Spider-Verse is a comic book series issued by Marvel Comics since 2014. Its first major event/storyline started on November 5 in The Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #9  along with an individual issue named Spider-Verse Team-Up. This event took 20 publications to be completed and featured nearly every variant of Spider-People and Spider-Man that had appeared in the comics and other media in the over fifty years since Spider-Man's creation, all under attack by Morlun and his family, the Inheritors. This first major storyline, however, was preceded by a full-flagged Spider-Verse series titled Edge of the Spider-Verse, which served to introduce some new characters that would lead the event, such as Spider-Gwen and Miguel O'Hara.

The comic book series has received generally positive reviews and proved to be one of the most popular comics related to Spider-Man universe in recent history. Following the conclusion of the event in Amazing Spider-Man #14, several characters introduced in it such as Spider-Gwen became prominent figures in Marvel Comics, with some featured in titles of their own. Several of the Spider-Men from this event reunited for the second volume of Spider-Verse set during the Secret Wars and continued to operate together in the Web Warriors series. The 2017 event "Venomverse" was structured in a similar way to Spider-Verse, featuring alternative versions of Venom instead. In 2018, a direct sequel to Spider-Verse titled Spider-Geddon was released. A conclusion to the Spider-Verse storyline—titled End of the Spider-Verse—ran from 2022 to 2023, following the release of an ongoing Edge of Spider-Verse series which introduced even more new alternate versions of Spider-Man.

Spider-Verse also served as the primary inspiration behind many other stories in external media centered around bringing together alternate versions of Spider-Man. This includes seasons 3 and 4 of the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, as well as the 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequels Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Beyond the Spider-Verse (2024), and the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latter featuring three of the live-action movie versions of Peter Parker.

Publication history
The premise of a crossover was conceived by Dan Slott, who wrote the core part of the story in The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #9–15, after working on the 2010 video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions which featured the mainstream, Ultimate, Noir and 2099 versions of Spider-Man. The last two episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, about multiple Spider-Men going across dimensions fighting villains, also served as inspiration. Slott's idea was originally postponed to make room for the 2012 Spider-Men storyline by Brian Michael Bendis, which featured the first meeting of the original Peter Parker, and Miles Morales of the Ultimate Universe. Beginning in August 2014, the event was preceded by two new issues of the cancelled The Superior Spider-Man, issues of Spider-Man 2099 and a five-issue run of one-shots, all under the Edge of Spider-Verse banner.

Titles involved

Plot

Prelude
On Earth-311, Peter Parquagh is on stage at the Globe Theater when Morlun appears. Peter attempts to defend himself, but Morlun proves too powerful and absorbs Peter's life essence. Before disappearing into another dimension, Morlun declares that all spiders will die. Shortly after his death, his universe was destroyed.

Edge of Spider-Verse

Edge of Spider-Verse: Superior Spider-Man
The Superior Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus' mind in Spider-Man's body) is pulled via a time warp into the year 2099. Superior Spider-Man attempts to return home, but instead travels to alternate Earths, where he finds the bodies of alternate Spider-Men, all slain by similar double-puncture wounds. He decides to assemble an army of Spider-Men to fight the killer.

The Superior Spider-Man and his new team (Spider-Man Noir, the Six-Armed Spider-Man, Spider-Monkey, Ashley Barton and the Assassin Spider-Man) set an ambush for Karn, which backfires when Karn reveals he is unaffected by their weapons. The team is only able to escape when Karn's brother and sister Brix and Bora arrive, and fight among themselves.

Edge of Spider-Verse: Miniseries
While battling Mysterio on Earth-90214, Spider-Man Noir is attacked by Karn, but is saved by the timely arrival of the Superior Spider-Man, who takes Noir to the year 2099.

On Earth-65, Gwen Stacy became Spider-Woman, while Peter Parker became the Lizard. Peter died while fighting Gwen, and Spider-Woman is blamed for his death by J. Jonah Jameson and her father, Captain George Stacy. When an assassin makes an attempt on George Stacy's life, Gwen defeats him, but Captain Stacy holds Spider-Woman at gunpoint. Gwen is forced to reveal her face and Captain Stacy tells her to leave while she can. The events are watched by a British Spider-Man called Spider-UK.

In a Japanese anime-like universe, Aaron Aikman uses his spider-based powers in an advanced suit of armor to become the Spider-Man. Years ago, Aaron's old lover Kaori Ikegami found her daughter brain dead after a car accident. Kaori became a recluse, but has now returned claiming that her daughter is awake and possessed by something. Kaori's daughter forces her to kidnap people, possessing those people in turn, and now the possessed are assembling into an army. Aaron suits up, and begins to head out the door. But Morlun appears, and tells him that "this is the end of your story."

On Earth-51412, Patton Parnel is a disturbed young man who lives with his abusive Uncle Ted. Patton "experiments" on animals and spies on his next-door neighbor Sarah Jane. On a trip to Alcorp Industries, Patton is bitten by a red spider. Patton gradually exhibits spider-like behavior, trapping several people (including Uncle Ted) in webs as food sources. When Sarah Jane comes to Patton's house looking for Gene, Patton kisses her, bites her neck, then transforms into a monstrous spider-like creature. Morlun arrives and drains Patton's life force, allowing Sarah Jane to escape.

On Earth-14512, Peni Parker is an Asian school girl whose father piloted the robot SP//dr. SP//dr's pilot is chosen by an intelligent radioactive spider who becomes mentally-linked to the new pilot. After her father dies in battle, Peni take his place. Peni is recruited by Spider-Ham and Old Man Spider to join the fight against Morlun and his family.

Edge of Spider-Verse: Spider-Man 2099
Miguel O'Hara from the Exiles begins having visions when the Destiny War Miguel O'Hara is killed. Miguel prepares to flee to Earth-616 where Morlun was once killed. As Morlun kills the Timestorm Spider-Man 2099, Earth-616's Miguel (currently stuck in the 21st century) begins to feel the deaths as well. Just as the Exiles' Miguel is about to make the dimensional jump, Morlun arrives and kills him in front of the Earth-616 Miguel. Miguel realizes he must find Peter Parker.

Edge of Spider-Verse: Amazing Spider-Man
Billy Braddock a.k.a. Spider-UK is one of the newest recruits of the Captain Britain Corps. Scanning other universes, he sees the deaths of many alternate Spider-Men by the Inheritors. Daemos' brother Jennix detects Billy, who immediately cuts the scanner feed. As Saturnyne and Lady Roma discuss their concerns about the Incursions that are destroying entire universes, Spider-UK tries to tell them about the killings of the Spiders across the multiverse. Saturnyne rebuffs him, but a sympathetic Roma gives Billy a talisman that allows him to travel through the Web of Life in order to save the remaining Spiders.

On Earth-982, Daemos attacks Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker). Her boyfriend Wes, Peter, and Mary Jane seemingly sacrifice themselves in order to save her and her baby brother Ben. Spider-UK and Old Man Spider arrive via portal and take her and Benjy away.

Main plot
On Earth-616, Spider-Man and Silk meet with Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-UK, Spider-Girl of Earth-982, and Spider-Ham. Spider-UK explains they are the Spiders of other dimensions and that all the strands of the Great Web are converging on Earth-616 Peter. Spider-UK tells him Morlun's elder brother Daemos is coming to Earth-616 and all of them head into a portal to another dimension. Peter Parker's clone Kaine Parker (a.k.a. the Scarlet Spider) and other members of the New Warriors are beaten down by Daemos. Kaine stabs Daemos through the chest with his arm spikes, and Daemos realizes that Kaine can hurt him because he is the current receptacle of the Other. Old Man Spider-Man, the Bullet Points Spider-Man, and the Spider-Woman of Earth-65 arrive. Daemos kills the Bullet Points Spider-Man, but the others escape through a portal. They join other Spider-Men gathered on Earth-13, home of Cosmic Spider-Man who never lost the Enigma Force. On Earth-001, the Inheritors gather at a dinner table laden with crippled Spider-Totems. The siblings' father Solus reveals he has known all along where the Bride, the Other, and the Scion are located, then asks his children what the Web of Life and Destiny means to them.

On Earth-1610, Miles Morales and Jessica Drew are attacked by Verna's Hounds, but are saved by the Superior Spider-Man, the Assassin Spider-Man, and Spider-Punk. On Earth-13, Spider-UK gets a reading on Superior Spider-Man's team. Old Man Spider-Man gives Spider-Man one of their devices to travel the Great Web, but insists Silk remain behind, refusing to say why. Silk waits secretly follows the team through the portal, arriving on  Earth-928, where Peter is horrified to see the Superior Spider-Man in charge. Old Man Spider-Man explains that Kaine and Silk are the receptacles of Totems called the Other and the Bride. Daemos emerges from a portal and kills the Spider-Cyborg, but the Superior Spider-Man manages to kill Daemos. Spider-Man 2099 uses future technology to put Daemos' corpse in stasis. A second Daemos shows up and kills Old Man Spider-Man and the Assassin Spider-Man. Kaine and Ben Reilly of Earth-94 deduce that the Inheritors are clones, and Ben opens a portal to the Inheritors' home base. The Ultimate Spider-Woman, also a clone of Peter Parker, joins them. Silk steals Spider-Man's portal device and opens a portal while attracting the Inheritors' attention. The surviving Spiders regroup on Earth-13.

Solus mocks Morlun's fear of the Spider-Man of Earth-616. Morlun says he is concerned about the prophecy and that "the Other," "the Bride," and "the Scion" have all manifested. Solus agrees that they could end the Inheritors' reign. On Earth-13, Peter and Otto fight over who is better suited to lead the Spider-Army, and Spider-Man realizes that Otto thinks Peter is from before the mind-swap took place, not after. Spider-Man challenges the Superior Spider-Man to kill him, and the Superior Spider-Man backs down, unwilling to create a time paradox. The Superior Spider-Man reveals he has located the Inheritors' homeworld, but feels that they need a stronger army. Peter asks Spider-Girl, Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy), Miles Morales, and the Animated Spider-Man to help gather recruits. Morlun and Jennix emerge from portals, killing a version of Captain Spider and Spider-Monkey. Captain Universe Peter Parker of Earth-13 destroys Jennix with the Enigma Force. Solus arrives and reveals that the Enigma Force is pure life force energy on which the Inheritors feed, devouring Cosmic Spider-Man. Morlun kidnaps Benjy Parker from Spider-Girl of Earth-982, declaring him to be the receptacle of the Scion.

The Spiders charge Solus, who easily kills the Prince of Arachne and Arachnosaur. Morlun takes Benjy to Earth-001. Spider-Woman of Earth-65 and Spider-Girl bring in the Mangaverse Spider-Man, Spider-Man J, and Takuya Yamashiro of Earth-51778. Takuya charges Solus, but Solus destroys his giant robot Leopardon. The Safe Zone is lost, and the Spiders open a portal to a random world in order to escape.

Silk, on the run from Brix and Bora, arrives on Earth-3145, a radioactive wasteland. When Brix steps out of the portal, he is nearly killed by the radiation before being pulled to safety. Realizing that the irradiated world is off-limits to the Inheritors, Silk covers herself in web for protection. Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) infiltrates the Inheritors' base by posing as her Earth-001 self. The Master Weaver reveals a secret rebellion against his captors, giving Jessica  scrolls with knowledge of the Other, the Bride, and the Scion. Morlun arrives and gives Benjy to Brix and Bora. Jessica uses her damaged transporter to send the scrolls to Peter before Morlun discovers them. The Spider-Army arrives on Earth-8847, where Spider-Man receives the scrolls and is contacted by Silk. Arriving on Earth-3145, the Spiders follow Cindy to Sims Tower and find the bunker designed to hide them from the Inheritors. Inside, Silk was joined by Earth-3145's spider-totem Uncle Ben.

On Earth-3145, Uncle Ben was bitten by the spider and became Spider-Man, but gave up after the deaths of Aunt May and Peter and accepted Ezekiel Sims' offer to stay in the bunker. The Earth was later destroyed by nuclear weapons, leaving Uncle Ben the last man alive. The Superior Spider-Man realizes that Spider-Man is from his future, meaning that Otto will eventually lose everything. Spider-Girl reveals that she can read the mystical scrolls due to her original powers coming from a cult that worships the Master Weaver. She reads a prophecy that the Inheritors will lose to the Spiders, unless by sacrificing the Other, the Bride, and the Scion, which will stop new Spider-Totems from existing. The second scroll contains the life story of Karn, which the Spiders home can turn him to their side.

On Earth-802, Kaine, Jessica Drew of Earth-1610, and Ben Reilly destroy Jennix's cloning facilities, at the cost of Ben's life. Spider-Man contacts Kaine, who reveals he is on Earth-001. Spider-Man orders the away teams to rendezvous there. Kaine transforms into a massive Man-Spider and impales Solus, killing him. An enraged Morlun stabs Kaine through the head.

Joined by redeemed Karn, the Spiders head to Earth-001 for the final battle against the Inheritors. Miguel O'Hara and Lady Spider arrive with a repaired Leopardon. Spider-Ham disguises himself as Benjy, allowing Ben Parker to take Benjy back to his home reality and robbing the Inheritors off the Scion. The Superior Spider-Man kills the Master Weaver. The Inheritors are exiled to Earth-3145, where they are forced to hide in the Sims bunker to avoid death by radiation, while feeding off the radioactive spiders.

Tie-in issues

Scarlet Spiders
Earth-802 is ruled by Jennix of the Inheritors. Ben Reilly of Earth-94, the Scarlet Spider (Kaine), and Jessica Drew, the Black Widow of Earth-1610 travel there to learn the secret of his cloning process and gain access to the Baxter Building. Jennix reveals that he has attempted to clone numerous Spider-Men from across the Multiverse to use as food stock, but has been unable to clone the essence of the spider which the Inheritors feast on. Ben Reilly destroys the device which allows the Inheritors to transmit their life force into new bodies, sacrificing himself in the process. Kaine is furious and steals Jessica's teleporter, then heads to Earth-001 to kill the Inheritors.

Spider-Man 2099
The Six-Armed Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099 and steam punk Lady Spider return to 2099 to dissect the clone body of Daemos for clues on how to defeat his brethren. Followed to the future by reborn Daemos, the Six Armed Spider-Man is killed before Miguel traps the Inheritor in a stasis field. Daemos kills himself to escape the trap, so Spider-Man 2099 and Lady Spider teleport back to the safe zone of Earth-13, only to find that it has been destroyed by Solus. They find Leopardon and transport the mecha to Lady Spider's home on Earth-803. After the Six Men of Sinestry attack, Spider-Man 2099 finds uranium in Doctor Octopus' backpack and use it to get Leopardon fully operational for the final Inheritor showdown.

Spider-Verse Team-Up
On Earth-94, Ben Reilly is still operating as Spider-Man. He is fighting Vultures sent by Verna when Old Man Spider and Spider-Ham arrive. The Spiders are paralyzed by poisoned knives thrown by the Vultures. Ben manages to break free, due to having fought a similar type of control when he was bonded with the Carnage symbiote. The distraction is enough for Old Man Spider and Spider-Ham to break free escape to Earth-13 with Ben.

On Earth-21205, Verna and her Hounds arrive to hunt Hobgoblin (the identity of this world's Peter Parker). Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy) arrives to help him. Both shocked, since Spider-Gwen let her Peter die, while Hobgoblin Parker became a vigilante after letting his Gwen die. The two are surrounded and Hobgoblin sacrifices himself to save Gwen and allow her to escape.

Karn comes to Earth-3123 to kill the spider-totem of this reality, where Aunt May was bitten by a radioactive spider and became Spider-Ma'am. Karn is stopped by Spider-Girl, Spider-UK, Spider-Punk, Spider-Man: India, and Ashley Barton of Earth-807128. The Spiders, after revealing intimate details about his history, convince Karn to join them. The Spiders allow him to drain a non-lethal amount of life-force from each of them to satiate his hunger and Karn agrees to join them against the Inheritors.

Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman followed Silk and Spider-Man Noir to Earth-19231 where they're attacked by Brix and Bora. Spider-Man Noir is wounded, and the trio takes him home to Earth-90214 to recover. Jessica is then sent by Spider-Man to Earth-001 to gather more information on the Inheritors, while Spider-Girl and Spider-Gwen stay to watch Silk, who sneaks away from them. Spider-Woman infiltrates the Inheritors' headquarters by posing as the Jessica Drew of Earth-001, who is also Morlun's lover. Silk is cornered by Brix and Bora, but escapes to nuclear apocalypse Earth-3145. Brix and Bora cannot survive in this universe and Silk enters the Sim bunker, only to find that universe's Spider totem - Uncle Ben Parker. Jessica Drew is invited on a date with Morlun, and uses her pheromones to confuse Morlun and sneaks into the Master Weaver's lair. The weaver gives her an ancient prophesy that contains the key to defeating the Inheritors. Spider-Woman uses her broken teleporter to send the scrolls to Spider-Man. Spider-Gwen, Spider-Girl and Silk arrive to rescue Jessica Drew and help Jessica Drew of Earth-001 become the new benevolent dictator, since all the factions are fighting and only she can unite them.

Aftermath
After battle, the remainder of the Spider-Army say their goodbyes. Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker) returns home to Earth-982 and finds Uncle Ben Parker from Earth-3145, who reveals that Mary Jane and Wes survived Daemos' attack. Uncle Ben decides to stay on Earth-982 and live out the remainder of his life as Mayday's and Benjy's grandfather. Mayday is given her father's old costume and renames herself Spider-Woman. When only Spider-UK, Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy), Spider-Man 2099, and the Spiders from Earth-616 remain, their Spider-Sense collectively overwhelm them with agony. Karn realizes someone is tampering with the Web of Life and Destiny, and they find the Superior Spider-Man hacking at the Web with Morlun's dagger. Aware of his destiny, Superior Spider-Man rejects his fate, having figured out that Peter Parker from his universe is from the future. Karn says that at any moment he could erase them from existence, while Spider-UK shouts they are losing portals home. Peter tells the Spider-Woman of Earth-65 and Spider-Man 2099 to head to their home dimensions before it is too late, while he leads the Earth-616 Spiders against the Superior Spider-Man. The Superior Spider-Man battles with Spider-Woman and Spider-Girl, who sees the totemic script on Morlun's dagger. Spider-Girl immobilizes the Superior Spider-Man's arm and reads that there will always be a Master Weaver at the center of the Great Web and that anyone can take the place of the current Master Weaver, but only death can free the Master Weaver from their sacred obligation. Karn states that he finally knows who the Master Weaver is and unmasks himself, revealing that he and the Master Weaver are one and the same. Analyzing the Master Weaver's armor, Karn notices a slot that fits the prongs of the spear he made as a child, which acts as a key to open the mechanism. Karn explain that the flow of time differs in Earth-001, using the co-existence of Spider-Man and the Superior Spider-Man as an example of being able to exist in two places at once. Karn has consumed enough Totems for their essence to enable him to take the Master Weaver's place, stating that this shall be his penance and, hopefully, his salvation. Spider-Man defeats the Superior Spider-Man who feigns surrender, but puts his holoram of Anna Marconi on a 100-day standby. Karn says that in time he can fix the damage to the Great Web and prepares to return the  Superior Spider-Man to the past. Spider-Man pushes Otto through the portal into the aftermath of the chronoton implosion that time-displaced him in the first place, his memory of the recent events erased. Karn remarks that his family can subsist off the life force of any animal and that Earth-3145 is teeming with mutant spiders. He also reveals that Spider-UK's home Earth-833 was destroyed by an Incursion and the Earth-616 Spiders console him. Spider-UK volunteers to travel the Multiverse and protect the worlds that lost their Spider-Totems, and Spider-Girl offers to join him. Karn dubs them the Warriors of the Great Web and charges them with helping him repair the severed threads. Karn opens a portal to Earth-616 and the Spiders bid farewell. Karn offers the Web-Warriors a tour of the Inheritor's palace, while unbeknown to them, a hand erupts from the Other's corpse, revealing that Kaine is still alive. On Earth-616, Spider-Man says that for a long time he did not feel ready to run his own company, but after leading the Spider-Army he feels ready for anything.

Reception
The main storyline received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the action, art, pacing, and story. However, the ending received some criticism for it being anticlimactic.

According to Comic Book Roundup, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #9 received a score of 8.3/10 based on 32 reviews, issue #10 received a score of 7.6/10 based on 16 reviews, issue #11 received a score of 8.2/10 based on 16 reviews, issue #12 received a score of 7.9/10 based on 20 reviews, issue #13 received a score of 7.6/10 based on 15 reviews, issue #14 received a score of 7.4/10 based on 21 reviews, and issue #15 received a score of 7/10 based on 18 reviews.

In 2015, Bleeding Cool highlighted a "common complaint" of the 648-page hardcover collection: "while the book gives a reading order to read the crossover, that order is not reflected in the book. Instead the individual titles are grouped together, rather than the Infinity Hardcover solution of presenting them in reading order. And because there are no page numbers following the actual reading order can be very hard. Advice given on reviews is to buy some post it notes and insert them throughout the volume for the beginning of individual issues and then refer to the reading order at the beginning".

Sequels

Secret Wars (2015)
As part of the 2015 Secret Wars storyline, a Spider-Verse miniseries was featured on the domain of the Battleworld called Arachnia, starring Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man: India, Spider-UK and Anya Corazon. After the conclusion of Secret Wars, the team renamed itself and was featured in a new series called Web Warriors (a name that was coined by Peter Parker from the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series during the original Spider-Verse).

Spider-Geddon (2018)

Spider-Geddon is a 2018 comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics featuring multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that had appeared in various media, and his supporting cast. In this sequel to Spider-Verse, the Inheritors have found a way out of the decimated world they were imprisoned on and are now determined to take their revenge on the Spider-Army and feed on them once again. Spider-Geddon was also marketed as "Revenge of the Spider-Verse".

Spider-Verse (2019)
Spider-Verse is a 2019 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics featuring multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that had appeared in various media, and his supporting cast. The series is much shorter than the original one lasting 6 issues and having no tie-ins.

End of the Spider-Verse (2022)

In May 2022, Marvel announced that Dan Slott would return to helm "what Slott and Marvel are billing as the final Spider-Verse story: End of the Spider-Verse". This is scheduled start in August 2022 with a five-issue anthology miniseries which will then be followed by the core storyline beginning in October 2022 with the launch of the monthly Spider-Man ongoing by Slott and Mark Bagley. The anthology will focus on new multiversal variants of Spider-Man such as Night-Spider (a variant of Felicia Hardy), Hunter-Spider (a variant of Sergei Kravenoff), and Spider-Laird.

Collected editions

Softcover

Hardcover

In other media

Television
 The two-part series finale of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, "Spider-Wars" (1994), which sees Madame Web and the Beyonder recruiting the "prime" Peter Parker / Spider-Man, a version of Parker who never lost Uncle Ben and lived a perfect life, a version of himself who took Doctor Octopus' arms, a six-armed Spider-Man, an actor playing Spider-Man, and Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider to save the multiverse from Spider-Carnage, served as inspiration for the "Spider-Verse" comic storyline.
 Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) deals with the concept of the "Spider-Verse" throughout the third and fourth seasons:
 In the four-part episode "The Spider-Verse" (2015), the Green Goblin uses the Siege Perilous and an unwilling Electro to travel to six alternate universes and gather DNA from their unique Spider-Men, forcing his version of Peter Parker / Spider-Man to pursue him across the multiverse. Along the way, both the Goblin and Spider-Man encounter Spider-Man 2099, Petra Parker / Spider-Girl of a gender-inverted universe, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham, the medieval-themed Spyder-Knight, and Miles Morales. Upon returning to their world, Spider-Man learns the Goblin used the six Spider-Men's DNA to enhance himself and become the "Spider-Goblin". In response, Spider-Man uses the Siege Perilous and Electro to draw in the six Spider-Men he encountered and form the "Web Warriors" to defeat the Goblin and cure him. In doing so, they free Electro, who goes on a rampage before the Web Warriors defeat him and return to their respective home universes.
 In the episode, "Miles From Home", Morales joins forces with the "prime" Spider-Man to stop the former's version of the Green Goblin and Baron Mordo from stealing the Siege Perilous, which gets shattered and strewn across the multiverse in the process. After finding one of the fragments, a villainous version of Peter Parker called Wolf Spider seeks to collect the rest so he can rule the multiverse.
 In the four-part episode, "Return to the Spider-Verse" (2016), Madame Web, Iron Fist, and Doctor Strange combine their powers to send Parker and Morales through the multiverse once more to retrieve the fragments before Wolf Spider does. Along the way, they encounter old ally Spider-Man Noir, as well as new Spider-Men like the Victorian era-themed Blood Spider, the cartoon pirate Web Beard, the cowboy Web Slinger, and Spider-Gwen, who became the protector of Morales' universe after he was trapped in Parker's. While in Morales and Gwen's universe, the Web Warriors learn Wolf Spider captured all of the multiverse's Spider heroes so he can use the Siege Perilous to absorb their life forces and empower himself further. Realizing Wolf Spider was poisoning himself in the process, the "prime" Spider-Man allows his life force to be absorbed as well, overloading Wolf Spider and shattering him across the multiverse like the Siege Perilous. With their common enemy defeated, the captured Spiders regain their life forces and return to their respective home universes.

Film
 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is an adaptation of "Spider-Verse", along with some elements of "The Death of Spider-Man" and "Spider-Men" storylines, which focuses on alternate universe versions of Spider-Man coming together to save their various realities from being destroyed by the Kingpin's Super-Collider. The central Spider character is Miles Morales, who is joined by an older, disheveled version Spider-Man named Peter B. Parker, Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker / SP//dr, and Spider-Ham.
 Into the Spider-Verse is being followed by two sequels, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, released in 2023, and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, originally set to be released in 2024 before being delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. In the former, Morales goes on an adventure across the multiverse with Stacy and a new team of Spider-People, including Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099, in order to stop Jonathan Ohn / The Spot.
 The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: No Way Home, features Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their roles as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, dubbed "Peter-Two" and "Peter-Three", from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films, respectively. They meet the MCU's version of Peter Parker (portrayed by Tom Holland) before joining forces to fight and cure the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, the Lizard, and Electro.

Video games
 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, written by Dan Slott before he wrote "Spider-Verse", features the Earth-616, Marvel Noir, 2099, and Ultimate versions of Spider-Man joining forces to acquire fragments of the Tablet of Order and Chaos after the 616 Spider-Man accidentally shattered it while fighting Mysterio, who also seeks the fragments after one of them grants him mystical powers. Over the course of the game, the four Spider-Men face various enemies enhanced by the tablet fragments' power, culminating in them confronting Mysterio as he uses the restored tablet's power to become a virtual god.
 Spider-Man: Edge of Time features a time travel plot involving the Earth-616 Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 working together simultaneously in the present and future to stop Alchemax scientist Walker Sloan from changing history. Along the way, they discover that Sloan is backed by an evil future version of Peter Parker, who became the CEO of Alchemax and intends to use Sloan's time portal to retroactively alter his past and undo his mistakes, regardless of the possibility of destroying the time-space continuum.
 A mobile game promoting the release of "Spider-Verse" called Spider-Man Unlimited was released on September 11, 2014, with a loose interpretation of the story. After the Earth-616 Spider-Man defeats a figure known as the "Gold Goblin", Nick Fury tells him that the Green Goblin assembled a multiversal Sinister Six via a portal and plans to take over their dimension. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. found a way to use the portal to bring in alternative versions of Spider-Man to aid him in the battle. For a number of events, both Morlun and Karn of the Inheritors have made appearances as bosses. In February 2015, the "Spider-Verse" storyline introduced new characters from the Spider-Army as well as the first appearances of Daemos and Jennix as bosses. In the closing moments of the event, Solus would make an appearance as a boss well. The game was recalled on March 31, 2019.
 The plot of "Spider-Verse" was adapted for the 27th Spec-Ops Mission of Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Originally announced as "Spider-Verse Part 1", the 27th Spec-Ops was released as "Along Came the Spiders". Karn became the first Inheritor featured in the game as a group boss. The 29th Spec-Ops, titled "Aranea Ex Machina", continued the game's adaptation of the "Spider-Verse" storyline, featuring Silk as the award hero and Morlun as the second Inheritor to be featured as a boss.
 Silk, Spider-Gwen, and Miles Morales were made playable characters in Marvel: Future Fight as part of the Spider-Verse promotion pack.
 Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Spider-Gwen appear as playable characters in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. Additionally, this game adds Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow and Eddie Brock / Venom as additional members for a Web Warriors team bonus.

In popular culture
The term "Spider-Verse" has found its way into popular media as a term to describe a group of Spider-Men or different variations of Spider-Man.  Such is also a case for different Spider-Man related merchandise.

References

External links
Spider-Verse at Marvel Wiki
Spider-Man: Spider-Verse Reading Order Checklist at How to Love Comics

2014 comics debuts
2014 in comics
comics about parallel universes
Spider-Verse (franchise)

Spider-Verse


The Ford Atlas is a concept pickup truck designed by Ford. Debuted at the 2013 North American International Auto Show, the Atlas was developed as a close preview of the 2015 F-150 (particularly a mix between the Platinum and Limited (the latter's 2016 return) trims).   Along with showcasing the transition of the model line to aluminum-intensive construction, the concept vehicle also included additional features to further enhance fuel economy. Sized similar to the existing F-150 SuperCrew, the aluminum construction of the Atlas saves approximately 700 pounds over its steel-bodied counterpart (no official curb weight for the Atlas was given).

In addition to design elements developed to enhance fuel economy (including unprecedented active wheel shutters), the Atlas was also designed with enhanced capability and ease of use.

Overview

Chassis
Alongside the introduction of aluminum-intensive construction for the production F-Series, the Atlas debuted the second generation of the Ford 3.5L twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine.  While unchanged in displacement or in the use of turbocharging, the updated engine is primarily distinguished by the introduction of start-stop capability to reduce idling.

Exterior
Styled as a sharper-edged evolution of the twelfth-generation F-150, the Atlas was fitted with quad LED headlamps and taillamps.  Alongside active grille and bumper air dam aerodynamics, the tailgate was fitted with a decklid spoiler.  Introducing a redesign of a rear tailgate step, the cargo bed of the Atlas also included a set of hidden cargo ramps for wheeling items into the bed.

Interior

Configured with a 5-passenger interior, the Atlas was fitted with leather seats.  To improve driving in small spaces, the Atlas was fitted with a 360-degree camera, giving a "birds' eye view" of the vehicle.  As a truck version of its Active Park Assist parking feature, the Atlas debuted Trailer Backup Assist, allowing drivers to back up a trailer with the turn of a knob; Dynamic Hitch Assist uses the backup camera to line up the trailer hitch to a trailer.

References

Atlas
Atlas
Ford F-Series

Ford Atlas


Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) was a European elementary school system in what was then the Dutch East Indies during colonial rule.  The schools were intended primarily for Europeans. The implementation of basic education at that time was differentiated between basic education for European children and indigenous children, so there was a primary school for a European child (Lager Onderwijs en Lagere School voor Europeanen) and an elementary school for native and foreign Eastern children attending the ELS. Although special requirements were established, in 1902 the name Europeesche Lagere Scholen was used for European children's primary schools. It means to eliminate the impression that this school is solely for Europeans.

Having been established for the first time in Weltevreden (Jatinegara), the ELS was growing more and more in number. In 1820 there were only seven schools, and in 1845 there were 24 schools. Then, the number of schools grew up to 68 in 1868, until finally 198 (in 1917).

Seven years of study were required complete education in ELS. The subjects were the same as primary school subjects in the Netherlands, except for the subjects of Dutch History, which were replaced with Dutch and Dutch East Indies History. This History course emphasized the geography of the Dutch East Indies rather than the geography of the Netherlands. The education was carried out in two levels; basic education and advanced education.

The subjects taught at the basic education level include reading, writing, numeracy, Dutch language, Dutch and Indies history, earth sciences, natural knowledge, singing, drawing, and sports. Subjects given at advanced levels are French, English, general history, exact science, agricultural drawing, sports and handwork for female students. Problems relating to educational supervision were supervised by the commission for European schools while technical issues were handled by the Dutch Indies government education director, who in the course of his supervisory assignment divides the Dutch East Indies into five school districts.

Examples
Below are lists of Europeesche Lagere School in the Dutch East Indies:
The school at Theresiakerkweg, Batavia, currently Saint Theresia Catholic School at Jalan Haji Agus Salim.
The school at Koto Gadang, West Sumatra, currently SD Koto Gadang.

References

Cited works

Secondary education

Europeesche Lagere School


The Topeka Constitutional Convention met from October 23 to Nov 11, 1855 in Topeka, Kansas Territory at Constitution Hall. It wrote the Topeka Constitution that would have made slavery in Kansas illegal. The convention was organized by Free-Staters to go against the pro-slavery Territorial legislature elected March 5, 1855. The territorial legislature was elected in polling that had a lot of electoral fraud and the intimidation of free state settlers.

The Topeka Constitution was the first effort to create a Kansas governmental structure and write its basis in law. Free-State people passed the constitution on December 15, 1855. The constitution was sent to Washington. They really wanted the U.S. Congress to pass it. President Pierce hated the document. It was presented in the Senate by Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan and in the House by Representative Daniel of Indiana. It passed the House by two votes on July 2. However, it was held in committee by the Senate. On July 8, Senator Stephen A. Douglas took up the Topeka Constitution in a bill counter to Senator Cass. Cass sent the issue back to the people of Kansas to follow the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Related pages
Lecompton Constitution
Wyandotte Constitution
Bleeding Kansas

References
 Cutler, William G. (1883). "History of the State of Kansas".

Other websites

 Transcript of PBS documentary

Bleeding Kansas

Topeka Constitution


Forrest Gump is a 1986 novel by Winston Groom. The title character retells adventures ranging from shrimp boating and ping pong championships, to thinking about his childhood love, as he bumbles his way through American history, with everything from the Vietnam War to college football becoming part of the story.

Gump is portrayed as viewing the world simply and truthfully. He does not know what he wants to do in life, but despite his low IQ, he is made out to be full of wisdom. He says that he "can think things pretty good", but when he tries "sayin or writin them, it kinda come out like Jello". His mathematical abilities as a savant and feats of strength lead him into all kinds of adventures. Groom was inspired by both a 60 Minutes segment on savants, and hearing his father recall a slow-witted childhood neighbor in Alabama, he thought such a character made for a good protagonist, quickly writing an opening chapter before completing a novel in six weeks. The character's surname was taken from the Gump's store.

The novel was adapted as a film of the same name and was released in 1994 by Paramount Pictures. Forrest was played by Tom Hanks and the movie won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and numerous other awards. In 2022, the film received an Indian adaptation titled Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Bollywood actor Aamir Khan.

Plot
Forrest Gump, named after Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest, narrates the story of his life. The author uses misspellings and grammatical errors to indicate the character's Southern accent, education, and cognitive disabilities. While living in Mobile, Alabama, Forrest meets Jenny Curran in first grade and walks her home. They become the best of friends.

By the time Forrest is sixteen years old, he is 6' 6" (1.98 m), 242 pounds (110 kg), and plays high school football. Miss Henderson, with whom Forrest is infatuated, gives him reading lessons. He reads Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and two other books that he does not remember. While he enjoys the books, he does not do well on tests.

He gains popularity as a football player, making the All State team. When Forrest is called to the principal's office, he meets noted university coach Bear Bryant, who asks if he'd considered playing college football. After high school, Forrest takes a test at a local army recruitment center, and is told he is "Temporarily Deferred."

Forrest and Jenny meet again at the University of Alabama and play together in a folk music band at the student union, covering songs by such singers as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Peter, Paul and Mary. After one semester, Forrest flunks out of the university. He and his friend Bubba are drafted into the Army, but Bubba dies in the Vietnam War. Forrest is wounded and meets Lieutenant Dan, who has lost his legs, in the infirmary. Dan tells Forrest that he feels Forrest is destined for something great.

While recuperating, Forrest develops a talent for ping pong, eventually playing in a tournament in China and inadvertently saving the life of Mao Tse-tung and meeting President Lyndon Johnson. He reconnects with Jenny and is arrested and institutionalized after a peace demonstration. When the doctors realize he has a talent for doing math in his head, he is recruited to be an astronaut for NASA. When 'Sue,' a male orangutan on the flight, wrecks the ship, they crash land in New Guinea and end up captives of a tribe of cannibals, whose chief teaches Forrest to play chess. After returning to the US, Forrest meets President Richard Nixon and runs into Dan, who is now homeless. They travel to Indianapolis to look for Jenny, and find her working in a tire plant. Forrest begins working as a professional wrestler, fighting under the moniker 'The Dunce.' When Dan hatches a plan to rip off Forrest's manager, Jenny leaves in disgust. Forrest, who dreams of starting a shrimp business like his friend Bubba wanted to, decides to head for Louisiana. Before he can go he meets a chess champion who realizes his talents and enters him into a competition. This doesn't pan out, nor does working alongside Raquel Welch in a remake of The Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Forrest and Sue eventually make it to Bubba's hometown, and with advice from Bubba's father, start a shrimping operation. This becomes so successful that he becomes a millionaire and manages to hire most of the people he'd previously encountered in his life to work for him. He is roped into running for the U.S. Senate, but is forced to drop out when the media uncovers his checkered past. Eventually he and Sue move to Savannah, Georgia, where Forrest performs as a one-man band. He finds Dan again, and runs into Jenny, who has a son, whom she reveals to be Forrest's. Forrest decides not to be a presence in his son's life, as Jenny is now married. He, Sue, and Dan move to New Orleans.

Critical reception
In a 1986 book review by Kirkus Reviews, the anonymous reviewer described the book as a "stumbling, droopy-drawered attempt at a picaresque novel". The conclusion was "A heavy-handed, one-joke sort of novel which is, finally, a cheat". Publishers Weekly recognized the "on-target humor here", but said that the author "has written better books than this".

The novel initially sold an estimated 30,000 copies. After the 1994 film adaptation was released, starring Tom Hanks, the novel sold over a million copies.

Film adaptations

The novel was adapted as a feature-length film of the same name by Paramount Pictures, starring Tom Hanks, and  was released in 1994. It won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hanks, in addition to numerous awards by various other film groups.

The screenplay differs from the book in some elements. It does not identify Forrest as a person with savant syndrome. It sanitizes his sex life and reduces profanity as expressed by Forrest in the book. According to author Winston Groom, the movie "took some of the rough edges off" Forrest. He had envisioned the character being played by actor John Goodman. In addition, the movie does not include Gump's time with NASA nor other careers such as boxing. It dropped his time with the cannibals and the ape named Sue. The movie uses special effects and historic footage to have the characters appear to interact with historical figures.

In 2019 an Indian film, Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan, was announced as an adaptation of Forrest Gump. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic its release was delayed a few times, until 11 August 2022.

References

External links

1986 American novels
Novels set in Mobile, Alabama
American novels adapted into films
Military humor
Doubleday (publisher) books

Forrest Gump (novel)


Nicholas Stephen Dinkel (May 12, 1874 in Springfield, Ohio – May 14, 1919 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American football player and a starting quarterback for the University of Notre Dame.

Dinkel played his first two years with the Notre Dame football team at the right end position. But during his senior season in 1894, new head coach James L. Morison installed an offense based upon speed running to the outside.  Seeking to capitalize on this philosophy, Dinkel swapped positions with then-Irish quarterback Charles Zeitler and led the team from under center.

Dinkel's team achieved easy victories over Hillsdale, Wabash and Rush Medical, but struggled to a 0-1-1 mark in a home-and-home series with Albion, thus finishing the year at 3-1-1.

After graduating, Dinkel returned to his home in Springfield, Ohio, where in 1896 he was involved in a controversial 24-6 victory by Wittenberg College over Ohio State: Allegedly, Dinkel was not enrolled at Wittenberg but merely played for them as a "ringer" at right tackle.

Shortly thereafter, Dinkel moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked as a salesman until his death from heart disease in 1919.

References
 Steele, Michael R. The Fighting Irish Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC (1996).
 Park, Jack. The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC (2003).

1874 births
American football quarterbacks
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio
1919 deaths

Nicholas Dinkel


Montague Alfred Noble (28 January 1873 – 22 June 1940) was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered one of the great Australian all-rounders. He scored 13,975 first class runs between 1893 and 1920 and took 624 wickets. He made 37 centuries – including a best of 284 in 1902 – and set several partnership and high-score records for his State team.

He played 42 Tests for his country, and captained the team for 15 of these between 1903 and 1909. Only the 12th captain of his country, he won eight of these games, lost five and drew two. Between his first Test in January 1898 and his last in August 1909, he scored 1,997 runs at 30.25 and took 121 wickets at 25.00. He complemented his only century, 133 in 1903, by scoring 16 half-centuries. Noble played 39 of his 42 Tests against England, and the other three against South Africa.

In later life, he coached and played for club level teams, including Paddington Cricket Club with which he had a long-standing connection throughout his career. He moved from banking to dentistry, and published his exegesis on cricket, Gilligan's Men. His elder brother, Ted Noble, also played briefly for New South Wales.

In 2006, he was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame by the CA. In June 2021, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame as one of the special inductees to mark the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship final.

Career

Noble was born in Sydney on 28 January 1873. He was the youngest of eight sons of Joseph and Maria Noble, who emigrated from Egham, Surrey, England. He "made a name" for himself in grade cricket with the Paddington club and first played for New South Wales (NSW) as a teenager. He toured New Zealand with NSW in 1893/94, and in 1894/95 scored a 152* against an England touring team under Andrew Stoddart which drew English attention to his batting. This cemented his place in the state side, and he was a significant contributor to NSW's consecutive Sheffield Shield victories in 1895–96 and 1896–97.

Over the summer of 1897/98, Stoddart returned with another England team and were defeated in four of the five Ashes Test matches. Noble, whose first-class form had earned him selection, scored 17 in Australia's only innings of 520, then took one wicket as England stumbled to 315 all out. Following on Noble routed the tourists with 6/49. He ended the series with the best bowling averages for both teams. Australia returned to England in 1899, and Noble experienced his first overseas tour. He scored 116 in a warm-up match and "impressed English critics chiefly by his patience and defence." He played in all five Tests, scoring 367 runs at 52.42, with four half centuries, and took 13 wickets at 31.23. At Manchester he scored 60 and 89, withstanding English bowling for eight and a half hours. Wisden would later record on his death that "his patience equalled his skill in defence, while at times he used his height and reach with full effect in driving, pulling, forcing the ball off his legs, and cutting either square or late – a batsman of rare style and execution without any sign of weakness." He was in particular noted for his ability to cater his technique to English conditions. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1900.

Noble faced England in Australia over the winter of 1901/02, scoring 138 runs at 15.33, and taking 32 wickets at 19.00. He then returned to England in 1902 as "the best all-rounder" under Joe Darling. In a warm-up match at Hove against Sussex, he scored his career-best 284 in a then world-record partnership of 428 with Warwick Armstrong. He scored 1,416 runs across the tour, at 32.93, and took 98 wickets, though in the Test series he scored only 129 of these runs at 18.42. 1902/03 saw a further 92 runs at 23.00, including another half-century, and took six wickets.

Noble was elected to the Australian captaincy for the 1903/04 Ashes series, however England were victorious. In 1905 the leadership reverted to Joe Darling for the tour of England, but Australian again lost the rubber. Noble nevertheless scored 2,084 runs at 44.34 across the entire tour. His bowling was viewed as weaker than normal, however Wisden credited his innovative captaincy and field settings. He led his team to England once more in 1909, and reversed a hitherto unsuccessful tour for Australia with innovative captaincy and bowling. In his final Test at The Oval on 9 August 1909, he scored two and 55, though he went wicketless.

Noble returned to State cricket, where in 1908 a testimonial match at the Sydney Cricket Ground had earned him £2,000. He continued at New South Wales until 1920, however with seasonal returns of 23, 54, 201, 80 and 13 runs and wicket totals that surpassed two per season only twice in the years either side of World War I, Noble was past his prime. He retired in 1920 and moved into banking, and then dentistry. He wrote and published several works on cricket: Gilligan's Men (1925), The Game's the Thing (1926), Those Ashes (1927), and The Fight for the Ashes (1929) and also became a noted commentator and broadcaster. He continued his association with Paddington Cricket Club, and worked for a time coaching junior cricket teams. Noble unsuccessfully stood for preselection as the Nationalist Party candidate at the 1931 East Sydney by-election. He died in Sydney on 22 June 1940, survived by his brother who died a year later. He was also a church bell ringer, and reportedly visited many towers in England while on cricket tours.

References

External links

1873 births
1940 deaths
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees
Australia Test cricketers
Australia Test cricket captains
New South Wales cricketers
Cricketers from Sydney
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World
Australian cricketers
Cricketers who have taken five wickets on Test debut
Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees

Monty Noble


The English Pouter is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding. English Pouters, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock pigeon. A breed with an enlarged crop, their distinctiveness was described by Charles Darwin in The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication (1868).

History
William Bernhardt Tegetmeier proposed that the English Pouter originated from cross breeding the old pigeon breeds the Dutch Cropper, Uploper and the Parisian Pouter.  Each of these breeds is described in works dating from the 17th century. However, in an earlier account, John Moore suggested that the breed was the result of cross breeding between a type of cropper and horseman (both 18th century pigeon types). Historically, the English Pouter was also called the Pouting Horseman, due to the links with the Horseman breed. The modern breeds of croppers, such as the Norwich Cropper, originate from the English Pouter.

Charles Darwin described the English Pouter in his 1868 work The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, saying that the breed was "perhaps the most distinct of all domesticated pigeons".

Description
As with all breeds of domesticated pigeons, the English Pouter is descended from the rock pigeon (Columba livia), and has been developed over years through selective breeding of individuals with specific characteristics. It is a breed of fancy pigeon, that being a type of pigeon kept by pigeon fanciers as part of the fancy pigeon group as opposed to Flying/Sporting Pigeons or Utility pigeons. The Pouter is long limbed with an enlarged crop, and overall a large body.

See also
List of pigeon breeds

References

External links

English Pouter


Christine Elizabeth Abrahamsen (September 6, 1916 – February 7, 1995) was an American nurse and professor of nursing at West Virginia University Institute of Technology.  She wrote science fiction and gothic novels under the pseudonyms Christabel and Kathleen Westcott, respectively.

Early life and nursing career
Christine Elizabeth Abrahamsen was born on September 6, 1916, in Oak Hill, West Virginia, the daughter of Charles Earl Campbell, an auto mechanic, and Macie Boothe.  She was raised and attended school in West New York, New Jersey.  She earned a nursing diploma from New York's Somerset Hospital in 1938, a bachelor's degree in nursing education from Hunter College in 1954, and a master's degree in nursing from Columbia University in 1959.  After working as a nurse in various hospitals in New Jersey and New York since 1938, she became a professor of nursing at West Virginia University Institute of Technology in 1971.

Writing

Abrahamsen began writing "in earnest" in 1968, describing the appeal of science fiction by commenting that "after many years of graduate study and research it was a pleasure to write something which needed absolutely no documentation".  She said she took the pen name Christabel from "a fortune telling book... it means 'good luck' and success."  Her first two works were the Veltakin series of planetary romances, Manalacor of Veltakin and The Cruachan and the Killane.  The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction describes her work as "written in a style that crosses the romance genre with boys' fiction".  Psychic phenomena play a significant role in her work, based on her interest in the topic and her study with the Rosicrucians.

Bibliography

As Christabel
 Manalacor of Veltakin (New York: Curtis Books, 1970)
 The Cruachan and the Killane (New York: Curtis Books, 1970)
 The Mortal Immortals (New York: Walker, 1971)
 The Golden Olive (New York: Curtis Books, 1972)

As Kathleen Westcott
 Bride of Kilkerran (New York: Pocket Books, 1972)

Death
Abrahamsen died on February 7, 1995, in Charleston, West Virginia.

References

1916 births
1995 deaths
20th-century American novelists
20th-century American women academics
20th-century American educators
20th-century American women writers
20th-century pseudonymous writers
American science fiction writers
American women nurses
Columbia University School of Nursing alumni
Hunter College alumni
Novelists from West Virginia
Nurses from New York (state)
Nurses from West Virginia
People from Oak Hill, West Virginia
People from West New York, New Jersey
Pseudonymous women writers
West Virginia University Institute of Technology faculty
Writers of Gothic fiction

Christine Elizabeth Abrahamsen


Cheryl Studer (born October 24, 1955) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung at many of the world's foremost opera houses. Studer has performed more than eighty roles ranging from the dramatic repertoire to roles more commonly associated with lyric sopranos and coloratura sopranos, and, in her late stage, mezzo-sopranos. She is particularly known for her interpretations of the works of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner.

Early life and education
Studer was born in Midland, Michigan, to Carl W. Studer and Elizabeth (born Smith) Studer, as one of three children.

She studied piano and viola as a child, and began voice lessons at age 12 with Gwendolyn Pike, a local opera singer and voice teacher.

She attended Herbert Henry Dow High School, then transferred to the Interlochen Arts Academy for her junior and senior years and graduated from there in 1974. Following high school, Studer studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music but left the program after a year, deciding to move with her family to Tennessee. She continued her studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance in 1979. Studer won several awards and competitions during this time, including the High Fidelity/Musical America Award in 1977 and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1978.

In the summer of 1979, Studer attended a course for foreign students on the art of the German Lied at the Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien, Austria. In this program, Studer's teachers included Irmgard Seefried, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Hans Hotter. Hotter persuaded Studer to remain in Europe to study further with him at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna. Studer studied with Hotter for one year before launching out on her professional career. In 1979, she won the Franz-Schubert-Institut-Preis for excellence in Lied interpretation.

Vocation

1980s
In 1981, Studer was hired as a permanent member of the Bavarian State Opera by Wolfgang Sawallisch. She remained with the company for two consecutive seasons, singing mostly minor roles in their productions. Her lead roles at the Bavarian State Opera included the title role in Carl Maria von Weber's Euryanthe and Mařenka The Bartered Bride. It was while working with the Bavarian State Opera that Studer was first encouraged to study the works of Richard Wagner and the dramatic soprano repertoire. Up to this point she had focused mostly on the bel canto repertoire, with her only foray into German repertoire up to that point being through Lieder. She made her professional opera debut with the company as Helmwige in Wagner's Die Walküre.

At the end of the 1981–82 season, she left the Munich ensemble to join the Staatstheater Darmstadt for two seasons. In the spring of 1983, Studer took her first major role as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata with the Staatstheater Braunschweig. This was followed by two more important roles the following summer: Irene in Wagner's Rienzi and Drola in Wagner's Die Feen, under the direction of Wolfgang Sawallisch at the Bavarian State Opera's Summer Music Festival. In 1984, Studer left the Staatstheater Darmstadt to become a permanent member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble. She stayed with the company for two full seasons. She made her US opera debut the same year with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Micaëla in Carmen.

In 1985, Studer performed as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser under Giuseppe Sinopoli at the Bayreuth Festival. Positive reviews of this performance quickly led Studer to more prominent leading roles.

In 1986, Studer made her debut at the Liceu as Freia in Wagner's Das Rheingold and her debut at Opéra de Paris as Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. That same year, she made her debut with the San Francisco Opera as Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger. In 1987, Studer made her debut with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser and her debut at La Scala as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni. In 1988, Studer made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen. That same year she returned to La Scala to perform the role of Mathilde in Rossini's William Tell. She sang Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz at the Théâtre Musical de Paris.

In 1989, she made her Vienna State Opera and Salzburg Festival debuts playing the same role, Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss' Elektra. That same year, Studer received the Grand Prix du Disque – Prix Maria Callas. Also in 1989, she returned to La Scala to perform the role of La Duchesse Hélène in Verdi's I vespri siciliani and made her debut with the Opera Company of Philadelphia in the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

1990s
In 1990, Studer returned to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni. That same year, Studer sang the role of Elsa in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin at the Vienna State Opera. In 1991, Studer performed two more roles at the Met, Elettra in Mozart's Idomeneo and Violetta in Verdi's La traviata. She sang the role of Gilda in act 3 of Verdi's Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera's 25th Anniversary Gala, opposite Luciano Pavarotti and Leo Nucci. In 1990, she also sang Odabella in Verdi's Attila at La Scala and Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Vienna State Opera.

In 1995, she sang the role of Princess von Werdenberg in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier for the first time at the Salzburg Festival. Also in 1995, Studer appeared in concert with her hometown orchestra, the Midland Symphony Orchestra, in Midland, Michigan, during the orchestra's 60th anniversary season. In 1996, Studer sang the same role at the Vienna State Opera. That same year, Studer returned to the Royal Opera to sing the title role of Richard Strauss' Arabella and revisited the title role in Aïda opposite Waltraud Meier as Amneris in performances at the Bavarian State Opera. She sang Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival in 1997 conducted by Sir Georg Solti.

In 1998, she sang Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus and Sieglinde in Die Walküre at the Bavarian State Opera. That same year she also sang Primadonna/Ariadne in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos at the Munich Nationaltheater. Also in 1998, she sang Senta in Der fliegende Holländer at the Bayreuth Festival. She reprised the role there in 1999.

In July 1998, she sang a  for the Richard Wagner Society at the Markgräfliches Opernhaus (Margravial or Margrave's Opera House) in Bayreuth celebrating the 250th anniversary of the house. During the late 1990s, Studer had a period of vocal problems that led to the Bavarian State Opera canceling her contracts in 1998, but after a brief time off the stage, her performances indicated a return to form and the Bavarian State Opera renewed her contract for fourteen more performances.

2000s
In 2000 Studer returned to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the role of Princess von Werdenberg (the Marschallin) in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. That same year, Studer sang the title role of Richard Strauss' Arabella at the Zürich Opera. She also filled in as a last minute Sieglinde in Die Walküre at the Bayreuth Festival substituting for an ailing Waltraud Meier.

In 2000, she also sang Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by David Zinman substituting for an ailing Claudio Abbado. She also sang the Walküre Brünnhilde' in concert in Budapest with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under the direction of Iván Fischer. In February 2001, Studer sang the role of the Kaiserin (Empress) in Richard Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Dresden Semperoper conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli. She revisited the role at the Vienna State Opera in 2002 in the Robert Carsen production. Around this time, Studer also sang back-to-back performances of the Kaiserin and the Marschallin at the Semperoper conducted by Dietfried Bernet. In June 2001, Studer sang Elisabeth in performances of Werner Herzog's production of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Studer can be heard singing the "Ave Maria" from Verdi's Otello in the soundtrack to the 2001 Hollywood film, O.

In February 2002 she made a rare U.S. appearance singing Isolde's "Liebestod" with the Indianapolis Symphony.

In January 2003, Studer sang the soprano part in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Berlin during UNESCO's official designation of the symphony's manuscript as Memory of the World.

Also in 2003, she sang her final Sentas in Der fliegende Holländer in May at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and she gave a  "In Memoriam Maria Callas" in Athens, Greece, with pianist Charles Spencer, featuring songs and Lieder by Verdi, Wagner, Barber, Richard Strauss, and Copland.

In March 2004, Studer sang her first complete Isolde in three concert performances of the work, in Münster, Germany. Before these complete Isoldes, she had sung excerpts from all three acts of Tristan und Isolde in Gießen, Germany (in 1999).

In October 2005, Studer sang the role of Sieglinde in Richard Wagner's first-ever Ring Cycle in China, at Beijing's Poly Theatre. The cycle was produced by Stephen Lawless for the Staatstheater Nürnberg and the performances were conducted by Philippe Auguin. In November 2005 it was reported, but never confirmed, that Studer had suffered a mild heart attack, forcing her to cancel a number of scheduled concerts in Spain.

In June 2007, Studer gave a series of Masterclasses and an all-Richard Strauss Lieder recital with pianist Semyon Skigin in St. Petersburg, Russia. In August 2007, also with pianist Semyon Skigin, she sang an all-Richard Strauss Lieder recital at Villa Wahnfried, Bayreuth. In February 2008, Studer gave a Lieder recital at Teatro Villamarta in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain with pianist Jonathan Alder, featuring Lieder by Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, and Richard Strauss. Later that year in October 2008, Studer gave another Lieder recital at Drake University with pianist Nicholas Roth, featuring songs and Lieder by Rossini, Ravel, Massenet, Albéniz, Brahms, Barber, and Richard Strauss.

In November 2008, she gave another recital in Germany with Dutch pianist  featuring Lieder by Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, and Richard Strauss. In August 2009, Studer sang Richard Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder in Berlin, Germany as part of the short-lived Berlin International Music Festival.  conducted the Festival orchestra.

2010–present
On July 9, 2010, Studer made her directorial debut in a new production of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia at the  in Würzburg, Germany.

In May 2011, she won the Terras sam Sombra International Prize. Later that year, in November 2011, she appeared in concert in Nuremberg and Antwerp, Belgium, with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Music Director, Alexander Shelley. The all-Wagner concerts, also featuring Belgian bass-baritone Wilfried Van den Brande, were recorded and will be released as part of the orchestra's "Nürnberger Symphoniker Live" series.

Studer has begun a transition into a lower voice range. In December 2011 she appeared as Gertrud in performances of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel at the Hamburg State Opera. She revisited the role in 2013, also in Hamburg. In 2012 she was a recipient of the Ovation Award by the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

In 2014, she played Adelaide in Richard Strauss' Arabella at the Hamburg State Opera. Also in 2014, she presided over the 38th International Maria Callas Grand Prix for Opera to be held in Athens, Greece.

In October 2016, Studer sang the Overseer/Confidant (Die Vertraute/Die Aufseherin) in the late Patrice Chéreau's production of Richard Strauss' Elektra at the Staatsoper Berlin, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. She revisited the roles in June of 2022 and October of 2023, again at the Staatsoper Berlin, in performances conducted by Thomas Guggeis and Markus Poschner respectively. In December 2016, she sang the role of Nettie Fowler in Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Carousel at Theater Basel in Switzerland, in a run of performances through April 2017. In September 2018, Studer sang the contralto role of Mamma Lucia in a new production of Pietro Mascagni's opera Cavalleria rusticana at Oper Graz in Austria. The performances were recorded and released by the Oehms Classics label.

In November 2021, Studer sang the role of Tertullia in a new production of Paul Dessau/Bertolt Brecht's 1951 opera Die Verurteilung des Lukullus (The Condemnation of Lucullus) at Staatsoper Stuttgart, conducted by contemporary music specialist Bernhard Kontarsky, and with tenor Gerhard Siegel in the title role.

Masterclasses, opera workshops, adjudication
For eighteen years, from 2003 to 2021, Studer taught at the University of Music in Würzburg. She is also honorary professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Studer conducts a yearly series of master classes and opera workshops at her own North Aegean Music Festival in the island of Lesbos, Greece. She conducts Master Classes internationally (USA, Greece, South Korea, China, Spain, Italy and Germany).

Personal life
Studer is married to Greek tenor Michalis Doukakis and has lived in Germany for most of her life. From previous marriages, Studer has two daughters, Elsa and Senta, named after characters from Richard Wagner operas. The elder, Senta, is a pop music singer. Her first solo album, Happy, was released in January 2014.

Repertoire
 Beethoven: Leonore in Fidelio
 Beethoven: Soprano in Missa solemnis
 Beethoven: Ah! perfido
 Bellini: Amina in La sonnambula
 Berg: Sieben frühe Lieder
 Bizet: Micaëla in Carmen
 Brahms: Soprano in Ein deutsches Requiem
 Dessau: Tertullia in Die Verurteilung des Lukullus
 Donizetti: Title role in Lucia di Lammermoor
 Egk: Die Rothaarige in Peer Gynt
 Floyd: Title role in Susannah
 Gluck: Circe in Telemaco
 Gounod: Margarethe in Faust
 Juliette in Roméo et Juliette
 Händel: Soprano II in Der Messias
 Humperdinck: Gertrtud in Hänsel und Gretel
 Janáček: Katja Kabanowa
 Lehár: Hanna Glawari in Die lustige Witwe
 Lortzing: Bertalda in Undine
 Mahler: Soprano in Symphonie Nr. 4
 Mahler: Soprano I in Symphonie Nr. 8
 Mahler: Soprano in Das Klagende Lied
 Mascagni: Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana
 Massenet: Salome in Hérodiade
 Mozart: Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
 Mozart: Elettra in Idomeneo
 Mozart: Gräfin Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro
 Mozart: Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
 Mozart: Königin der Nacht, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte
 Offenbach: Giulietta in Les contes d'Hoffmann
 Rodgers and Hammerstein: Nettie Fowler in Carousel
 Rossini: Madama Cortese in Il viaggio a Reims
 Rossini: Mathilde in Guglielmo Tell
 Rossini: Title role in Semiramide
 Schoenberg: Tove in Gurre-Lieder
 Schumann: Genoveva
 Smetana: Mařenka in Die verkaufte Braut
 Spohr: Title role in Jessonda
 Johann Strauss II: Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus
 Richard Strauss: Title role, Adelaide in Arabella
 Strauss: Title role in Ariadne auf Naxos
 Strauss: Gräfin in Capriccio
 Strauss: Title role in Daphne
 Strauss: Aithra in Die ägyptische Helena
 Strauss: Chrysothemis, Die Vertraute, Die Aufseherin in Elektra
 Strauss: Kaiserin, Die Stimme des Falken in Die Frau ohne Schatten
 Strauss: Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier
 Strauss: Title role in Salome
 Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder
 Tschaikowski: Tatjana in Eugen Onegin
 Verdi: Odabella in Attila
 Verdi: Gilda in Rigoletto
 Verdi: Leonora in Il trovatore
 Verdi: Violetta in La traviata
 Verdi: Elena in I vespri siciliani
 Verdi: Title role in Aida
 Verdi: Desdemona in Otello
 Verdi: Soprano in Messa da Requiem
 Wagner: Irene in Rienzi
 Wagner: Senta in Der fliegende Holländer
 Wagner: Drolla in Die Feen
 Wagner: Elisabeth in Tannhäuser
 Wagner: Elsa in Lohengrin
 Wagner: Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
 Wagner: Isolde in Tristan und Isolde
 Wagner: Brünnhilde, Sieglinde, Helmwige, Ortlinde in Die Walküre
 Wagner: Third Norn, Gutrune in Götterdämmerung
 Wagner: Rhinemaiden in Parsifal
 Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
 Weber: Title role in Euryanthe
 Weber: Agathe in Der Freischütz
 Zemlinsky: Zofe in Der Zwerg

Discography

Complete opera recordings
 Aida in Verdi's Aida, recorded 6/94, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Edward Downes, Pioneer
 Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, recorded 5/91, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Sony
 Countess in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, recorded 1–2/94, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss' Elektra, recorded 6/89, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Pioneer
 Chrysothemis in Strauss' Elektra, recorded 1/90, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, EMI
 Desdemona in Verdi's Otello, recorded 5/93, Opéra Bastille, Myung-whun Chung, Deutsche Grammophon
 Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, recorded 9/90, Wiener Philharmoniker, Riccardo Muti, EMI
 Drolla in Wagner's Die Feen, recorded 7/83, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Orfeo
 Elena in Verdi's I Vespri Siciliani, recorded 12/89–1/90, Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti, Fonit Cetra
 Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser, recorded '88, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon
 Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser, recorded '89, Bayreuth Festival, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Philips
 Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin, recorded 6/90, Bayreuth Festival, Peter Schneider, Philips
 Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin, recorded '90, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, recorded 4/93, Bavarian State Opera, Wolfgang Sawallisch, EMI
 Florinda in Schubert's Fierrabras, recorded 5/88, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto act 3, recorded 9/91, Metropolitan Opera, James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon
 Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, recorded 6/93, Metropolitan Opera, James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon
 Giulietta in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann, recorded 87/88/89, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Jeffrey Tate, Philips
 Gutrune in Wagner's Götterdämmerung, recorded 5/89, Metropolitan Opera, James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon
 Hanna Glawari in Lehár's Die Lustige Witwe, recorded 1/94, Wiener Philharmoniker, John Eliot Gardiner, Deutsche Grammophon
 Irene in Wagner's Rienzi, recorded 7/83, Bavarian State Opera, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Orfeo
 Jessonda in Spohr's Jessonda, recorded '84, Austrian Radio Orchestra, Gerd Albrecht, Voce
 Kaiserin (Empress) in Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten, recorded 2–12/87, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, EMI
 Kaiserin (Empress) in Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten, recorded '92, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti, Salzburg Festival, DECCA/London
 Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, recorded 4/91, Wiener Symphoniker, Bruno Weil, Sony
 Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, recorded 8/90, London Symphony Orchestra, Ion Marin, Deutsche Grammmophon
 Madama Cortese in Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims, recorded 10/92, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Sony
 Mamma Lucia in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, recorded 2018/2019, Oper Graz/Graz Philharmonic, Oksana Lyniv, Oehms Classics
 Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, recorded 2/91, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson, EMI
 Matilde in Rossini's Guglielmo Tell, recorded 12/88, Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti, EMI
 Odabella in Verdi's Attila, recorded 6–7/89, Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti, EMI
 Odabella in Verdi's Attila, recorded 6/90, Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti, Home Vision
 Ortlinde in Wagner's Die Walküre, recorded 8/81, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Marek Janowski, Eurodisc
 Queen of the Night in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, recorded 7/89, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Philips
 Salomé in Massenet's Hérodiade, recorded 11–12/94, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson, EMI
 Salome in Strauss' Salome, recorded 12/90, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon
 Semiramide in Rossini's Semiramide, recorded 7/92, London Symphony Orchestra, Ion Marin, Deutsche Grammophon
 Senta in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer, recorded 1/91, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon
 Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre, recorded 2–3/88, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, EMI
 Susannah in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, recorded 3/94, Opéra de Lyon, Kent Nagano, Virgin
 Violetta in Verdi's La traviata, recorded 1/91, Metropolitan Opera, James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon
 Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg, recorded 1983, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gerd Albrecht, Koch-Schwann

Concert recordings
 Samuel Barber Complete Songs, recorded 9/92, John Browning, Thomas Hampson, Emerson String Quartet, Deutsche Grammophon
 Beethoven's Missa solemnis, recorded 8/91, Wiener Philharmoniker, Salzburg Festival, James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon
 Beethoven in Berlin ("Ah! perfido"/Choral Fantasy/Egmont), recorded 12/91, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, recorded 4/89, Philadelphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti, EMI
 Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, recorded 10/92, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Bruckner's Mass in F minor / Mozart's Vespers, recorded 3/77, MIT Choral Society, John Oliver, private issue LP
 Donizetti's Messa da Requiem, recorded 1/84, Bamberger Symphoniker, Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, Orfeo
 Mahler's Das klagende Lied, recorded 11/90, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon
 Mahler's Symphony No. 2, recorded 11/92, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Mahler's Symphony No. 8, recorded 11–12/90, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon
 Mahler's Symphony No. 8, recorded 1/94, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Schubert Lieder, recorded 1/90, Irwin Gage, Deutsche Grammophon
 von Schweinitz's Messe, Op. 21, recorded 7/84, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gerd Albrecht, Wergo
 Strauss Choral Works, recorded 9/84, RIAS Kammerchor, Uwe Gronostay, Marcus Creed, Deutsche Schallplatten
 Strauss' Vier Letzte Lieder/Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder and Isolde's "Liebestod", recorded 1/93, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Deutsche Grammophon
 Verdi's Messa da Requiem, recorded 6/87, Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti, EMI
 Verdi's Messa da Requiem, recorded 11/91, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Wagner, Isolde's "Liebestod", recorded 1/88, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate, EMI
 Wagner Gala (Tannhäuser/Lohengrin/Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg/Die Walküre), recorded 12/93, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon
 Covent Garden Gala (Otello/La traviata/Die Fledermaus), recorded 7/88, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker, EMI
 First Europakonzert in Prague (Mozart: Non mi dir/Ch'io mi scordi di te? – Non temer, amato bene), recorded 5/91, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, Sony
 The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991, recorded 9/91, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine, Deutsche Grammophon DVD
 Salzburg Recital (Strauss/Schubert/Debussy), recorded 8/92, Irwin Gage, Deutsche Grammophon
 Johan Botha Wiener Staatsoper Live: Beethoven | Wagner | Strauss (Atmest du nicht, from act 3 of Lohengrin), recorded 2/97, Wiener Staatsoper, Simone Young, Orfeo International

Solo recordings
 Coloratura Arias by Bellini (La sonnambula/Norma), Verdi (La traviata/Il trovatore), Donizetti (Lucia di Lammermoor/Lucrezia Borgia), Rossini (Il barbiere di Seviglia/Semiramide), recorded 4/89, Munich Radio Orchestra, Gabriele Ferro, EMI
 Sacred Works (J. S. Bach/Schubert/Mendelssohn/Handel/Mozart/Gounod/Fauré/Poulenc/Bernstein/Bruch), recorded 3/91, London Symphony Orchestra, Ion Marin, Deutsche Grammophon
 Mozart Arias (Die Entführung aus dem Serail/Die Zauberflöte/Idomeneo/Le nozze di Figaro/Don Giovanni/La clemenza di Tito/Così fan tutte), recorded 9/89, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, Philips
Schubert Lieder, recorded 6/90, Irwin Gage, piano, Deutsche Grammophon

References

External links

1955 births
20th-century American women opera singers
21st-century American women opera singers
Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
American expatriates in Germany
American operatic sopranos
American women academics
Classical musicians from Michigan
Deutsche Grammophon artists
EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists
Interlochen Center for the Arts alumni
Living people
Midland Dow High School alumni
People from Midland, Michigan
Singers from Michigan
Oberlin Conservatory of Music alumni
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni
University of Tennessee alumni
Winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions

Cheryl Studer


The Wabush Lake Railway  (formerly WABL and NLCL) is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The railway was built in 1960 from the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to Wabush, initially called the Northern Lands Company Railway (reporting mark: NLC).

Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.

The Wabush Lake Railway is owned by the Wabush Mining Company, which mines iron ore near Labrador City.  The ore is transported from the mine to the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway connection at Wabush.  The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway transports the ore between Wabush and Arnaud Jct., Quebec using Wabush locomotives, currently a mix of power leased from CEFX and QNS&L.  At Arnaud Junction, the ore is transferred to Wabush Lake Railway's sister company, Chemin de fer Arnaud (Arnaud Railway), for the final journey to ship loading facilities at nearby Pointe-Noire, Quebec.

In 2010, Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines opened the Bloom Lake Mine, just west of Labrador City, Newfoundland, and the Bloom Lake Railway to transport iron ore from the mine to a connection with the Wabush Lake Railway. The Wabush Lake Railway began acting as a middle man, taking the Bloom Lake Railway trains, and transporting them to Wabush Junction for the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNS&L) to transport to the Chemin de fer Arnaud just as they would Wabush trains. The Arnaud then takes the trains to the Consolidated Thompson's dock at Pointe-Noire, Quebec. Consolidated Thompson has since been purchased by Cliffs Natural Resources.

In 2011, Genesee & Wyoming began control of operations on behalf of the owners under the name WLRS. The new operation encompasses the Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, and Wabush Lake Railway.

This railway (along with the Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, QNSX, and Tshiuetin Rail Transportation line) forms an isolated railroad network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American network.

References

External links

Newfoundland and Labrador railways
Industrial railways in Canada
Railway lines opened in 1963
Companies based in Newfoundland and Labrador

Wabush Lake Railway


Craignethan Castle is a ruined castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located above the River Nethan, a tributary of the River Clyde, at . The castle is two miles west of the village of Crossford, and 4.5 miles north-west of Lanark. Built in the first half of the 16th century, Craignethan is recognised as an excellent early example of a sophisticated artillery fortification, although its defences were never fully tested.

History
The barony of Draffane, in which Craignethan was located, was a property of the Black Douglases until their forfeiture in 1455. The land was granted to the Hamilton family, and in 1530 was given by James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran to his illegitimate son James Hamilton of Finnart.

James Hamilton of Finnart had travelled in Europe, and had become an accomplished architect and military engineer. Appointed Kings Master of Works, he was responsible for the defences at Blackness Castle, as well as the renaissance facades of Linlithgow Palace. At Craignethan, he set out to build a "showcase" to display his talents in both domestic and military architecture.

Despite his earlier Royal favour, Hamilton was executed for treason in 1540, and his properties were forfeit to the crown. James V installed a garrison at Craignethan led by James and David Orrok. Silverwork from the chapel was taken to Edinburgh and engraved by John Mosman with the arms of the king's infant eldest son, James, Duke of Rothesay. James V sent his clock maker William Purves to Craignethan to dismantle Finnart's clock and take it to Edinburgh.

The Hamilton family, in the person of the 2nd Earl of Arran, regained Craignethan Castle two years later. The second earl added a large outer courtyard to the west of the castle. Arran, who became Duc de Châtellerault following Mary, Queen of Scots' marriage to the French Dauphin, served as regent in her infancy. However, he later opposed Mary's second marriage to Lord Darnley, and was forced to surrender his castles at Craignethan and Cadzow. He went into exile at Newcastle in England, and had surrendered Hamilton by the end of November 1565, when he promised to put Craignethan in the queen's hands. Several members of the family and their retainers (including Thomas Broun of Draffen) were forgiven on 2 January 1566 for holding the castles of "Hammiltoun and Draffen", despite the royal order.

The situation was reversed once more following Mary's abdication, when Arran aided her escape from Loch Leven Castle, and regained his castles. Mary came to Craignethan for safety. Arran's son, Lord Claud Hamilton, is said to have entertained Mary at Craignethan on the night before the Battle of Langside in 1568. The battle, at which the Hamiltons fought the forces of Regent Moray, ended in defeat, and Mary was forced to flee to England. Craignethan and Cadzow were surrendered again, Moray came in person to the castle to receive the keys on 15 May 1568. Lord Claud attempted to recover the castle by force in October, and his brother Lord John began to starve out Moray's soldiers in November. The Hamiltons regained the castle by March.

Feuding continued between the Hamiltons and the opponents of Mary. In 1570, Moray was shot in Linlithgow by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh. After an English army assisting in the Marian civil war went to Glasgow in May 1570 the Hamiltons withdrew to Craignethan, and the Earl of Sussex was informed of Craignethan's defensive shortcomings;"Draffin, a strong house of the Duke's, but situate in a hole, so that it is commanded on every part, and has no ordnance." In the same month Lord Sempill now a King's man was captured and imprisoned in the castle. In August, the English ambassador in Scotland, Thomas Randolph heard that Regent Lennox was hoping to get the Hamiltons out of their "den of Draffen". Lennox planned to go to Clydesdale with the Earls of Mar and Glencairn, and Lord Ochiltree, bringing artillery from Stirling Castle. This expedition was postponed. There were allegations that the Craignethan garrison had destroyed crops and produce on lands of Lemphlair and Braidwood belonging to the Lairds of Cunninghamhead and Glenbervie, and captured Lord Sempill.

Surrender and slighting in 1579
A treaty was signed between the King and Queen's parties in 1573, but by 1579 the Hamiltons were outlawed, and Lord Claud fled to France. The pretext was the killings of Regent Moray and Regent Lennox, and the Hamilton family prepared Hamilton, "Draffan", and Paisley for defence. Levies of troops were raised to capture Craignethan and Cadzow. By 15 May, the royal artillery was approaching, and the garrisons of Hamilton and Craignethan offered to surrender on terms. The king's forces refused. The "House of Hamilton" surrendered on 19 May. The garrison of Craignethan abandoned the castle in the night.

According to David Moysie, Craignethan surrendered to government forces on 18 May 1579, and Cadzow on the next day. Claud's older brother the 3rd Earl of Arran, who had been confined at Craignethan since 1575, their younger brother David, and mother were captured and taken to Linlithgow. Six soldiers of the Hamilton family who had defended the Hamilton strongholds were taken to stand trial for Moray's murder at Stirling.

By royal authority, Craignethan was slighted by "young Sir James Hamilton of Libberton". This involved the demolition of the north-west tower and the massive west wall, the 'inner barmkin', which was tumbled into the ditch, rendering the castle relatively defenceless. On 1 July 1592 Lord John Hamilton captured Archibald Wauchope of Niddrie with other rebel followers of the Earl of Bothwell at the meadow of Lesmahagow and imprisoned them in the castle. James VI sent Sir John Carmichael, captain of the royal guard, to collect the prisoners, but one of Hamilton's sons released them.

Later years
Craignethan was regained by the Hamiltons, but was sold by Duchess Anne in 1659. The new owner, Andrew Hay, a covenanting laird, built himself a two-storey house in the south-west corner of the outer courtyard. In 1730 Craignethan was sold to Archibald Douglas, Duke of Douglas. The property passed to his supposed collateral descendants, the Earls of Home, and the ruins were stabilised by the 12th earl in the late 19th century. The property was given into state care by the 14th Earl in 1949, and is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

Architecture
Craignethan is built on an imposing site above a bend in the River Nethan. Steep slopes protect the castle on the south, north and east sides, but the castle is actually overlooked by higher ground to the west, making it far more vulnerable than it appears. Craignethan's defences are therefore concentrated towards the west. The castle comprises a low central keep, within a rectangular walled courtyard. To the west is a deep ditch and beyond, a larger outer courtyard. Iain MacIvor writes that "Craignethan was the last private castle of high defensive capability built de novo in Scotland", comparing it to the contemporary remodelings undertaken at Blackness Castle and Tantallon Castle.

Keep
The rectangular keep measures 21m by 16m, and was originally of two storeys plus an attic. Attic and roof are now gone, but the walls are complete up to decorative corbels which supported a parapet walk. Round bartizans top each corner, and machicolations guard the door. Inside, the keep differs from the usual tower house layout in several ways. The entrance leads into a large stair lobby on the main hall floor, which was more commonly located on the first floor. Below this level are subterranean vaulted cellars containing four rooms, a prison, and a well. Access was from the main entrance lobby or direct from the kitchen.

The keep is divided internally by a wall running west to east. South of this wall on the ground floor is the hall, measuring 6m by 12m. The hall was accessed from the entrance lobby to the west, and was lit by three large windows. A fireplace stood in the internal wall, and a minstrel's gallery overlooks from the west wall. The hall ceiling was a stone vault, and the room fills the whole height of the keep. North of the internal wall was the kitchen, and a private room. Above these, within the height of the keep, were two additional rooms accessed from below. Another four rooms were located in the attic. The roof was a double gable, the central valley supported by the internal wall.

Inner courtyard
The inner courtyard measures , with walls strengthened by rectangular towers at each corner. The entrance was via a dog-leg passage through a gate tower midway along the north wall. The west wall was designed to stand up to artillery bombardment, and was up to 5m thick. It was destroyed in the late 16th century, and only the foundations remain. It is thought that the west wall was as high as the relatively low keep, and that this arrangement would have protected the keep from bombardment from the higher ground to the west.

Of the towers, the south-east was the largest, and is the only one still standing. Known as the "Kitchen Tower", it may in fact have housed the chapel. It is of three storeys, the lowest a subterranean vaulted chamber. Gunloops in the upper parts overlook the eastern approaches to the castle. Each of the four towers had space for storage and service areas, as well as additional accommodation for guests.

The defences of the original castle were completed by a ditch, 3.5m deep and 9m wide, at the base of the west wall. This ditch, originally crossed via a drawbridge, was filled in when the castle was slighted, and not re-excavated until the 1960s. In the base of the ditch a caponier was uncovered, a highly unusual feature in a Scottish castle. The caponier was accessed from the south-west tower, and comprised an enclosed tunnel with gunports overlooking the ditch, allowing the defenders to fire on any attackers attempting to cross or bridge the ditch. The only other known surviving caponiers in Scotland are at Blackness Castle, also designed by James Hamilton of Finnart, and a later example by Theodore Dury at Stirling Castle.

Outer court
The outer court was less heavily defended than the inner, and was added in the 1540s by the 2nd Earl of Arran. The court would have had service buildings around the perimeter, and possible gardens at the centre. There are towers at the two western corners, the north-west including a dovecot. The south-west tower was incorporated into Andrew Hay's House, the two storey dwelling built here by Andrew Hay in 1665. Gunloops are located along the west wall, which contains the main gate halfway along.

Walter Scott
In the Autumn of 1799 Walter Scott visited Bothwell Castle as a guest of Archibald Lord Douglas, and on a morning excursion to Craignethan Castle was so enraptured by the scene that his hosts offered him lifetime use of Andrew Hay's dwelling. He did not immediately turn this option down, but later circumstances prevented him from making this area his summer residence.

Scott's novel Old Mortality, published in 1816, was largely set in and around Tillietudlem Castle. Chapter XI describes the location: "All heads were now bent from the battlements of the turret, which commanded a distant prospect down the vale of the river. The Tower of Tillietudlem stood, or perhaps yet stands, upon the angle of a very precipitous bank, formed by the junction of a considerable brook with the Clyde." In June 1829 he wrote to his friend James Skene, who was preparing etchings to illustrate Scott's books, "I did not think on Craignethan in writing about Tillietudlem, and I believe it differs in several respects from my Chateau en Espagne. It is not on the Clyde in particular, and, if I recollect, the view is limited and wooded. But that can be no objection to adopting it as that which public taste has adopted as coming nearest to the ideal of the place." In the revised Magnum Edition of Old Mortality, published in 1830, Scott added a footnote: "The Castle of Tillietudlem is imaginary; but the ruins of Craignethan Castle, situated on the Nethan, about three miles from its junction with the Clyde, have something of the character of the description in the text". In September 1834 Scott's son in law John Gibson Lockhart took the artist J. M. W. Turner to visit Craignethan. Turner made a sketch of the castle from the north, seen across the Nethan Gorge, then made several drawings in and around the ruins.

Due to the association with Scott's novel, Craignethan castle became a popular place to visit. In 1876 Tillietudlem railway station was constructed on the Coalburn Branch of the nearby Caledonian Railway line. An 1880 tour guide description of an excursion "To the Falls of Clyde, Tillietudlem Castle, &c," says the station "is but a short walk from the castle". A small group of houses were constructed on the road past the station, as Fence Terrace, and this subsequently became the hamlet of Tillietudlem.

Notes

References
Coventry, Martin The Castles of Scotland (3rd Edition), Goblinshead, 2001
Lindsay, Maurice The Castles of Scotland, Constable & Co. 1986
McKean, Charles, 'The Castle of the Bastard of Arran', PSAS, vol. 125, (1995), 1069-1090
MacIvor, Iain, 'Craignethan Castle', in Apted, Gilyard-Beer & Saunders ed., Ancient Monuments and their Interpretation, Phillimore (1977), 239-261.
Mason, Gordon The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde, Goblinshead, 2000
Salter, Mike The Castles of South West Scotland, Folly Publications, 1993
Tabraham, Chris ''Scotland's Castles, BT Batsford/Historic Scotland, 1997

External links

Craignethan Castle - Gazetteer for Scotland

Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century
Castles in South Lanarkshire
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in South Lanarkshire
Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland
Ruined castles in Scotland
16th-century architecture in the United Kingdom

Craignethan Castle


Gorna Orawa (Slovak: Horná Orava), is northern part of the historical region of Orava (Slovakia), with the capital in Trstená. In the interbellum period, reborn Poland and newly created Czechoslovakia wanted to gain control over this province and by the decision of the Western Powers, it became part of Czechoslovakia. In November 1938, Poland claimed a few villages in Gorna Orawa, inhabited mostly by Slovaks (without the town of Trstena). The villages were captured back by Slovakia in September 1939 (see: Polish September Campaign), and have been part of Slovakia since then.

Sources

Geography of Slovakia
Regions of Slovakia

Górna Orawa