Odds and Ends from the Haunted Opera

We’ve been going through our archives of late – trying to make sense of a decade of information – and found a file of notes we took from the old Compleat Bellairs forum provided by none-other-than Brad Strickland. Brad was known to hop on once in a while and answer questions from readers and fans about nearly every aspect of writing and publishing and the like. Apparently at one time (prior to the site's demise c. 2003) the topic was The Doom of the Haunted Opera (1995) and Brad offered up some interesting tidbits.

Driving Mister Bellairs

We're going back through the archives and sharing some thoughts about John and his work that have crossed our path over the years.

Goreyana: The Hand of the Necromancer

Notes from Goreyana about The Hand of the Necromancer:

Who's Who: Vaughn Monroe

Johnny Dixon comes home from a movie and listens to the radio, which is tuned into Camel Caravan, “a musical program that did the hit tunes of the week” and featured Vaughn Monroe and other singers Johnny liked [The Curse of the Blue Figurine; 56].

Twenty Years, And Yet I Am Remembered

Arvid Nelson is a comic book writer who lives in Northampton, Massachusetts and pays tribute to John on the twentieth anniversary of his death, on March 8:

Time Capsule: 1991

From the March 9, 1991 edition of the Haverhill Gazette:

Call Again, He Is Made Of Stone

A contributor to our forum named Dan wrote to us last year to say he was making his way through The Chessmen of Doom for the first time in over a decade. In the early chapters of the novel something “tugged at [his] memory” when he read the description of Peregrine “Perry” Childermass’ tomb:

The massive bronze doors of the tomb were flanked by two Grecian columns, and the Childermass name was chiseled on the cornice. A few feet from the entrance stood a white marble statue of a bearded man in old-fashioned formal dress. He held a top hat and gloves in one hand, and with his other hand he pointed at the tomb [The Chessmen of Doom; 16].

Unique Atmosphere of That Time and Place

We're going back through the archives and sharing some thoughts about John and his work that have crossed our path over the years.

Something About Little Books

Ian C. shared some comments earlier this month about "little books".

How Much Marshall?

I recently thumbed through The Figure in the Shadows and came across a few memorable excerpts of Lewis happily walking along Main Street, seeing a fountain at the traffic circle, and later encountering the titular figure outside of a Masonic Temple. These are memorable scenes, yes, and ones with a clear setting.

Top 10 Things Heard Around Bellairsia HQ

As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of Bellairsia, we’re making use again of our comically-absurd Twitter feed to share some memorable moments and commentary in the form of Top Ten lists.

A Note of Thanks

We were reminded last month that we were coming upon an anniversary: a decade since the founding of what has gone on to become this website, Bellairsia. Five years ago we said it didn’t seem like a mere five years had passed since we started this little project of ours. Five years after that and it doesn't seem like a decade has passed either, but the ticking clock says otherwise. It started innocently enough – a desire to celebrate the work of a favorite author – but I dare say the two of us were not prepared for where it led.

Who's Who: John Cameron Swayze

While pressed to come up with a nun-sounding name in order to gain access into Nyarlat-Hotep’s domain, Fergie blurts out, "And I am Sister Francine Hildegarde Ursula John Cameron Swayze [The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost; 141]."

Time Capsule: First Agriculture College

February 12, 1855: Today the Spartans celebrate the date when Michigan Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed a bill establishing the nation's first agriculture college, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan in East Lansing, Michigan.

Goreyana: The Doom of the Haunted Opera

Notes from Goreyana about The Doom of the Haunted Opera:

The book was published in 1995 by Dial Books for Young Readers and features a wraparound dust jacket design and frontis illustration by Edward Gorey. The back cover of the dust jacket is particularly colorful. Using a dream sequence for inspiration (don't most dreams play out in black and white?), Lewis and Rose Rita are shown being set upon by headless opera goers and bats!

When this book was published, I was offered the three pieces of original artwork by Mr. Gorey. Unfortunately, at this time the prices for Mr. Gorey's art were jumping significantly - in fact the price for this art was double what earlier art from the series had been priced at just two years previously - so I could not add this art to my collection. I do still have the full size xeroxes sent to me by Gotham Book Mart.