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 1911 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. The caption reads: "The ceremony of 'Berrying' the Ghost. Observe the berries in the children's hands."
It's been said that like a poet, a golfer is born and not made. It may all boil down to a baby's affiliation with fairies. The illustration is from Punch, 1892.
"Why I believe in telepathy": an illustration from a 1912 issue of Hampton's magazine. The caption reads: "While I was praying, I saw, hovering above my head, some gold circles."
An illustration from a 1910 issue of Hampton's magazine. The caption reads: "Luminous waves rolled toward me, covered with the faces of the dead. I saw blue eyes all around the room."