Researching Laughlin Hall

The fourth in an occasional series about where John Bellairs lived during his time in Chicago.

A couple of years ago, one of John Bellairs's friends, the late Bernie Markwell, sent us some notes about meeting John for the first time four decades ago in Chicago. His notes were somewhat sparse and he indicated he would send more. He never did, he never will, and so we're stuck with what we have. 

Markwell said he first met John in the fall of 1960 when he "moved to Laughlin Hall (now destroyed) to get more work done."  He also said a few years later Bellairs would eventually live in the building as well. It is unknown if he lived here before or after his tenure in Minnesota - that is, before fall 1964 or after spring 1965.

Oh Come Hither, Harry!

A few lines composed inside Bellairsia HQ:

A tip of the hat to the author
for creating that mythical force,
a spellbinding sense of wonder,
derived from staying your course.
Yes, the mystery’s finally over,
the secret’s been spilt from your pen.
Much praise for getting those children
Back to the library again.
And we laud the legions of readers,
who we hope don’t end up and weep,
but you’ve got the whole stinkin’ weekend -
so go home and go get some sleep!

Review: Figure "Another Delightfully Creepy Tale"

Book review: The Figure in the Shadows

Wit! Whither Wander You?

Now you can set out on your own and see the world of John Bellairs without even leaving your house. Wanderlust is the beginning of a new map-plotting project that will identify the locations and inspirations found in the books by John Bellairs and those continued by Brad Strickland. Become an armchair cartographer as you visit distant points in England and Germany, as well as those sights from Bellairs’s backyard in Marshall and Massachusetts.

17th Annual Welcome to My Garden Tour

The Marshall Area Garden Club prepares for their 17th annual Welcome To My Garden Tour later this month, showcasing some of the Marshall area’s private and public landscaped gardens. For more information visit the Marshall Chamber of Commerce.

When: July 14-15; 10:00 to 4:00 (rain or shine)

A Riveting Collection of Bridges

The Calhoun County Road Commission and the Parks Trustees Board will be holding its annual "Living History Demonstration" at the Historic Bridge Park on the Kalamazoo River in Emmett Township this coming Saturday. The event will include demonstrations of industrial building techniques such as forge welding and black-smithing.

Peculiarities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Happy Summer Solstice, northern hemisphere! If you’re on the road for a vacation this summer and are heading to the Upper Peninsula of Bellairs's home state and want to wowed by some wackiness, be sure to stop by the Weird Michigan Wax Museum. Opening this June, it is owned by Dan McCarthy, who also operates the nearby St. Ignace Mystery Spot, according to roadsideamerica.com.

A Journey to John

We’ve heard some great stories of young people (and some probably a bit older) writing John Bellairs, who would usually write back and include one of his drawings. Or calling John on the telephone, and talking with him after a speaking engagement at a library or convention.

It was a Pleasure to Burn

I guess we missed the news about this "celebration." Kansas City bookstore owner Tom Wayne couldn't find anyone to buy the excess books from his store so he set out to get rid of them the only way he knew how - burning them.

First Edition Potter Worth $14K

I have a feeling all of my First Edition Bellairs collection wouldn't be worth this much. Scratch that – it wouldn't be worth that much money, but you can't buy these memories.  Does that sound sappy enough for this early in the morning?

A first edition of the debut Harry Potter novel by J.K. Rowling is expected to sell for up to 7,000 pounds (10,300 euros, 13,950 dollars) at an auction in London on June 26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first in the series about the young wizard, will be sold by the auction house Bonhams. Between 500 and 1,000 copies of the first edition of that novel were published in 1997, signaling the beginning of one of the biggest successes in publishing history.

On Being a Plain Jane

Cecil Castellucci acts more like a 15-year-old boy than a 37-year-old woman. And she makes no apologies.  And this article about her first graphic novel (June 5, 2007) reminds me more of Rose Rita Pottinger.

Spreading Michiganess

From time to time we like to share some of what we get in our inbox (you know, printable stuff - not news of our winning the Kiribati lottery or stuff like that). A note over the weekend was from an Instructional Technologist at Kalamazoo RESA. Haven’t you always wondered what Instructional Technologists do?

Bellairs the English Instructor

Before there was “John Bellairs the author” there was “Bellairs the English instructor,” a quick-witted, intelligent young man, fresh from college and starting out in his chosen profession (maybe like a young Roderick Childermass). After John returned from England in 1968 he chose to reside in the New England area and would teach English for a few years at Emmanuel (1968-69) and Merrimack (1969-71) colleges. With such tenures on both campuses it has been difficult establishing contact with any student or faculty member who remembers John. If you were associated with either institution during the time periods mentioned as a teaching colleague or student (and the name "Bellairs" rings the right bells with you) we'd love to hear from you.

Potter Deemed Readable in Georgia

A judge in Georgia will allow the adventures of Harry Potter to be read in Gwinnett County school libraries despite objections from parents who feel the books and character promote witchcraft.  Read on, if you dare.

A Look Back: the University of Notre Dame, 1956-57

Call us enthusiasts yet again for tracking down a copy of the 1956-57 Dome, the University of Notre Dame yearbook. We’ve thumbed through the thing and found a few items of interest, which we’ve highlighted below - plus with added commentary.