crocodile mystery
What are ancient coins doing at the Folger Shakespeare Library?
Thanks for the great guesses at the identity of the November 2019 Crocodile. It’s tempting to pick one at random and just run with it (“Why yes, it is King Lear’s lost button!”) but in fact, Robin Swope’s guess that…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: November 2019
The November 2019 Crocodile Mystery is a two-parter…. What is this? And why is it part of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection? Please use the Comments section for answers, guesses, ridiculous speculation, and so on. Check back next week for…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: October 2019
For this month’s Crocodile Mystery, we ask you, our wonderful readers: What is this thing, and what is it made of? As always, comment with your thoughts and guesses and we’ll be back next week with more information!
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: September 2019
We’re back! For this month’s Crocodile Mystery, we ask a classic question: what’s going on with this image? What is the purpose or function of the image shown? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments below, and we’ll be…
"What's in a Name?" or, Going Sideways
When, in Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s famous teen suicide play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet muses “hat’s in a name? That which we call a rose / y any other word would smell as sweet,”Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine, Michael Poston,…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: July 2019
Tell us what you think is going on here! If you have correctly answered a crocodile post in the last 6 months, please consider giving it a couple days for others to have a guess, and no checking Hamnet, either…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: June 2019
Last month’s Crocodile Mystery asked you to name what the images had in common. This month we ask the opposite: what’s different? How many differences can you spot? Click the image for a larger view. Much MUCH larger versions of…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: May 2019
Welcome to another Crocodile Mystery! This month, we ask that you look at the images below and tell us what they have in common. (Yes, we know there are many possible answers to this. Yes, we are looking for one…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: April 2019
Welcome to this month’s Crocodile Mystery. Today, we’re going to ask you to read between the lines, as it were: can you make out the the crossed-out name on this title page? Squint your eyes, tilt your head, and give…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: March 2019
For the Crocodile of the month, we ask you to look at the title page (ignore the beautiful ink blot by the imprint) and colophon of this book in relation to its call number STC 4811. Is there something a…
And that's IIIF to you, too
Our Crocodile mystery last week showed some crocodile tears, but the exciting part is just below our sad reptile. This illustrated Italian ducal motto is from Symbola divina & Humana pontificum, imperatorum, regum, by Jacob Typot (Frankfurt, 1652)—and you can get…
"What manner o'thing is your crocodile?": February 2019
In February, our crocodile mystery involves a few real crocodile tears. For this month’s mystery, we ask you look at the image below and let us know if you can guess what the symbols mean for the future of this…