I ordered The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton a few weeks ago and today it finally arrived. At over 1000-odd pages, it is the thickest book I have ever seen; almost as thick as it is wide!

Anyone ever read it? I take the long, long plunge, starting this afternoon.

I'll get back to you in a couple of months.

Hydra, please do

almost as thick as it is wide! Whew--musta had a heck of a s/h charge! Good luck, and hope you come up for air now and then.

Well looky here. (And here).

It's amazing just how many books are now available on-line. But is anybody actually reading them? I don't think I could read a book that way.

For those of you so inclined. Sometimes the screenplay can give an insight into a movie that is missed onscreen.

Although this is a precursor to the final screenplay I find it interesting that the written word still conveys much more than a picture.

2001

I finished The Anatomy on Oct 30 and discovered (with both interest and annoyance) that all the obscure words I'd had to Google were glossed at the back.

Here is a small sampling of Burton's more interesting abstrusities, put case anyone has an interest:

So Hydra,

Was it a good read?

This is high praise, and I would go even further, with one qualification.

The Anatomy is really three books in one (or four if you include the book-length Prologue): a First, Second and Third "Partition".

The first Partition, on the symptoms of melancholy, is truly wonderful stuff. Burton is as bookish as they come, and has basically concertinaed the entire contents of a 17th-century library. Here you meet ghouls, fairybabes, changelings; cynanthropes frothing at the mouth, madmen, bedlam, philtres, men who try to dry puddles with their mind, men who die of thirst from fear of a black dog reflected in water, monks convinced they are damned to hell and are followed by black dogs... etc., etc., all couched in a most wonderfully verbose, expansive, telescopic, highfalutin prose—De Quincey on steroids. And methamphetamine. After 96 hours without sleep.

But that doesn't quite do it justice either. As William Gass writes in the intro: "Burton the ranter rants. It is delicious."

The second Partition, which treats of cures, was hard work. A lot (and I mean a lot) of pages on the humours, phlebotomy, herbs, diet, exercise, air, etc., etc., etc.

Things pick up a little in the third Partition, which deals with Love Melancholy (both romantic and religious) and finally treats of symptoms and cures—but it doesn't quite touch the first partition.

That said, I thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly) recommend this book, its unspeakable contents, and their promulgator, the inimitable Robert Burton.

What are you waiting for? If you don't like it, I will personally reimburse you.

My money is safe.

Can't.
Suffer from semipoeticmelancholophobia.

Oh, Burton devotes 36 pages to the cure for that.

You're a brave reader Hydra, but I read on page 4 that wine or the herb 'Tortocolla' have the same effect as the 36 pages.
I've not been able to trace the 'Tortocolla' yet, but wine is allround available.

The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton

It eludes me why anyone would read about melancholy at the start of winter... when getting melancholy is easy enough without help!

A bit late, but I want to let you know that I've put the online book in my favorite list at least. As I still haven't found the herb 'tortocolla' who knows I might need it one day. And I like the look of the old print really.

Do, BranShea! It's a wonderful book.

Are you sure that 'tortocolla' is an herb? I thought it was a kale or collard green, popular in S. America.

São Miguel do Rio Torto is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Abrantes, in district of Santarém. It stands on the left bank of the river Tagus. The parish has a population of 3,422 inhabitants and a total area of 52.25 Km².

The parish is located in the western part of the municipality, neighbouring the parishes of São Vicente, São João, Rossio ao Sul do Tejo, Pego, São Facundo, Bemposta and Tramagal and with the municipality of Constância.

Collards, also called collard greens or borekale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), are various loose-leafed cultivars of the cabbage plant. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, edible leaves and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro, Spain and in Kashmir as well. They are classified in the same cultivar group as kale and spring greens, to which they are extremely similar genetically.

The plant is also called couve in Brazil, couve-galega in Portugal, (col) berza in Spanish-speaking countries and Raštan in Montenegro. The name collard is said to derive from Anglo-Saxon coleworts or colewyrts ("cabbage plants"). It is also said that collard is a pidginized version of colored.

For this , Mr Eastcourt you might go back to the fourth post from the beginning of this tread. Then click on the second underlined 'here'. You get this book, scroll down to page 4. Then one third from the top of the page you will see for yourself. I don't think it is a cabbage variety because the word herb does not stand for a vegetable.

"For this , Mr Eastcourt you might go back to the fourth post from the beginning of this tread [sic]."

Prove to me that tortocolla is an herb, Sir. If so, I will eat it with my crow pie.

the evidence is pretty flimsy, as the only place I find 'Tortocolla' at all is in Burton, as above.

on the other hand, there is *nothing that says cabbage, unless you have something more than what you quoted above in teal/green. (Torto collard is an iffy connection.)

So, So, sorry about the colours but I am still trying to figure posting options with the little time I have between work, play,and farm chores. So........I type. I do so for the 51 anonymous online users; none of whom will ever post, none of whom will ever participate, and none of whom care to be exhumed by the 'carpal tunnel's' and their unabridged sense of humor..

I say that Burton is a fool, a liar and a scorbutic charlatan.
He knows not his herb. There is not, nor has there ever been an herb called 'tortocolla'. I'll bet the farm.

-bill (Parsley Flat Farm) gannon-

>So, So, sorry about the colours..

so why bother to take offense?? I was just trying to differentiate between posts.

-joe (off-color) friday

> 51 anonymous online users

you speak for bots?

Hmmm The only bot I know is that pesky fly larva that used to attack my horses' legs. But flax seed oil and a little bit of tortocolla in their diet took care of that problem.
Who/what is bots?

Them bots be spiders.

Go figure. I spend 75 bucks for psycho to get over lagomorphobia
and the first guy to respond to my 'sharn' post displays a "mean bunny" avatar. I'm about to lose the farm here and now I gotta' go back and pay for another lobotomy.

-joe- the original post misspelled 'because/becuase'. That is all. I was being a Smart-Aleck.

>the original post misspelled 'because/becuase'.

huh? now I think you're just trying to confuse matters.

-joe (addlepated) friday

thanks!

I was hoping to get home in time to delete all of my yesterday posts. But, alas.

Keep trying. Tracing, that is.

Good grief, joe. Read the original post. becuase.
________________________________________________________________
WOW!!! Did I get off post. No wonder the confusion!!! Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa!!

A bots on your houses!

So many books, so little time. *sigh*.
This one does go on my list, though. Thanks.