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 1914 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. The caption reads: "His head fell against the rose-patterned carpet of the lodging-house room. Diana, raising her arched neck, calmly stared at something beyond the wall of the room."
"A Transfusion of Souls": an illustration from an 1890 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine. The caption reads: "We seated ourselves by the table facing each other, and clasped our right hands together."This should be of interest:Seance Parlor Feng Shui.
"Mad Impulse": an illustration from an 1876 issue of Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours magazine. The caption reads: "My assault was so sudden, that, without even a cry, he tottered, threw up his arms, and the next instant the place that had known him was empty."
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."