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 changed the color of this book cover to green so that the lucky cat will bring you money. From The Lucky Cat by Frances and Richard Lockridge and illustrated by Zhenya Gay.
Takarabune, the treasure ship piloted through the heavens by the Seven Lucky Gods during the first three days of the Japanese New Year. From Rockford's 1929 yearbook.
Few people have heard of the tiny sea creature called the "ploshkin." A web search for "ploshkin betty wales" will reveal all, as will this fashion history blog post about it. From Chowan's 1917 yearbook.
This book failed to prove that Friday the 13th and broken mirrors aren't unlucky. We remain unconvinced that old superstitions are useless. From The Business of Life by A. B. ZuTavern and A. E. Bullock and illustrated by Leo Thiele, 1936.
Not only is this penny (in paper money form) lucky, but its luck is tripled by those two etceteras following it. Because you just found this, the luck is yours. From The Lucky Penny by Anna Maria Hall, 1858.
Speaking of lucky pennies, can you guess how many rare coins cascaded out of the vintage weight scale I acquired? The surprising details are revealed in this video, along with some mind-bending esoteric secrets of copper pennies.