A Good Book

People reading in a variety of circumstances, through a variety of decades.

© IWM (D 2943)

Men read books from street-side shelves, London, 1941. Source

Thomas McAvoy, LIFE © Time Inc.

A sailor reading a comic book in a gun-lined room aboard the USS Doran, 1942. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

A woman reading on a ouch with a Coke, 1952. Source

US National Archives

Men reading aboard the USS Lexington, 1943. Source

Frank Schershel, LIFE © Time Inc.

A little boy reading at school, 1945. Source

Peter Stackpole, LIFE © Time Inc.

Joan Bennett reading to her daughter, 1940. Source

LIFE © Time Inc.

Actor Leslie Howard reading in his home library, England, 1941. Source

© IWM (A 1059)

The captain and officers reading aboard the HMS Westminister, 1940. Source

© IWM (D 18773)

A RAF padre reading aboard a train, UK, 1944. Source

Ralph Morse, LIFE © Time Inc.

Actor Ben Gazzara reading in cardboard furniture designed by Frank Gehry, 1972. Source

Bernard Hoffman, LIFE © Time Inc.

A soldier reading in bed, Fort Bragg, US, 1942. Source

Lisa Larsen, LIFE © Time Inc.

Soviet athlete Vladimir Kue reading in bed, Russia, 1956. Source

LIFE archives © Time Inc.

A young Kaiser Wilhelm II posed with a book and his mother, 1876. Source

State Library of Queensland

A woman reading on a boat on a Queensland beach, Australia, ca. 1925. Source

© IWM (H 1314)

Soldiers reading books and newspapers in a dugout, 1940. Source

State Library of Queensland

A teenage boy reading outside, 1910-1920, Queensland, Australia. Source

Dmitri Kessel, LIFE © Time Inc.

A sailor reading in the ship's library, USS Wisconsin, 1944. Source

Gjon Mili, LIFE © Time Inc.

A man browsing a book stall in Dublin, 1953. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

A model (posed) reading while getting her shoes shined, NYC, 1942. Source

© IWM (E 18028)

Tank crews reading books newly acquired from the library truck, North Africa, 1942. Source

© IWM (D 6590)

A woman reading a book in the book section of Selfridge's, London, 1942. Source

LIFE archives © Time Inc.

People reading in TIME's reading room at the Chicago World's Fair, 1933. Source

George Eastman House

Professor Dunn posed reading, ca. 1860. Source

Frank Scherschel, LIFE © Time Inc.

An American solider reading a book inside his makeshift billet, Normandy, France, 1944. Source

George Strock, LIFE © Time Inc.

A soldier reading in his barracks at Fort Dix, New Jersey, 1940. Source

Ralph Morse, LIFE © Time Inc.

A man leaning against a lamppost reading, NYC, 1943. Source

© IWM (TR 1125)

Guy Gibson, wing commander of the Dambusters raid (which just had its 70th anniversary a few days ago), reading amongst the flowers in Lincolnshire, 1943. Source

Cats and Dogs

As regular visitors to the blog know, I love old pictures of pets almost as much as people in the past loved taking pictures of them. I have just heaps sitting around waiting to be shared. Today, a small start on that!

I couldn't decide whether to post cats or dogs... so here's both!

Alfred Eisenstaedt, LIFE © Time Inc.

Dog walkers in Central Park, NYC, 1964. Source

Library of Congress

A woman with a "smoke Persian" cat, c. 1910. Source

Ralph Crane, LIFE © Time Inc.

A Siamese cat nuzzling poet Rod McKuen as he plays a record, San Francisco, 1967. Source

University of Washington Libraries

A woman and dog on a porch, Washington State, ca. 1915. Source

Alfred Eisenstaedt, LIFE © Time Inc.

Comedian Imogene Coca wearing her cat as a scarf, NYC, 1951. Source

Nationaal Archief

A woman with a calf and matching dog, the Netherlands, no date. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

A cat reflected through a glass, 1963. Source

Allan Grant, LIFE © Time Inc.

The poodle of actress June Havoc buried in the sand, 1950. Source

State Library and Archives Florida

A little boy with a little donkey and big dog, Florida, 1950. Source

Francis Miller, LIFE © Time Inc.

Beagle puppies belonging to President Johnson, 1964-68. Source

State Library of New South Wales

A little girl with a terrier, Australia, ca. 1935. Source

Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

An ambrotype of a cat, ca. 1866-68. Source

Australian National Maritime Museum

A baby and dog on a ship, Australia, ca. 1910. Source

Grey Villet, LIFE © Time Inc.

A cat in the front gondola during Operation Stratolab [says the caption; I don't know what this is], South Dakota, 1956. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

A man saying hello to a cat on the sidewalk, US, 1946. Source

Ralph Crane, LIFE © Time Inc.

A line-up of black cats for an audition in Hollywood, 1961. Source

State Library of New South Wales

A little girl with two Alsatians, 1934. Source

Ed Clark, LIFE © Time Inc.

A boy and his dog, 1955. Source

LIFE archives © Time Inc.

A young woman  holding a kitten, no date. Source

Nina Leen, LIFE © Time Inc.

Puppies in a box, no date. Source

Peter Stackpole, LIFE © Time Inc.

A 13-year-old Elizabeth Taylor with her dogs, 1945. Source

Peter Stackpole, LIFE © Time Inc.

And 13-year-old Liz Taylor with one of her cats, 1945. Source

State Library and Archives Florida

Florida Secretary of State H. Clay Crawford with dog in front of the state capitol, Tallahassee, Florida, ca. 1905. Source

Nickolas Muray, George Eastman House

A cat and her kittens, for the cover of McCall Homemaking Magazine, 1942. Source

Alfred Eisenstaedt, LIFE © Time Inc.

Dogs of the Boston Fire Department, no date. Source

LIFE © Time Inc.

One of Ernest Hemingway's cats walking across a messy table, Cuba, 1955. Source

More cats and dogs:

People and Their Cats

Daguerreotype Dogs

The Kittens of the LIFE Archives

Dogs of New York City

Cat Testing

Best Friends