Intl. Notebook

December 31 2011

EASTERN STANDARD TIME

One Thousand and One Nights in Japan.

Above is the cover of a Japanese magazine that caught our eye not only because of the extremely high quality of the art, but also because of its romantic style. We’ve had it sitting on our hard drive for a while, but decided to post it today because for some reason it makes us think of New Year’s Eve. We first saw the magazine on Mudwerks, Blonde Zombies and several other Tumblrs, but with no information as to its nature. But that’s what we’re for. We can tell you it’s called One Thousand and One Nights (the symbols translate literally as “night,” “over,” and “one thousand”), and it’s an erotic comic book with assorted steamy stories and random bits of humor. It was published from the late 1940s through early 1950s, as far as we can tell, with the latest issues we’ve seen appearing in 1951. Whether the contents are the same as in the enduring Islamic text One Thousand and One Nights, aka Arabian Nights, we can’t say for certain, but it’s probably a good bet. As a year-end note, we’re happy to say that Pulp Intl.’s traffic is up because of all of you out there, so thanks for taking time to drop by our dusty little corner of the internet. Assuming the Maya aren’t right about the whole Earth switching its polarity thing, you can expect more and better in 2012. Happy New Year.

Japan, One Thousand and One Nights, Arabian Nights, magazine art

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

January 15

1919—Luxemburg and Liebknecht Are Killed

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps. Freikorps was a term applied to various paramilitary organizations that sprang up around Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I. Members of these groups would later become prominent members of the SS.

January 14

1967—Summer of Love Begins

The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park with between 20,000 to 30,000 people in attendance, their purpose being to promote their ideals of personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization, communal living, ecological preservation, and higher consciousness. The event is considered the beginning of the famed counterculture Summer of Love.

January 13

1968—Cash Performs at Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison in Folson, California, where he records a live album that includes a version of his 1955 hit “Folsom Prison Blues.” Cash had always been interested in performing at a prison, but was unable to until personnel changes at his record company brought in people who were amenable to the idea. The Folsom album was Cash’s biggest commercial success for years, reaching number 1 on the country music charts.

January 13

2004—Harold Shipman Found Hanged

British serial killer Harold Shipman is found dead in his prison cell, after hanging himself with a bedsheet. Shipman, a former doctor who preyed on his patients, was one of the most prolific serial killers in history, with two-hundred and eighteen murders positively attributed to him, and another two-hundred of which he is suspected.

January 12

1960—Nevil Shute Dies

English novelist Nevil Shute, who wrote the books A Town Like Alice and The Pied Piper, dies in Melbourne, Australia at age sixty-one. Seven of his novels were adapted to film, but his most famous was the cautionary post-nuclear war classic On the Beach.

January 12

1967—First Cryonics Patient Frozen

Dr. James Bedford, a University of California psychology professor, becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation. Bedford had kidney cancer that had metastasized to his lungs and was untreatable. His body was maintained for years by his family before being moved to Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona.