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.
Just as weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them, deceased persons will open up to a good listener. Ask questions that are simple but open-ended. Resist the urge to overshare. And learn the difference between friendliness and flirtation. From Unknown, 1941.
With the quill dipped in blood, the incredibly long serpent, the see-through cloak, and the radiant halo, this one is truly jaw-dropping (see the third skull at the top). From State Female Normal School, Farmville, Va.'s 1900 yearbook. Explanations: How to Hoodoo Hack a Yearbook.
There's an ironic subliminal message in this book cover — the middle of the word "exposed," "pos," is highlghted by the box behind it, suggesting "positive." Spirit Rapping Exposed by John Henry Anderson, 1860. See Seance Parlor Feng Shui.
"I'll see, at midnight, what these omens mean; / And call on those prophetic spirits who / Attend on death, and darkness, to reveal / What is to happen." From Stuart Alexander's Saul, King of Israel, 1843.