All About Evil: Question Box

by Broteus Mitchell (March 1, 2001)
(Originally published at compleatbellairs.com)

Book Alert: 壁のなかの時計

The Japanese edition of the The House with a Clock in Its Walls (loosely translated as Clock of inside of a wall - ?) will be published later this April.

There, Then, That Izard!

Donna recently shared this bit of trivia with us after stumbling upon a particular – and most peculiar – name:

I had assumed that Bellairs had invented the name Izard for his villains Isaac and Serena in The House with a Clock in its Walls, but today I ran across the name Izzard in The Guinness Book of Names by Leslie Dunkling (6th edition). It's in the chapter on the history of surnames, under the section "Henry Guppy's 'Peculiar' Names" [118-21].

Here's Dunkling's explanation:

Book Alert: Tower & Pedant

Brad Strickland, writing at the Compleat Bellairs:

All About Evil: Who Wants to be An Evil Heir?

by Broteus Mitchell (Jan. 23, 2001)
(Originally published at compleatbellairs.com)

In The Many Eyes Of Fans

Here's an article about the way the Internet is affecting the voice of fans from the November 13, 2000, issue of The Wall Street Journal. It speaks of John Bellairs as an author who wrote "pioneering Gothic-suspense novels targeted to young-adult readers, but followed cultishly by grown-ups too." Don't have a clue what they mean by that. What next Jonathan Abucejo? The New York Times? Keep up the good work!.

All About Evil: Hugo Philpotts

by Broteus Mitchell (Jan. 9, 2001)
(Originally published at compleatbellairs.com)

Love My Dear Moth

It’s true we receive questions out of the blue...such as this one from Dan Rigney:

I'm a big fan of The Face in the Frost but sadly don't own a copy. I'm wondering if I am remembering correctly about an encounter with a giant moth? I manage the New York City band the Moths and we're looking for references and illustrations for a gallery page for the 2.0 version of our website. If you can remember any other mentions of moths in Bellairs work, please let me know. Much appreciated!

All About Evil: Stefan Schimpf

by Broteus Mitchell (Oct. 18, 2000)

(Originally published at compleatbellairs.com)

Book Alert: The Tower at the End of the World

Brad Strickland, writing at the Compleat Bellairs:

"Let's see... the manuscript of The Tower at the End of the World has been turned in. In it, the descendant of an old enemy of Lewis Barnavelt turns up to trouble him and his uncle. The cover artist will be S.D. Schindler, whose work may be seen on the cover and interior illustrations of The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe.

"I've had no further word on the movie adaptation of House, but it's supposed to start shooting [soon], so it may be underway."

Book Alert: The Face in the Frost

The Face in the Frost is being re-released by Olmstead Press, as seen at their website and Amazon.

We emailed Olmstead and received a nice note back from Maureen Owen when we asked about the re-releasing of Saint Fidgeta and The Pedant and the Shuffly, too:

Thanks for your note. [Face] is available now. We do not have plans, yet, to re-publish the other Bellairs titles, but on your good suggestion, we will look into doing just that.

Itinerary: A Journey with Johnny Dixon

By James Card (May 22, 2000)
(Originally published at groups.yahoo.com/compleatbellairs/)

I've been to some places described in John Bellairs’ novels, and I hope to see more in the coming years as I get a chance. Some are real places, and some are inspired by real places. Here are some....

In April 1996 I convinced my father to take me to New Hampshire. We always went to the Adirondacks (seeing we are from central New York), but after reading about the White Mountains in several of Bellairs’ novels, I really wanted to visit them.

Bellairs in the Hall of Fame

According to Haverhill's Eagle Tribune, on Wednesday, April 26, 2000 John Bellairs, along with 3 other Haverhill residents, was recognized for his lifetime achievements as an author by being honored in Haverhill's Hall of Fame. In their description of Bellairs' achievements they mention such popular titles as Sister Fidgeta and Dustin Heights.

Perhaps they were referring to Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies and the fictional locale of Duston Heights?

Memoriam: Edward Gorey

Jonathan Abucejo, writing at the Compleat Bellairs:

It pains me to relate this news to all you fans, but illustrator Edward Gorey, the popular artist behind a vast majority of the late John Bellairs' work, has died at age 75. According to Reuters/ Associated Press, "...Gorey, whose macabre pen-and-ink drawings set somewhere between the Edwardian era and the 1920s made him one of the most distinctive American illustrators, died Saturday [April 15th] near his Cape Cod home, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday. [He had suffered a heart attack earlier in the week]."

Review: Face "Whimsical Humor Mixes Well with This Tightly Plotted Adventure"

Book review: The Face in the Frost