Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Jane Arnold seeks a short story, possibly from the 1960s, about a judge known for mercilessness who goes fishing on his day off without his toupee, teeth, or ID, and is picked up for vagrancy. His cellmate tells him about the horrible judge they’ll face the next day (himself, of course), and they break out of jail. The next time he is faced with a case, he tempers the law with mercy. Star asters are important in the story, and may appear in the title.

“Menasseh ben Israel” (November-December 2018). On clothing made from stone in China, Vincent Daly wrote that Marco Polodescribes an asbestos mine in “Ghinghin talas” province “from which the cloth which we call of salamander, which cannot be burnt if it is thrown into the fire, is made…” (A.C. Moule and Paul Pelliot, Marco Polo: The Description of the World, 1938, page 156). On swollen thighs in Cochin, India, Bernard Witlieb wrote that elephantiasis was widely prevalent there and often referred to as “Cochin leg.”

Send inquiries and answers to Chapter and Verse, Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via email to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

You might also like

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.

The popular Harvard English professor published Under Water this spring.

Most popular

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Harvard researchers achieve medical breakthroughs in cancer therapy and infection control.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

Three hands hold smartphones displaying social media profiles with likes and hearts.

Tell us about how social media impacts your daily life.

A smiling elderly man in glasses sits comfortably in a striped armchair.

Plus, veteran higher education leader Thomas Ehrlich reflects on university curricula for his 70th reunion

A flooded office scene with computers, a woman working, and a pink sunset backdrop.

A College student’s attempt to recapture the romanticism of the workplace.