Ray Johnson Shmonson... I think this guy might have been the first mail artist

[Elaine B(atgirl)]

According to the Amazon.com summary of this book:

The first impression of W. Reginald Bray (1879-1939) was one of an ordinary middle-class Englishman quietly living out his time as an accountant in the leafy suburb of Forest Hill, London. A glimpse behind
his study door, however, revealed his extraordinary passion for sending
unusual items through the mail. In 1898, Bray purchased a copy of the Post Office Guide,
and began to study the regulations published quarterly by the British
postal authorities. He discovered that the smallest item one could post
was a bee, and the largest, an elephant. Intrigued, he decided to
experiment with sending ordinary and strange objects through the post
unwrapped, including a turnip, a bowler hat, a bicycle pump, shirt
cuffs, seaweed, a clothes brush, even a rabbit's skull. He eventually
posted his Irish terrier and himself (not together), earning him the
name "The Human Letter." He also mailed cards to challenging addresses
some in the form of picture puzzles, others sent to ambiguous recipients
at hard to reach destinations all in the name of testing the deductive
powers of the beleaguered postman. Over time his passion changed from
sending curios to amassing the world's largest collection of autographs,
also via the post. Starting with key British military officers involved
in the Second Boer War, he acquired thousands of autographs during the
first four decades of the twentieth century of politicians, military
men, performing artists, aviators, sporting stars, and many others. By
the time he died in 1939, Bray had sent out more than thirty-two
thousand postal curios and autograph requests. The Englishman Who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects
tells W. Reginald Bray's remarkable tale for the first time and
includes delightful illustrations of some of his most amazing postal
creations. Readers will never look at the objects they post the same way
again.

 

I am soooo buying this book.

[Jen Staggs]

I've wanted this book for ages, but it was always too spendy....must find it used asap! Thanks Batgrrrl!

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Amazing! Thanks for the reference. Amazon here I com. Regards, Val