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"Someone should write a book on the ' marginalia' of Henry Harrisse, for ... he was especially zealous in filling the blank spaces of his books with manuscript memoranda of just what he thought of the author." — Randolph Greenfield Adams, Three Americanists, 1939, p. 28.
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Anonymous wrote:
Including his own books. Harrisse's personal copies of his own publications are filled with enough marginalia for second editions. Just look at his personal copy of Notes on Columbus for instance.
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We question the premature apostrophe in a banner made in honor of the recently incarcerated singer/songwriter Boy George. In the purple ribbon, the apostrophe appositely hovers between the O and the Dowd, but the mark skips ahead one place in the initials (perhaps to indicate hopes for an early release from prison). Does the unexpected period between the O and D subliminally suggest an abbreviation for "overdose," as drugs figured into the charges? In any case, here's a " get out of jail free" card for you, Boy George. |
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INSTRUCTIONS: Click on the puzzle image below to reveal the solution! 
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Here's the latest review of our lavish tribute to the ampersand: And You Thought You Knew About the "and" Symbol! Quirky lexiconographer and language fanatic Craig Conley pays homage to the oft-forgotten and overlooked symbol of the word "and", the lowly ampersand, in his entertaining and fascinating book Ampersand. Filled with quotes, hilarious illustrations, historical tidbits, poetic usage and literary theory, Ampersand fills a gap in a true bibliophile's library--you know, the hole where utterly original, unusual and arguably trivial books are supposed to go. About the sinuous ampersand, did you know that?: * Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott's epic poem "Omeros" features an ampersand-shaped rectal thermometer in Hell * The ampersand is the "single feature most useful to examine first when looking for writers' handwriting idiosyncrasies, or when comparing two examples of writing to check whether they are in the same hand" (Peter Beal, A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology) * In his poem "Meditation Celestial & Terrestrial", Wallace Stevens links heaven and earth with an ampersand * The ampersand was the first ligature to win the game of Twister * In olden times, children learning to write their alphabets would always end with the ampersand Funny, absorbing and informative, Ampersand is a 93-page book that belongs on the shelf of everyone who loves etymology and curious tomes. And it's a safe bet that Ampersand would be a great gift for book lovers, too, since it's the only book (that I'm aware of) that is devoted entirely to &. All hail the ampersand! — Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book |
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| * A manual for typographers published in 1917 acknowledged that there are many beautiful forms of the ampersand, yet it forbade their use in "ordinary book work." Extraordinary books are another matter. Our lavishly illustrated Ampersand opus explores the history and pictography of the most common coordinating conjunction. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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| * Ellipses don’t merely omit superfluous words or mark pauses. Far from
it! In an astonishing number of cases, the ellipses illustrate a
narrative, inviting the reader to “connect the dots.” Learn more about Annotated Ellipses at Amazon.com. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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Certainty #40: "The only certainty is that our best guesses are utterly inadequate to the reality we strive to define." —Horace J. Bridges, in his introduction to In Prase of Folly by Erasmus. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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Our thesaurus widget offered quite a surprising definition for procreate. (See screenshot below.) The "biological imperative to procrastinate" sounds more like prophylaxis, eh? [Thanks to SPOGG for picking up this item!] |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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Looks like the artist for a new British release of My Dinner with Andre misread "dinner" as "diner." There's certainly no "Soup of the Day" sign at the swanky restaurant in the film! And that coat check lady looks as thin as a rail! |
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From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:
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Printed collections of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams are available: Volume I from Mindful Greetings and Volumes II, III and IV from Amazon. Selected posters are also available via Zazzle. |
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From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:
Dedicated to Jonathan Caws-Elwitt. --- Gary Barwin writes: I always have thought of punctuation as the most mystical of writing. More mysterious than words, punctuation points to the interstices between words, to the secret passages between things, to structure and breath, the kings of incense and smoke in the hidden chamber.
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Printed collections of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams are available: Volume I from Mindful Greetings and Volumes II, III and IV from Amazon. Selected posters are also available via Zazzle. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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"Like the sound of water readying to boil were the whispers of his voice." — Norman Mailer, Ancient Evenings (And what a masterpiece!)
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* The most profound secrets lie not wholly in knowledge, said the poet. They lurk invisible in that vitalizing spark, intangible, yet as evident as the lightning—the seeker's soul. Solitary digging for facts can reward one with great discoveries, but true secrets are not discovered—they are shared, passed on in confidence from one to another. The genuine seeker listens attentively. No secret can be transcribed, save in code, lest it—by definition—cease to be. This Book of Whispers collects and encodes more than one hundred of humankind's most cherished secrets. To be privy to the topics alone is a supreme achievement, as each contains and nurtures the seed of its hidden truth. As possessor and thereby guardian of this knowledge, may you summon the courage to honor its secrets and to bequeath it to one worthy. |
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| Puzzles and Games :: Which is Funnier |
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 What is funnier than the sudden escape of the exact truth of any situation?
Clue: This is according to essayist Northrop Frye
Answer: Nothing. (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)
Citation: Northrop Frye, The Eternal Act of Creation: Essays, 1979-90 (1993), p. 31.
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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People often view eclipses through protective lenses. But did you know that the sun views eclipses similarly?
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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 Jeff writes: Yes, but what happened to pomp? Does anyone remember pomp? I certainly don't.
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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(Thanks to Fred for suggesting today's Fine Line!)
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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INSTRUCTIONS: Click on the puzzle image below to reveal the solution! 
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| Puzzles and Games :: Which is Funnier |
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Which is funnier: the New York Times or Mad Magazine?
Clue: This is according to political analysist George Thayer.
Answer: New York Times. “How the New York Times’ Straight Approach to the News is Funnier than Mad Magazine’s Self-conscious Approach to Boffo Laughs.” (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)
Citation: George Thayer, The Farther Shores of Politics (1967), p. 434.
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| * Ellipses don’t merely omit superfluous words or mark pauses. Far from
it! In an astonishing number of cases, the ellipses illustrate a
narrative, inviting the reader to “connect the dots.” Learn more about Annotated Ellipses at Amazon.com. |
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"I rather enjoy that sense of bewilderment a novel gives you when you start reading it, but if the first effect is fog, I'm afraid the moment the fog lifts my pleasure in reading will be lost, too." — Italo Calvino, If On a Winter's Night a Traveler (Why not mention again how marvelous this book is?!)
"The Ancient Irish Epic Tale," created by stephanie.
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:
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Printed collections of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams are available: Volume I from Mindful Greetings and Volumes II, III and IV from Amazon. Selected posters are also available via Zazzle. |
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From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:
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Printed collections of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams are available: Volume I from Mindful Greetings and Volumes II, III and IV from Amazon. Selected posters are also available via Zazzle. |
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| I Found a Penny Today, So Here's a Thought |
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| Puzzles and Games :: Which is Funnier |
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Which type of insult is funnier: ironic or literal?
Clue: This is according to psychologist Rod A. Martin
Answer: ironic (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)
Citation: Rod A. Martin, The Psychology of Humor (2007), p. 246.
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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Certainty #38:
"The single certainty is that, whatever the outcome, the need for sound, responsive, and responsible management will continue to grow."
—College and University Business Administration, 1974
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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"To speak is to offend the power of silence." — Norman Mailer, Ancient Evenings (Highly recommended, if you'll pardon our repetition!)
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* The most profound secrets lie not wholly in knowledge, said the poet. They lurk invisible in that vitalizing spark, intangible, yet as evident as the lightning—the seeker's soul. Solitary digging for facts can reward one with great discoveries, but true secrets are not discovered—they are shared, passed on in confidence from one to another. The genuine seeker listens attentively. No secret can be transcribed, save in code, lest it—by definition—cease to be. This Book of Whispers collects and encodes more than one hundred of humankind's most cherished secrets. To be privy to the topics alone is a supreme achievement, as each contains and nurtures the seed of its hidden truth. As possessor and thereby guardian of this knowledge, may you summon the courage to honor its secrets and to bequeath it to one worthy. |
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From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:
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Printed collections of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams are available: Volume I from Mindful Greetings and Volumes II, III and IV from Amazon. Selected posters are also available via Zazzle. |
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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White roses and red roses: those were beautiful colours to think of. . . . Lavender and cream and pink roses were beautiful to think of. Perhaps a wild rose might be like those colours and he remembered the song about the wild rose blossoms on the little green place. But you could not have a green rose. But perhaps somewhere in the world you could.
—James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1916.
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* Though printed in black and white, great literature is bursting with vibrant colour. In this rebus-style puzzle, color words and parts of words have been replaced with colored boxes. Try to guess the exact hue of each. Roll your mouse over the colored boxes to reveal the missing words. Click the colored boxes to learn more about each hue. Special thanks to Paul Dean for his colorful research.
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From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:
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Printed collections of Forgotten Wisdom diagrams are available: Volume I from Mindful Greetings and Volumes II, III and IV from Amazon. Selected posters are also available via Zazzle. |
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| Puzzles and Games :: Which is Funnier |
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Which word is funnier: foot or toes?
Clue: This is according to the book Drawing on the Funny Side of the Brain
Answer: Toes, as it sounds “slightly gross.” (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)
Citation: Christopher Hart, Drawing on the Funny Side of the Brain (1998), p. 107
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| A printed collection of A Fine Line Between... is now available from Amazon.com. |
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"The ampersand dreams. Mother & child, the primordial &, a mother’s arms around her child, the Mobius umbilical, the inside out, the turning a portrait of itself, the between one thing and another, the and other connected, the hand and its other, the breath and its shadow, the shadow's curl, the ampersand." — Gary Barwin |
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William Burroughs on fear: "Never fight fear head-on. ... Let it in and look at it. What shape is it? What color? Let it wash through you. Move back and hang on. Pretend it isn't there. Get trivial. ... There are many ways to distance yourself from fear. Keep silence and let fear talk. You will see it by what it does. Death doesn't like to be seen that close. Death must always elicit surprised recognition: 'You!' The last person you expected to see, and at the same time, who else? When de Gaulle, after an unsuccessful machine-gun attack on his car, brushed splintered glass off his shoulder and said, 'Encore!,' Death couldn't touch him." — The Western Lands
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Original Content Copyright © 2025 by Craig Conley. All rights reserved.
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![Yongzing went on, '[Something, something something] Buddha [something, something] Buddhism. (From Matthew Polly, American Shaolin, 2007)](/assets/Something/Buddhism-2.gif)
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