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.
An illustration from a 1913 issue of Metropolitan magazine. The caption reads: "No voice nor ticking clock nor cat with velvet entrance relieved the abysmal silence of the gaping door."
Pictured below: "Bringing in the Lump of Coal," from a 1918 issue of Life magazine.
If you got a lump of coal for Christmas, here's how to change it — one letter at a time — into the "Jelly of the Month Club" (the gift that keeps on giving):
Out of context, it appears that everyone is expecting the man with a beard and turban to initiate contact with the Beyond. The caption reads: "Why not try the long-distance telephone?" This fakir's no faker! From The Saturday Evening Post, 1911.
Staring into the depths: an illustration from a 1913 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. The caption reads: "Gazing at a lighted candle through a paper cone."
The secret of long-distance communication is revealed in this illustration from a 1913 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. The caption reads: "Fairy magic—telephone reality."