Review: Letter "Harrowing Moments Towards The End"

Book review: The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring

Review: Figure "Builds Tension Nicely And Draws The Reader Into The Action"

Book review: The Figure in the Shadows

Review: House "A Quick Read...I Found Myself Rooting For Lewis"

Book review: The House with a Clock in its Walls

What's What: Gutenberg Bible

Lewis Barnavelt finds a copy of this volume in his cousin’s library and believes, if sold, it would bring in a lot of money [The Vengeance of the Witch-finder; 127].

What’s What: Apostle Spoon

A wraith of Father Thomas Higgins leaves Johnny with this utensil, whose handle features St. Thomas, as a clue to the priest's whereabouts [The Secret of the Underground Room; 29].

Staging "Twelfth Night"

The third in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

BiblioFile: The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn (Bantam, 1980)

We’ve carried a lot of love for the Bantam Skylark paperback editions from the 1980s because that’s how a lot of fans first discovered John’s books. (Yeah, some of you had public or school libraries with the original Dial hardcovers on their shelves and you got the full Bellairs and Gorey experience....) In a word, the Bantams are colorful nostalgia trips that bring back lots of memories. (Never mind that “colorful nostalgia trips” may conjure thoughts of the 1960s…let us not be silly.)

Writing “Realistic” Magic

Ned Hayes is the author of two novels — Coeur d’Alene Waters, set in the Pacific Northwest — and Sinful Folk, a best-selling novel set in the Middle Ages. His newest project is a science-fiction novel about the War on Terror.

Edward Gorey Documentary Project

Filmmaker Christopher Seufert is raising funds for The Edward Gorey Documentary Project at KickStarter, a feature length documentary about the late illustrator and shot with his encouragement from 1996 to his death in April, 2000.

Who's Who: Seth Thomas

Finnick’s Clock Museum in Vinalhaven boasts a number of varieties of clocks and timepieces, including some by this well-known clockmaker [The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull; 103].

Open Road Acquires E-Reads

Publishers Weekly has more on Open Road Integrated Media's somewhat-recent acquisition of e-Reads, the electronic book company founded in 1999 by literary agent Richard Curtis:

Interview: Quentin Dodd

Not too long ago we came across Snake Year Press and recognized this as being a reference to The Face in the Frost. It’s a small independent publishing outfit created by author Quentin Dodd who also happens to be a fan of John and his books. Anyone whose book titles include Beatnik Rutabagas from Beyond the Stars and Tommy Frasier and the Planet of the Slugs probably has something to say and - as that’s the name of the blog - we asked Quentin about life, reading, writing and why he chose that for a name from anything else he could have chosen.

Shall I Not Lie In Publishing A Truth?

There’s been a post or two on this blog about artwork and continuity: how people like to collect only the Edward Gorey hardcovers, how Bart Goldman reintroduced Lewis Barnavelt in the 1990s for the new books in that series, and even how contemporary e-book editions all have a uniform look even if they all are something you wipe your hands on.

And Then There's John Bellairs

Author John Rateliff paid some kind words to John Bellairs and The Face in the Frost earlier this month, noting how much the book has affected him:

Who's Who: James Henry Breasted

One of the books that Johnny Dixon has checked out and is reading at home when he first meets Professor Childermass is this author’s History of Egypt [The Curse of the Blue Figurine; 14].