CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
"Weird winged crocodile at the Devil Worshippers' Wedding. As described in the strange publication which is exciting Europe, a spirit woman turned into this grotesque monster and 'played the piano, casting expressive glances at one of the young women.'" Illustration by E.G. Lutz in The World newspaper, December 27, 1896. Via the Tenth Letter of the Alphabet.
Here's a precursor to Maurice Sendak's Alligators All Around. It's the insignia of the Calcutta Pococurante Society, courtesy of West Bengal Public Library Network.