For April Fool's Day, we're toasting satirist Jonathan Swift as well as American humorists, riddlemakers, and masters of wordplay.

Plus, read on for information about and programs related to
Library Giving Day - April 4!

EXHIBITION CONNECTION

The Riddle Book
New-Haven: Sidney's Press, 1824
Pequot Library Special Collections

Booksellers J. Babcock & Son in New Haven and S. Babcock in Charleston published and sold diminutive paper chapbooks such as the one pictured above, on display in our current exhibition, Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children's Books and the Shaping of American Identity. Their riddles appear as poems with hand-colored illustrations revealing the answer.  

John Babcock worked as a publisher in Hartford. In 1803, he moved to New Haven and set up a firm, John Babcock & Son, sometime around 1815, with his sons William R. and Sidney. They established a South Carolina branch within four years or so. Circa 1826, another son, Henry, entered the company, which they renamed Babcock & Co. Sidney Babcock's "S. Babcock New Haven" firm started producing its own imprints in the 1820s, and it continued to operate through the 1870s. Read more and see images of their chapbooks and almanacs here, or scroll down to view a list of the books they published.

What's the history of riddles in American culture? Legendary New York Times crossword puzzle editor William Shortz credits Benjamin Franklin and almanac writers as early champions of wordplay and riddles in this paper. Anagrams were also popular diversions. While colonial newspapers didn't often feature pieces written for entertainment or poetry, he explains, many American magazines did print such diversions. For instance, The American Magazine and Historical Chronicle, first published in 1743, included a riddle addressed "For the Ladies" in the Poetical Essays section. Several lines read, "When wicked men their wealth consume and leave their children poor/To me their daughters often come, and I increase their store." The answer: a needle.

Shortz concludes by writing, "Word puzzling was very limited in America prior to the end of the Revolutionary War, just as literature in general was limited to a great extent. It was during this period, however, that the art of making and solving word puzzles was taking root in America and beginning to grow. The results of this germination became quite apparent in the twenty years at the close of the eighteenth century", not long before the Babcocks published their riddle books.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Monday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m.  
A Kickoff to April 4, Library Giving Day!

Meet the Author, Jr. | Jerry Pallotta

Jerry Pallotta has written over 90 books, including the popular Who Would Win series, and almost 30 alphabet books. Pallotta will visit us as part of our Alphabets, Bedtime Stories, and Cautionary Tales: Children’s Books and the Shaping of American Identity exhibition and will stay afterward to sign books (for sale) and meet his fans.

Make a gift to Pequot Library during this event, and we'll count it towards our $10,000 Library Giving Day goal (see below)!

Tuesday, April 4 at 6:00 p.m.

Support Pequot Library on Library Giving Day, April 4, 2023! #LibraryGivingDay is a one-day fundraising event with the goal of encouraging people who depend on and enjoy public libraries to donate to their individual library systems. Click here to contribute.

We have three special programs set up for the day, including Drop-In Storytime at 10:30 a.m. and a Building and History Tour at 3:00 p.m. Also join us for the Young Patrons Kickoff Party at 6:00 p.m., featuring guest speaker Courtney White, the former president of the Food Network. White is the President of Butternut, a lifestyle and entertainment media company. Read more here.

Tuesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m.

Digital Author Talk: Kate Beaton

New York Times bestselling author and cartoonist Kate Beaton discusses Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, a book that's part memoir, part untold story of Canada.

Click here to see our full calendar of programs & events.

Click Here to View the More Information About Pequot Library Digital Digest E-Newsletter - April 1, 2023