1. Iron gall ink was the primary ink in use for writing and art up until the 19th century. Requiring high tannic acid vegetable sources in order to precipitate the reaction with iron sulfate, oak and wine were often used to make the ink. The the resulting ink was acidic, not very stable and would most likely speed up the break down of the paper it was written on.
2. I did find a real Grimshaw. Beatrice Ethel Grimshaw was a travel writer, adventuress, and novelist who eventually settled in New South Wales, Australia. Another excellent site on Grimshaw here.
3. C. S. Lewis was a member of the Inklings, a loose collective of writers and intellectuals.
4. The cover for Hesse's Siddhartha (1st English translation, I think) bears a striking resemblance to SOT's cover as does one of the editions of The Glass Bead Game.
5. Still looking for the Lenten reading reference advertisement and not having much luck, but I have found a potential candidate, although I am not completely convinced.
6. Aesop's Fables, The Peacock and the Magpie
"The Birds once met together to choose a king; and, among others, the Peacock was a candidate. Spreading his showy tail, and stalking up and down with affected grandeur, he caught the eyes of the silly multitude by his brilliant appearance, and was elected with acclamation. The Magpie then stepped forth into the midst of the assembly, and thus addressed the new king: "May it please your majesty, elect to permit a humble admirer to propose a question. As our king, we put our lives and fortunes in your hands. If, therefore, the Eagle, the Vulture, and the Kite, should make a descent upon us, what means would you take for our defense?" This pithy question opened the eyes of the Birds to the weakness of their choice and they canceled the election."(8/9/14 edited for grammar and tags added)
