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.
We love how the presenter of these stories by the ghost of O. Henry handles any skeptical readers. We've reproduced about half of the preface, but it's all delightful. From My Tussle With the Devil by O. Henry's Ghost [via a Ouija board], 1918.
Unlike this previous image, here is someone expelling from his heart the sins of pride (the peacock), unchastity (the goat), gluttony (the hog), avarice (the toad), envy (the snake), anger (the tiger) and indolence (the tortoise). From The Heart of Man by Johannes Gossner, 1851.
"The judgment of the arch-enemy, Satan." From Satan, His Origin, Work, and Destiny by Carlyle B. Haynes, 1920. Speaking of which, what exactly are a snowball's chances in hell? See A Snowball's Chance in Hell.