Flappers & Fiction

Is the pounding of a lover’s heart a modern invention? This 1899 essay takes us through Mr. Finck’s audacious theory that romantic love is a mere infant in history, scarcely a thousand years old. From the faithful courtships of Canada geese to the philosophical musings of Shakespeare, the text weaves a complex tapestry of affection. It questions whether the kiss is instinct or art. Finally, the author challenges the theory with the ancient devotion of Jacob for Rachel, proving that perhaps the human heart has always known its own language.

There is a peculiar fever that strikes certain New Yorkers between fall and spring. This delightful 1888 sketch takes us up the stairs to the auction rooms on Broadway, where the libraries of men like Beecher and Chapin are dispersed under gaslight. You will watch the silent bidding wars of buyers known only as “Milo” or “City” and understand why a true collector prefers a dingy first edition to a spring meadow. It captures the quiet, intense thrill of the hunt that every book lover knows so well.