Shelf Life: May 25

Goreyana: The Curse of the Blue Figurine
The Goreyana blog moves ahead several squares to discuss Edward Gorey’s artwork in The Curse of the Blue Figurine, which established the beloved format of wraparound dust-jackets in color and black-and-white frontispieces.

Stone Cold Crazy
In the novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell there is a wonderful passage in which the statues in York Minster Cathedral are brought to life by magic and begin to speak. The “Into My Own” blog speculates what the “statues and figures that can be seen in Edinburgh” might be pontificating about.

And this Irving Finkel, mentioned in the article in regard to the Lewis Chessmen? He’s real...though probably not Edward Gorey’s doppelganger, this inspired curio of the British Museum (“an Assyriologist specializing in Mesopotamian magic and medicine...also interested in the history of board games throughout the world...”) reminded of us of Murgatroyd Freel, the man ran-afoul by Professor Childermass’ temper.

Links:
britishmuseum.org
time.com
photo at flickr

Science Fiction and Fantasy Ethics
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Ethics blog goes live June 1st, with contributors Tony Ballantyne, Eric Brown, James Lovegrove, Jeffrey Thomas, and many others. Their mission is to “celebrate everything positive, funky and exciting in the Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Universe!”

A most massively useful thing
Oh...and it's Towel Day, by the way. Share and...oh, never mind.