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.
"Grandmother, what a big drum you have!" Sarah Bernhardt as the Big Bad Wolf impersonating Little Red Riding Hood's gradmother? From Lustige Blätter, 1902.
You've heard musicians hem and haw over how their music gets inspired. Sometimes there's good reason for their caginess. From Lumières Dans la Nuit, 1980.
The demon increased in statue and sparkled and glowed more brilliantly than ever. From The Master Key by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by F. Y. Cory, 1901.