/3
The French Revolution and the Emergence of Republican State Funerals 1789–1799
Abstract. The history of republican funerals during the revolutionary decade is also the story of their emergence as a distinct and important form of celeb
academic.oup.com
November 26, 2024 at 4:11 AM
The Pantheon witnessed some coming & going during the Revolution. The remains of former hero Mirabeau were removed once his collaboration with the monarchy was proven. Marat's remains were in turn removed under the Thermidorean regime in February 1795
academic.oup.com/boo...
2/3
academic.oup.com/boo...
2/3
Reposted by Jim Wald
25 Nov. 1793 French government orders “Pantheonization” of martyr Marat (assassinated July): transfer of his remains to the national memorial
His remains will replace those of Mirabeau ("there are no great men without virtue") & his apotheosis be celebrated as a national holiday
1/3
His remains will replace those of Mirabeau ("there are no great men without virtue") & his apotheosis be celebrated as a national holiday
1/3
November 26, 2024 at 4:11 AM
25 Nov. 1793 French government orders “Pantheonization” of martyr Marat (assassinated July): transfer of his remains to the national memorial
His remains will replace those of Mirabeau ("there are no great men without virtue") & his apotheosis be celebrated as a national holiday
1/3
His remains will replace those of Mirabeau ("there are no great men without virtue") & his apotheosis be celebrated as a national holiday
1/3
New use of digital tools in manuscript transcription
Scholars transcribe 100s of 1000s of Cairo Geniza fragments, some never read before
www.timesofisrael.co...
Via @dancohen.org
1 of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen....
Scholars transcribe 100s of 1000s of Cairo Geniza fragments, some never read before
www.timesofisrael.co...
Via @dancohen.org
1 of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen....
Scholars transcribe hundreds of thousands of Cairo Geniza fragments, some never read before
The MiDRASH project received an $11.5 million grant to take research on medieval Jewish literature to the next level
www.timesofisrael.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:51 AM
New use of digital tools in manuscript transcription
Scholars transcribe 100s of 1000s of Cairo Geniza fragments, some never read before
www.timesofisrael.co...
Via @dancohen.org
1 of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen....
Scholars transcribe 100s of 1000s of Cairo Geniza fragments, some never read before
www.timesofisrael.co...
Via @dancohen.org
1 of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen....
Reposted by Jim Wald
Fynde somebodye who doth love thee as much as crafte breweryes love weirde litel glass jars.
November 26, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Fynde somebodye who doth love thee as much as crafte breweryes love weirde litel glass jars.
Reposted by Jim Wald
The German holidaye pastryes disappeared mysteriouslye --
Authorityes are prettye sure thei were
stollen
Authorityes are prettye sure thei were
stollen
November 26, 2025 at 2:22 AM
The German holidaye pastryes disappeared mysteriouslye --
Authorityes are prettye sure thei were
stollen
Authorityes are prettye sure thei were
stollen
Absolutely ANYTHING is preferable to grading student papers--so the temptation to avoid it is strong.
And what sane person could resist the temptation of manuscripts??
And what sane person could resist the temptation of manuscripts??
I meant to grade papers today, I swear I did, but then I got distracted by a group of Harvard Divinity School students who spent 1834 buying pornography and then turning in the people who sold it to them. One of them, Frederick W. Holland, also ended up with a copy of Walker's Appeal around then 🗃️
November 26, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Absolutely ANYTHING is preferable to grading student papers--so the temptation to avoid it is strong.
And what sane person could resist the temptation of manuscripts??
And what sane person could resist the temptation of manuscripts??
Reposted by Jim Wald
I conjecture that people like Holland, who was to become a reform-minded Unitarian minister in NY, regularly surveilled booksellers, dry goods merchants, and others for transgressive prints and texts. There's a rich literature on the sale of pornography in antebellum NYC but almost none for Boston
November 26, 2025 at 1:40 AM
I conjecture that people like Holland, who was to become a reform-minded Unitarian minister in NY, regularly surveilled booksellers, dry goods merchants, and others for transgressive prints and texts. There's a rich literature on the sale of pornography in antebellum NYC but almost none for Boston
Reposted by Jim Wald
I meant to grade papers today, I swear I did, but then I got distracted by a group of Harvard Divinity School students who spent 1834 buying pornography and then turning in the people who sold it to them. One of them, Frederick W. Holland, also ended up with a copy of Walker's Appeal around then 🗃️
November 26, 2025 at 1:40 AM
I meant to grade papers today, I swear I did, but then I got distracted by a group of Harvard Divinity School students who spent 1834 buying pornography and then turning in the people who sold it to them. One of them, Frederick W. Holland, also ended up with a copy of Walker's Appeal around then 🗃️
Reposted by Jim Wald
"We're not going birding this morning, we're going to the pickleball courts"
joke's on you, if I'm outside I'm birding
Northern Mockingbird and Palm Warbler
joke's on you, if I'm outside I'm birding
Northern Mockingbird and Palm Warbler
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 AM
"We're not going birding this morning, we're going to the pickleball courts"
joke's on you, if I'm outside I'm birding
Northern Mockingbird and Palm Warbler
joke's on you, if I'm outside I'm birding
Northern Mockingbird and Palm Warbler
Reposted by Jim Wald
This is super fascinating and I'm interested in thinking about what we gain and lose with this kind of thing but the subfields that could benefit from this kind of technology are the first ones to have been completely hollowed out in higher ed.
New issue of my newsletter: "The Writing Is on the Wall for Handwriting Recognition" — One of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved, and it's a good use of AI newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...
The Writing Is on the Wall for Handwriting Recognition
One of the hardest problems in digital humanities has finally been solved
newsletter.dancohen.org
November 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
This is super fascinating and I'm interested in thinking about what we gain and lose with this kind of thing but the subfields that could benefit from this kind of technology are the first ones to have been completely hollowed out in higher ed.
Sometimes the algorithms are correct.
Sometimes not.
Oh, well.
This is what I get for having students study the tv host's platforming of fraudulent pseudohistorians and other right-wing extremists ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sometimes not.
Oh, well.
This is what I get for having students study the tv host's platforming of fraudulent pseudohistorians and other right-wing extremists ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
November 25, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Sometimes the algorithms are correct.
Sometimes not.
Oh, well.
This is what I get for having students study the tv host's platforming of fraudulent pseudohistorians and other right-wing extremists ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sometimes not.
Oh, well.
This is what I get for having students study the tv host's platforming of fraudulent pseudohistorians and other right-wing extremists ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fascinating.
Now do Qatar
Now do Qatar
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg
November 25, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Fascinating.
Now do Qatar
Now do Qatar
Reposted by Jim Wald
Wow
Three things about the Witkoff tapes:
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
November 25, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Wow
rollout of new e-mail cybersecurity a total shitshow:
incoming messages from professional organizations & publications blocked--e.g. @sharpweb.org ; mail from courseware discarded, obstacles to using work e-mail for online registrations.
IT working hard to fix the problems 🙏
incoming messages from professional organizations & publications blocked--e.g. @sharpweb.org ; mail from courseware discarded, obstacles to using work e-mail for online registrations.
IT working hard to fix the problems 🙏
November 25, 2025 at 11:00 PM
rollout of new e-mail cybersecurity a total shitshow:
incoming messages from professional organizations & publications blocked--e.g. @sharpweb.org ; mail from courseware discarded, obstacles to using work e-mail for online registrations.
IT working hard to fix the problems 🙏
incoming messages from professional organizations & publications blocked--e.g. @sharpweb.org ; mail from courseware discarded, obstacles to using work e-mail for online registrations.
IT working hard to fix the problems 🙏
DNA chatbot Bystro helps you interpret your genetic test results
www.bostonglobe.com/...
Well, maybe. . . . Sort of
www.bostonglobe.com/...
Well, maybe. . . . Sort of
November 25, 2025 at 9:15 PM
DNA chatbot Bystro helps you interpret your genetic test results
www.bostonglobe.com/...
Well, maybe. . . . Sort of
www.bostonglobe.com/...
Well, maybe. . . . Sort of
Reposted by Jim Wald
Actual isolationism would be preferable to this administration's globalized nativism: hectoring our European allies for being too nice to immigrants under their own sovereign immigration regimes. lnk.thebulwark.com/3K72m0e
America’s Heel Turn
Whose side are we on?
lnk.thebulwark.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Actual isolationism would be preferable to this administration's globalized nativism: hectoring our European allies for being too nice to immigrants under their own sovereign immigration regimes. lnk.thebulwark.com/3K72m0e
Reposted by Jim Wald
Two miles of ice core on the shelf at our national ice core facility in Lakewood, Colorado. The WAIS Divide core from West Antarctica is a 3400m long (deepest US core, 2nd deepest ice core ever) 68,000 year old record of high resolution climate.
November 24, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Two miles of ice core on the shelf at our national ice core facility in Lakewood, Colorado. The WAIS Divide core from West Antarctica is a 3400m long (deepest US core, 2nd deepest ice core ever) 68,000 year old record of high resolution climate.
Reposted by Jim Wald
NEW: 52% of Latino adults in the U.S. say they worry that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
November 25, 2025 at 4:50 AM
NEW: 52% of Latino adults in the U.S. say they worry that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
So, from the looks of it, the tragicomic travails of trying to celebrate an American Thanksgiving abroad (mainly UK and EU) will be a major theme for the week
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lack of suitable vessels & appliances 1 theme--but remember the summer kerfuffle over lack of air conditioning, ice water
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lack of suitable vessels & appliances 1 theme--but remember the summer kerfuffle over lack of air conditioning, ice water
November 25, 2025 at 4:39 AM
So, from the looks of it, the tragicomic travails of trying to celebrate an American Thanksgiving abroad (mainly UK and EU) will be a major theme for the week
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lack of suitable vessels & appliances 1 theme--but remember the summer kerfuffle over lack of air conditioning, ice water
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lack of suitable vessels & appliances 1 theme--but remember the summer kerfuffle over lack of air conditioning, ice water
Reposted by Jim Wald
Reposting this. If you're interested in the early modern Low Countries, these are the people to follow.
#earlymodern
#earlymodern
I've begun a starter pack of scholars of the early modern Low Countries. Let me know if you want me to add you. #earlymodern 🗃️
go.bsky.app/VsHZ9xJ
go.bsky.app/VsHZ9xJ
November 23, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposting this. If you're interested in the early modern Low Countries, these are the people to follow.
#earlymodern
#earlymodern
Reposted by Jim Wald
24 Nov. 1713: birth of Laurence Sterne in Clonmel, #Ireland
letters to the object of his literary-romantic devotion, Eliza Draper (2nd ed. 1775).
Modern readers find in #Sterne what he saw in Eliza: “a mind so congenial with his own, so enlightened, so refined, and so tender"
letters to the object of his literary-romantic devotion, Eliza Draper (2nd ed. 1775).
Modern readers find in #Sterne what he saw in Eliza: “a mind so congenial with his own, so enlightened, so refined, and so tender"
November 25, 2024 at 6:06 AM
Reposted by Jim Wald
the real cost of real #resistance
Vienna, 24 Nov. 1848
Broadside announcing execution of revolutionary #journalists Alfred Julius Becher & Hermann Jellinek by firing squad
Deploying “all the elements of an unchained #press” “they summoned the people to armed insurrection”
Vienna, 24 Nov. 1848
Broadside announcing execution of revolutionary #journalists Alfred Julius Becher & Hermann Jellinek by firing squad
Deploying “all the elements of an unchained #press” “they summoned the people to armed insurrection”
November 25, 2024 at 5:35 AM
the real cost of real #resistance
Vienna, 24 Nov. 1848
Broadside announcing execution of revolutionary #journalists Alfred Julius Becher & Hermann Jellinek by firing squad
Deploying “all the elements of an unchained #press” “they summoned the people to armed insurrection”
Vienna, 24 Nov. 1848
Broadside announcing execution of revolutionary #journalists Alfred Julius Becher & Hermann Jellinek by firing squad
Deploying “all the elements of an unchained #press” “they summoned the people to armed insurrection”
Reposted by Jim Wald
The last survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre just died www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
Tulsa, Okla.: On May 31, 1921, the Tulsa Race Massacre began. For all it did to kill the neighborhood, its people and its Black Wall Street status, Greenwood rebuilt. What finished it off was a bureaucratic destruction: building I-244 through the middle of Greenwood in 1975. It’s named for MLK Jr.
November 25, 2025 at 4:11 AM
The last survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre just died www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...