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.
5 STARS ARE NOT ENOUGH. I cherish this book. It's wonderful -- quite literally, 'full of wonders'. Although it purports to reveal the secrets of 'chicken whispering' and does, it goes a great deal further than that. Those fortunate enough to have gallinaceous companions will gain much from a thoughtful reading. So will anyone else who seeks to enhance their kinship with other living creatures, humans included. The deepest and most precious secret to achieving that end is the development of an empathic connection, a process which Mr. Conley details in a manner both concise and poetic. I wish I could give him at least ten stars in return for the joy his work has given me. Like all great authors, he is a heart whisperer. —Natasha K.