Plato, on books:

A house that has a library in it has a soul.

- Plato.

Recommended reading – Swag

 

Swag

by Elmore Leonard.
 
a.k.a. Ryan's Rules.
 
Published by Mariner Books.
First published 1976.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062227866
ISBN-13: 978-0062227867
 
Description:
 

The smallest of small-time criminals, Ernest Stickley Jr. figures his luck's about to change when Detroit used car salesman Frank Ryan catches him trying to boost a ride from Ryan's lot. Frank's got some surefire schemes for getting rich quick – all of them involving guns – and all Stickley has to do is follow "Ryan's Rules" to share the wealth. But sometimes rules need to be bent, maybe even broken, if one is to succeed in the world of crime, especially if the "brains" of the operation knows less than nothing.

Born on this day – Rudyard Kipling:

Rudyard Kipling

Writer

December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936

Credits:

Books:

Puck of Pook’s Hill (1906); Rewards and Fairies (1910); The Jungle Book (1893); The Second Jungle Book (1895); The Light That Failed (1890); The Naulahka - A Story Of East And West (1892); Captains Courageous (1897); The Story of the Gadsbys (1899); Under The Deodars (1899); Kim (1901); They (1905); With the Night Mail (1909); The Man Who Would Be King (1888); The Return of Imray (1891); The Cat That Walked by Himself (1902); Plain Tales from the Hills (1888); The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Stories (1888); Life’s Handicap (1891); Barrack-Room Ballads (1893); Many Inventions (1893); Soldiers Three (1899); Indian Tales (1899); Just So Stories (1902); The Five Nations (1903); Traffics and Discoveries (1904); Kipling Poems (1907); The Day’s Work (1908); Actions and Reactions (1909); Sea Warfare (1916); A Diversity of Creatures (1917); The Eyes of Asia (1919); Rudyard Kipling’s Verse (1923); The Man Who Was (1924); Debits And Credits (1926); Limits And Renewals (1932); All The Mowgli Stories (1933); Phantoms and Fantasies (1965); Complete Verse (1972); Kiplings Science Fiction (1987); The Complete Supernatural Stories of Rudyard Kipling (1987); Kipling’s Fantasy Stories (1992); The Science Fiction Stories of Rudyard Kipling (1994); Selected Stories of Rudyard Kipling (1999); The Mark of the Beast and Other Horror Tales (2000); The Elephant, The Hare And The Black Cobra (2003); Victorian Short Stories of Troubled Marriages (2005); Rudyard Kipling’s Tales of Horror and Fantasy (2008); Ten Stories (2017); The Adventures of Mowgli: Stories from the Jungle Book (2018); The Elephant’s Child (1900); Letters of Marque (2009); Red Riding Hood (2008); Cinderella (2008); Jack and the Beanstalk (2008); Hansel and Gretel (2008); Beauty and the Beast (2008); Snow White (2009); Rumpelstiltskin (2009); Sleeping Beauty (2009); The Three Little Pigs (2009); Rapunzel: The Graphic Novel (2009); The Ugly Duckling (2009); The Princess and the Pea (2009); The Emperor’s New Clothes (2009); Thumbelina (2009); The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan (2010); John Henry, Hammerin’ Hero (2010); Pecos Bill, Colossal Cowboy (2010); The Legend of Johnny Appleseed (2010); The Bremen Town Musicians (2011); The Golden Goose (2011); Tom Thumb (2011); The Elves and the Shoemaker (2011); How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin (2012); How the Leopard Got His Spots (2012); How the Camel Got His Hump (2012); How the Elephant Got His Trunk (2012); Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Comics (2013); Tall (2014); A Cat of a Different Color (2020); A Cat of Perfect Taste (2020); A Cat of Disdainful Looks (2020); A Cat of Strange Lands (2020); A Cat of Cozy Situations (2020); A Cat of Heroic Heart (2020); A Cat of Artistic Sensibilities (2021); A Cat of Fantastic Whims (2021); A Cat of Feral Instincts (2021); 50 Great Short Stories (1952); A St. Nicholas Anthology (1969); The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories (1984); Famous and Curious Animal Stories (1989); A Separate Star: A Tribute to Rudyard Kipling (1989); Tales of the Occult (1989); The Amis Story Anthology (1992); H.P. Lovecraft’s Book of Horror (1993); 100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories (1993); Fantasy Stories (1994); The Anthology of Love and Romance (1994); Spellbound (1995); World War One British Poets: Brooke, Owen, Sassoon, Rosenberg and Others (1997); Detection by Gaslight: 14 Victorian Detective Stories (1997); Time Machines (1997); A Treasury of Five-Minute Stories (2000); Dark (2000); On Glorious Wings (2003); The World’s Greatest Horror Stories (2004); The Little Big Book of California (2005); H. P. Lovecraft’s Book of the Supernatural (2006); Rotten English: A Literary Anthology (2007); Empire Tales (2008); Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction (2008); Stories to Get You Through the Night (2010); 50 Classic Novellas (2011); The Most Dangerous Game and Other Stories of Adventure (2011); The Phantom Coach (2014); That Glimpse of Truth (2014); Red Sky (2014); The Dover Anthology of Cat Stories (2015); Writers: Their Lives and Works (2018); The Occult Fiction Collection (2019); 30 Occult & Supernatural Masterpieces You Have to Read Before You Die (2019); A Cat of Disdainful Looks (2020); Classic Cat Stories (2020); Hungry for Blood – Ultimate Halloween Collection (2023).

Movies and television:

A Cruel Romance (1984); A Fool There Was (1915 / 1922); A Hedgehog Plus a Turtle (1981); A Little Elephant (1967); A Maid of Mandalay (1913); A Poem (2019); Abel Classics (2023); American Playhouse (1983); Anansi Storytime (2018); Brave Sailor (1936); Captains Courageous (1937 / 1977 / 1996); Cherry Season (2015); Childhood (1974); Children of the Mist (1993); China Seas (1935); Christmas Glory 2000 (2000); Cineficción Radio (2020); Classical Baby: The Lullaby Show (2017); Creative Reader: The Jungle Book (1995); Dad's Army (1970); Das kommt davon (1976); Deadly Tales (1998); Dieu a choisi Paris (1969); Elephant Boy (1937–1973); Elephant's Child (1987); Everybody Does It (1949); Exorcism of Fleete Marish (2022); Fireside Reading of the Jungle Book (2022); Grande Teatro Tupi (1963); Gunga Din (1911 / 1939); Histoires comme ça (Série 1) (2009); Hollywood Insider (2021); How the Elephant Got His Trunk (1970 / 1985); How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin and How the Camel Got His Hump (1987); How the Whale Got His Throat (1970); It's pretty, but Is It Art? (2023); Jackanory (1966–1974); John Charles Thomas (1927); Jungelboka (1997); Jungle Cubs (1996–1998); Jungleboek (1992); Just So Stories (1979 / 1983 / 1991); Kak bylo napisano pervoe pismo (1984); Kim (1950 / 1955 / 1984); Kipling's Poem (2010); Kom skal vi lese! (1991); La bestia umana (1916); La luce che si spegne (1915); Må vi få en historie? (1965); Man Without a Saddle (2015); Mark of the Beast (2012); Mauglí (2013); Megi (1989); Merry-Go-Round (1964–1965); Metro Movietone Revue (1929); Metropolitan (1935); MJ's WORLD: The Mannii Show on YouTube Series (2023); Mowgli. Kidnapping (1968); Mowgli. Raksha (1967); Mowgli. Return to the People (1971); Mowgli. The Battle (1970); Mowgli. The Last Hunt of Akela (1969); Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018); Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book (1998); Mowgli's Brothers (1976); My Mowgli Boy (2019); Pack Up Your Troubles (1929); Puck of Pook's Hill (1951); Rabbit Ears: How the Leopard Got His Spots (1989); Rendez-vous au zoo (1952); Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (1965 / 1975 / 1976); Road to Mandalay (1991); Scape (2010); Selecciones de Cineficción Radio (2024); Sergeants 3 (1962); Shirley Temple's Storybook (1960); Smilin' Through (1941); Soldiers Three (1951); Stalky & Co. (1982); Studio One (1949–1953); Suspense (1950); Television Theater (2017); The Adventures of Mowgli (1973); The Adventures of the Maltese Cat (1991); The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding House (1922); The Cat That Walked by Himself (1968); The Cat Who Walked by Herself (1988); The Choir: Military Wives (2011); The City of Terrible Night (1915); The Ed Sullivan Show (1949–1951); The Encounter: Jungle Book Remake (2016); The Eye of Allah (1960); The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964); The Fool (1913); The Frank Sinatra Show (1958); The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling (1964); The Jungle Book (1942 / 1967 / 1990 / 1992 / 1994 / 1995 / 2014 / 2016); The Jungle Book / TV series (2010–2019); The Jungle Book 2 (2003); The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story (1998); The Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli (1989); The Jungle Book: The Movie (2012); The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories (2021); The Jungle Book: The New Adventures of Mowgli (1995); The King Crab (2015); The Light That Failed (1916 / 1923 / 1939 / 1961); The Man Who Would Be King (1975); The Muppet Show (1980); The Naulahka (1918); The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo (1997); The Sun's Tear (2022); The Unforgiving Minute (2010); The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1973); The Vampire (1910); The White Seal (1975); They Met in Bombay (1941); Vampire of the Desert (1913); Viidakkokirja (2005); Voices from a Locked Room (1995); Watch Your Stern (1960); Wee Willie Winkie (1937); When the Clouds Clear (2016); Wife, Husband and Friend (1939); Without Benefit of Clergy (1921); Words for Battle (1941); You Said a Mouthful (1932); Your Favorite Story (1953).

Born on this day – Letizia Quaranta:

Letizia Quaranta

Actress

December 30, 1892 – January 9, 1977

Credits:

Acquazzone in montagna (1913); Addio giovinezza! (1913); Amor de Apache (1930); Astuzia di donna (1915); Bacio di morte (1916); Bersaglio umano (1921); Bob salva la vita all'Ammiraglio (1916); Cofanetto dei milioni (1914); Da boxeur a detective (1916); El consultorio de Madame René (1924); Fiamma tra le fiamme (1917); Fiori d'amore... fiori di morte (1914); Floretta e Patapon (1910); Forbidden Music (1942); Guerra in tempo di pace (1914); Hedda Gabler (1920); I mariti allegri (1914); Il caporal Simon (1917); Il germoglio della morte (1916); Il medico per forza (1931); Il mistero del messale (1919); Il mistero dell'educanda di Saint-Bon (1915); Il teschio d'oro (1920); Il testamento di Maciste (1920); Il treno degli spettri (1913); Il Trust dei diamanti (1916); Il viaggio di Maciste (1920); Il violino di Ketty (1914); La casa della paura (1921); La droga di Satana (1922); La gondola del diavolo (1946); La lanterna del diavolo (1931); La mujer de medianoche (1925); La nave dei morti (1921); La scala (1931); La signora delle miniere (1921); La tempesta in un cranio (1921); La trilogia di Maciste (1920); La vuelta del toro salvaje (1924); L'eterno romanzo (1914); L'immagine dell'altra (1914); L'innocente Casimiro (1945); L'inverosimile (1919); L'isola tenebrosa (1916); L'orfana del ghetto (1955); Love Everlasting (1914); Maciste contro la morte (1920); Maciste I (1919); Maciste innamorato (1919); Memoria dell'altro (1914); Nerone e Agrippina (1914); Più che Fratello (1916); Scacco matto (1919); Ted l'invisibile (1922); The Fatal Grotto (1913); The Queen's Jewel (1913); T'ho ancor baciato, or muoio lieta! (1912); Un dramma tra le belve (1915); Un simpatico mascalzone (1921); Vortice (1920).

Born on this day – Tom Keene:

Tom Keene

Actor

December 30, 1896 – August 4, 1963

Credits:

Adventures of Superman (1952); Arizona Roundup (1942); Battle of Greed (1937); Beau Bandit (1930); Berlin Express (1948); Beyond the Rockies (1932); Blood on the Moon (1948); Brothers in the Saddle (1949); Buffalo Bill, Jr. (1955); Casey Jones (1958); Come on Danger! (1932); Corky and White Shadow (1956); Cross Fire (1933); Crossfire (1947); Crossroad Avenger: The Adventures of the Tucson Kid (1953); Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson (1954); Dangerous Intruder (1945); Death Valley Days (1956–1959); Desert Gold (1936); Desperadoes of the West (1950); Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947); Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947); Dig That Uranium (1955); Drift Fence (1936); Drums of Destiny (1937); Dynamite Canyon (1941); Film Tactics (1945); Freighters of Destiny (1931); Fury (1956); General Electric Theater (1953); Ghost Valley (1932); Girls of the Big House (1945); God's Country and the Man (1937); Goodnight, Sweetheart (1944); Hollywood Mavericks (1990); Home Town Story (1951); Hong Kong Nights (1935); Honky Tonk (1929); Hopalong Cassidy (1954); In Old California (1929); Indian Agent (1948); Judge Roy Bean (1956); Jungle Woman (1944); Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944); Lone Star Law Men (1941); Mark Saber (1953); Marked Money (1928); Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (1976); Night Work (1930); Old Louisiana (1937); Once Upon a Horse... (1958); Our Daily Bread (1934); Pardon My Gun (1930); Partners (1932); Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957); Port of 40 Thieves (1944); Race Street (1948); Racket Squad (1951); Radio Kisses (1930); Raw Timber (1937); Rebellion (1936); Red Planet Mars (1952); Renegades of the West (1932); Return of the Bad Men (1948); Riding the Sunset Trail (1941); Romance of the Rockies (1937); San Diego I Love You (1944); San Quentin (1946); Scarlet River (1933); Sergeant Mike (1944); Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (1955–1956); Seven Keys to Baldpate (1947); Sky King (1952); Son of the Border (1933); Special Collector's Edition (2011); Storm Over Wyoming (1950); Suicide Fleet (1931); Sundown Trail (1931); Sunset Pass (1933); Tales of the Texas Rangers (1958); Tension at Table Rock (1956); Texans Never Cry (1951); The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004); The Abbott and Costello Show (1954); The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu (1956); The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1958–1960); The Buckskin Rangers (1951); The Cheyenne Kid (1933); The Driftin' Kid (1941); The Dude Wrangler (1930); The Fat Man (1951); The Glory Trail (1936); The Godless Girl (1928); The Great Alaskan Mystery (1944); The Judge Steps Out (1948); The Just a Little Late Club (1923); The Law Commands (1937); The Living Christ Series (1951); The Mickey Mouse Club (1956); The Milkman (1950); The Millionaire (1955); The Moonlighter (1953); The Navy Way (1944); The Outlaw's Daughter (1954); The Painted Trail (1938); The Range Rider (1951); The Saddle Buster (1932); The Stu Erwin Show (1951); The Sun Was Setting (1951); Thunder (1929); Thunder Mountain (1947); Tide of Empire (1929); Timothy's Quest (1936); Tol'able David (1930); Trail of Robin Hood (1950); U.S. Marshal (1958); Under Strange Flags (1937); Under the Tonto Rim (1947); Up in Arms (1944); Wanderers of the West (1941); Western Heritage (1948); Western Mail (1942); Wetbacks (1956); Where Trails Divide (1937); Where Trails End (1942); Whirlybirds (1958); Wild Horse Mesa (1947).

Born on this day – Carol Reed:

Carol Reed

Director

Producer

December 30, 1906 – April 25, 1976

Born on this day – Jeanette Nolan:

Jeanette Nolan

Actress

December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998

Born on this day – Nancy Coleman:

Nancy Coleman

Actress

December 30, 1912 – January 18, 2000

Credits:

Breakdowns of 1942 (1942); Breakdowns of 1944 (1945); Campbell Summer Soundstage (1953); Colgate Theatre (1950); Dangerously They Live (1941); Desperate Journey (1942); Devotion (1946); Edge of Darkness (1943); Entertainment – 1955 (1955); Goodyear Playhouse (1953); Her Sister's Secret (1946); In Our Time (1944); Kings Row (1942); Kraft Theatre (1949–1950); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1958); Lights Out (1950); Lux Video Theatre (1952); Mourning Becomes Electra (1947); NBC Presents (1949); Play of the Week (1961); Producers' Showcase (1956); Robert Montgomery Presents (1950); Ryan's Hope (1976); Slaves (1969); Star Tonight (1955–1956); Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio) (2022); Susan and God (1938); Tales of Tomorrow (1952–1953); That Man from Tangier (1953); The Adams Chronicles (1976); The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre (1949); The Edge of Night (1956–1984); The Gay Sisters (1942); The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1957); The Silver Theatre (1950); The Web (1951); True Story (1957–1958); Unusual Occupations (1947); Valiant Lady (1953–1957); Violence (1947).

Born on this day – Rosina Lawrence:

Rosina Lawrence

Actress

Singer

December 30, 1912 – June 23, 1997

Born on this day – Véra Clouzot:

Véra Clouzot

Actress

Writer

December 30, 1913 – December 15, 1960

Born on this day – Jack Lord:

 

Jack Lord

Actor

Director

Producer

December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998

Born on this day – Del Shannon:

Del Shannon

Musician

Singer

Songwriter

Actor

December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990

Born on this day – Jack Riley:

Jack Riley

Actor

Comedian

Writer

December 30, 1935 – August 19, 2016

Born on this day – John McPherson:

John McPherson (center, seated behind camera).

John McPherson

Cinematographer

Director

Writer

December 30, 1941 - December 21, 2007

Born on this day – Fred Ward:

Fred Ward

Actor

Producer

December 30, 1942 – May 8, 2022

Credits:

A Night with Alexandra Powers - We Are in No Hurry ... (2020); Abandon (2002); Altman on His Own Terms (2000); American Playhouse (1985–1991); Armored (2009); Belle Starr (1980); Best Men (1997); Big Business (1988); Biography (1999); Birdseye (2002); Bob Roberts (1992); Bogart (1990); Cardiac Arrest (1979); Carny (1980); Cartesius (1974); Cast a Deadly Spell (1991); Catchfire (1990); Chain Reaction (1996); Circus (2000); Coast to Coast (2003); Corky Romano (2001); Dangerous Beauty (1998); De película (1986); Dice (2001); Enough (2002); Entertainment Tonight (2022); Equinox (1992); ER (2006–2007); Escape from Alcatraz (1979); Exit Speed (2008); Farewell (2009); Feast of Love (2007); Filter: The Best Things (2000); ...First Do No Harm (1997); Florida Straits (1986); Four Eyes and Six-Guns (1992); FRO Thizzle Reviews (2023); Full Disclosure (2001); Funky Monkey (2004); Georgetown (2002); Ginger in the Morning (1974); Great Books: The Right Stuff (2000); Grey's Anatomy (2006); Gun (1997); Hearts of the West (1975); Henry & June (1990); In Plain Sight (2010); Invasion Earth (1998); Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000); Joe Dirt (2001); Leverage (2012); Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country (1993); Management (2008); 'Masked & Anonymous' Exposed (2003); Masked and Anonymous (2003); Miami Blues (1990); Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994); Off Limits (1988); Quincy, M.E. (1978); Realizing 'the Right Stuff' (2003); Red Team (1999); Reflections on Short Cuts (2004); Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985); Road Trip (2000); Ropewalk (2000); Secret Admirer (1985); Short Cuts (1993); Silkwood (1983); Southern Comfort (1981); Summer Catch (2001); Super Bloopers and Practical Jokes (1985); Sweet Home Alabama (2002); Swing Shift (1984); T-20 Years and Counting (2003); TCM Remembers 2022 (2022); The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2023); The 65th Annual Academy Awards (1993); The Age of the Medici (1973); The Chaos Factor (2000); The Crow: Salvation (2000); The Dark Wind (1991); The Hitchhiker (1987); The Incredible Hulk (1979); The Last Ride (2004); The Making of 'Tremors' (1990); The Player (1992); The Price of Life (1987); The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988); The Right Stuff (1983); The Vivero Letter (1999); The West (1996); The Wild Stallion (2009); 10.5 (2004); 2 Guns (2013); 30 Minutes or Less (2011); Thunderheart (1992); Tilt (1979); Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982); Tremors (1990 / 2018); Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996); True Detective (2015); Two Small Bodies (1993); Two Small Bodies (1993); UFOria (1984); Un bruit qui rend fou (1995); Uncommon Valor (1983); United States of Tara (2009–2010); Wild Iris (2001).

Born on this day – Andrew Shapter:

Andrew Shapter

Director

Writer

Cinematographer

December 30, 1966 – February 23, 2019

On this day in the Star Trek universe - Discovery (2021)

Star Trek: Discovery
Season 4. Episode 7.

Episode entitled: …But to Connect.

Released December 30, 2021.

Directed by Lee Rose.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Terri Hughes Burton, Carlos Cisco, Glenise Mullins, Brandon Schultz.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast:

Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, David Ajala, Ian Alexander, David Cronenberg, Shawn Doyle, Chelah Horsdal, Tara Rosling, Phumzile Sitole, Annabelle Wallis, Andreas Apergis, Nicole Dickinson, Alex McCooeye, Giovanni Spina, Robinne Fanfair.