Dull week, so have some anime comments and links instead.

Thanks to yhlee, we have the first two discs of Vision of Escaflowne, and watched the first last night. Spoilery comments behind the cut.

( Escaflowne episodes 1-4, spoilers )

Links:

• A hugely detailed recap of Serenity at Television Without Pity, with plenty of snark but also some close readings of the movie that I found interesting.
• Via lots of places, a big online sale from University of California Press. I've spent way too much time going through the lists, and I'm thinking about getting the following titles. Any comments?
  • J. G. Landels, Engineering in the Ancient World (Revised Edition) (link)
  • Antonia Fraser, editor, The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England (Revised and Updated) (link)
  • Luo Guanzhong (tr. Moss Roberts), Three Kingdoms—they have this both abridged and unabridged (volume one, volume two), do I particularly need the unabridged?

    [Edit: the two volumes are not a complete set, see comments.]

• Puppy nose!