About The Legion of Decency

We've noted over the years that the Bellairsia email inbox garners some interesting comments and questions. Enough time has probably passed to share this unexciting anecdote we received a few months ago - not because there was any sort of security issue but because we managed to lose it amidst everything else. It also proved to of us people were actually visiting the site – and not primarily always as Bellairs fans.

Book Alert: La Poupée et Le Zombi

February 15 is the release date for the new French language Johnny Dixon adventure, La Poupée et le zombi (titled, for some reason, without the tambour).

Time Capsule: 1649

January 30, 1649 - "Of the Witch-Finder, and the Troubles He Brought" reads the chapter title of a moldy manuscript tucked away within Barnavelt Manor, near Dinsdale in Sussex. Lewis Barnavelt learns of his magical ancestry: Puritans of olde believed strongly against witches and warlocks, leading some people to go into business as witch-finders - drifting through duchies and traipsing through towns, exposing men and women for practicing their evil sorcery.

Geoffrey Chaucer and the Internette

Anybody who has ever received chants of support from his peers that go something like, "Go Bellairs! Quote Chaucer!" (as John did) would undoubtedly enjoy the fact that said person named Chaucer has a blog. To be specific: Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog. Wife of Bath – eat your heart out. Looks like there are some Steppenwolf lyrics in there, too.

This is my birth-day; as this very day

Happy birthday to John Bellairs on what would have been his 69th birthday.

Grimoire: The Edge of Nightmare

Brad Strickland's website has announced the second title in his Grimoire series staring Jarvis Midion: Grimoire: The Edge of Nightmare will be published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2007.

It follows Grimoire: The Curse of the Midions.

Memoriam: Ann LaPietra

Marshall, Michigan, and fans of John Bellairs lost a friend this week: Ann LaPietra, the owner of the kids' place bookstore in Marshall, died Wednesday, January 3, 2007. She was 73.

We’ll Take Calvinism for $100

One of us on staff read the final book in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and there’s a group of people known as the Calvins who study the works of Mr. King religiously, making all sorts of cross references to people and places and even brand names.

Gosh, who would be so crazy as to do something like that?

Happy New Year.

Grasshopper Ramblings' Postcard

Blogger Grasshopper Ramblings shared some of the people the blogger looked up to as a child. It's a John Bellairs testimonial – and, to boot, it notes John sent the then 10-year-old blogger a postcard. We've known some people who would give teeth – preferably someone else's – for their own Bellairsian postcard.

Cram These Words

Have you read many collage poems?  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  Here’s an interesting collage poem we found, written by user Four_Thorns. As noted, all words are taken from The House with a Clock in its Walls, though not necessarily in John's original or intended order:

Or was it glue? He couldn’t remember.
Out in the front hall the mirror
on the coat rack was talking to itself
little bursts of static.

A Legacy in Multimedia

Wayne Bose writes asking what could be done to further the legacy of John Bellairs.  His idea?  Video games.  Hear him out --

The Edward Gorey Documentary

An update from filmmaker Christopher Seufert of Mooncusser Films documenting his time with illustrator Edward Gorey.

Something About a Bellairsian Musical

We found a rather odd story earlier this week from our friends at the Online Museum of Hoaxes: a musical about the Cardiff Giant. If you're not familiar with the stone colossus we invite you to read a bit about it...and the replica...and the fact a group of people in Iowa came together to sing about it.

Time Capsule: The Subject of Fidgettine Scholarship

November, 1966: Of all the silly things we’ve read, heard, and seen about the life of Saint Fidgeta, nothing seems more absurd then it being used as a classroom textbook.

In a college class.  Taught by John Bellairs. 

Really.

A Flair For Baroque Description And Gothic Horror

Will Duquette penned some thoughts about reading The Face in the Frost years ago, and only reading - and learning about - Bellairs's later novels.  He shared his thought about the omnibus edition of The Best of John Bellairs and seemingly still prefers The Face in the Frost.