Des Livres Plus Magnifiques!

[Thom Courcelle]

A couple of amazing Mail Art projects received in Book form... one from Marie Wintzer and another from Rob of Inkovia, both from the opposite side of the Pacific...

Marie's envelope was fascinating in and of itself--an impressionistic cityscape depicting people walking among the streets, between buildings, old and new, on a sunny-yellow day.  It's BEAUTIFUL paper. And the stamp Marie used is like a movie still after the camera has fallen, zooming down from the sky, coming-in closer and closer upon one building; zooming closer down upon a window, and penetrating that barrier to reveal one tiny intimate scene among the city.  The postage stamp is a commemorative stamp celebrating International Letter Writing Week--a celebration that somehow I completely missed here in the U.S., which may be some sort of commentary on the U.S.'s social culture or our depressing electronic-media-driven priorities, I'm not sure.  But I'm glad to know that the rest of the world has a way to honor the tradition.

The reverse side of Marie's envelope indicates a rather international scope, with brilliant little "MinXus" stickers from around the globe: Alsace; South Africa; and New York.

And Marie's art boekie inside is definitely an esoteric international extravaganza, containing more languages than I could shake a stick at!  Inserted like a boekie mark with a tassle, was my ticket to adventure: destination ZAZALOP!

Stamped on that ticket--an insignia for the Musikverein Union--is a tiny hint of things to come... or things that were?... the timing is a little fuzzy... like the universe folding over on itself in order to accomplish the feat of time travel.  Indeed if the ticket were folded accordion-like in just the right way... why it might spell something different... like "ZAP!"  ZAP??!!  Like the crackle of energy that happens when one time travels back to 1988.  1988??!!!??!  How did that happen??  But according to Marie's cliff-hanger of a book, "There is another 1988. Where purgatory is a motorway... Someone, somewhere is responsible."

The "heart" of Marie's boekie, that is--the core medium--is a piece of sheet music for harp.  The cover is printed in blood red, which seems appropriate for the title of the piece: "Sangue Carnico."  Inside, too, are smears of red.  Hmmmm... now this boekie is turning into an adventure or murder mystery.  Whose blood spatter is this?  A secret agent sending a message across time, someone who paid for his (or her!) knowledge with his (or her!) life??!  

Poor protagonist... there were first aid supplies available at the back of the book, but apparently it was too late to save the poor chap. He is nowhere to be found... perhaps conveniently taken care of--disposed--by the "responsible someone... somewhere,"... our also-absent antagonist.

But our secret agent hero has left us clues behind... a line of asemic writing between the second and third line of music: "Introd. Andante." "Enter Quickly, with liveliness..." with 6 eighth notes to the measure--changing to 3-quarter time after 22 measures.  Maybe the rests and beats leave us clues as well.  The introduction is repeated twice--hmmm, two identical beginnings; indicating "the other 1988?"

There is also a scrap of microfiche.  What could it reveal?  We'll have to send it back to headquarters to be analyzed; it's in German.

There are pictures, too.  Perhaps a warning to beware of the flying geisha?  But wait, there's another geisha on the reverse side.  Parallel geishas??  Perhaps one geisha in each version of 1988?  How will this mystery end?  It's a cliffhanger!

Well, a wise man once said, "Imagination is more important that knowledge."  So even if we never figure out the mystery, Marie has got plenty of artistic imagination to keep our minds racing.  I hereby proclaim Marie Wintzer to be une auteur impressionnante on par with Agatha Christie.  Honored, as always, Marie, for your magnificent creation... Author!! Author!!!

Another valuable "limited edition" that arrived from Rob Grant in the land of Inkovia (somewhere in the far-reaches of Australia purportedly), was: Shoot the Moon, the Art of Science: A Concise History of the Inkovian Space Program (Unabridged Version).  If you have not had the pleasure or good fortune of experiencing Rob's Robotic and Spaceship caricature drawings--I assure you, they are beyond brilliant.  There are no less than thirteen different robot spaceship characters in this book, each one unique, all of them with their own distinct "style."  It's some amazing character development, for sure! 

Rob is also an adept at asemics.  In fact it was his asemics "calligraphy" skills that first arrested my attention such a while back.  Rob seems to be able to give just as much distinct character to various asemic alphabets as he can with his robotic characters.  This book contains a kind of circular cuneiform alphabet or language that works brilliantly with his spaceship theme--it could totally be an alien language.

According to the back cover stamp, this is a limited edition 3/3!  I dunno who got the first and second copies, but mine's going in the treasured safety deposit box for safe-keeping!  Thank you, Rob, for another excellent and impressive mailing!

[Marie Wintzer]

Thank you for this fantastic blog, Thom, I love it! You sure are a great writer. I received the piece of transparent sheet from Svenja, hence in German :-))

[Svenja Wahl]

Wow, Thom, what a mail week for you, I love those boekies and the book cover Nancy sent!  (And I would follow your blog too!)

[Thom Courcelle]

Thanks, DeVillo.. that was a REALLY nice compliment and suggestion. I like writing a lot, but I'm not sure how a blog would fit into the schedule of my life at this juncture.  Honestly, I already feel guilty trying to keep up with things here at IUOMA!  In another dimension of the world (perhaps starting in the alternate 1988 of Marie's book above) my life might have involved more writing--as a career maybe even. Nancy and I have discussed this in bits and pieces--we both have history in the publishing business on the editing/copy editing-end.  But creative people (and I encompass you in that moniker and presume immediately that you're able to relate and understand what I mean...) are some of the people who make the world go 'round, and end-up in interesting places in order to accomplish the feat.  My spot is definitely interesting, but it keeps me hella busy.

I also think that if I took on one more hobby, the gods would look down from Olympus and turn me into some immobile rock or plant to make me stop trying to overachieve.

But I appreciate the compliment.  You'll be the first to know if such a blog comes into existence.

Was Bob Grant that guy on channel 11?   Came on between shows just about dinner-time?  It is interesting how conservative pundits seem to become so popular--maybe because people listen to them as entertainment, and low-brow humorists, if not always because they agree with everything.  I used to fear that conservative talk show host-mania was an indication of the devolution of America's collective consciousness.  Because it seemed like their liberal counterweights could never get the same ratings.  Now there are people like Stewart, Colbert, and Maddow--who use comedy as a tool of outrage--and the stage seems to be evening-out a little.

There's probably another reason not to start a blog--I might end-up spewing too much personal political opinion and attracting the wrong crowd.  I'm already stretching my political commentary limits here in the last couple days!!!  Must stop that...

[De Villo Sloan]

Thom, I'm a huge fan of your blogs. I don't ever want to make work for anyone else. BUT did you ever consider starting your own blog outside IUOMA? I know I'd be a follower. Your written commentary is priceless.

Rob is a great asemic writer. So his full name is Rob Grant. I've been stumbling over that since I saw it. For years, there was this very, very conservative talk show host who dominated the airwaves in New York City. Remember that guy? He was unfortunately famous. I have to distinguish between Bob Grant and Rob Grant.

[Thom Courcelle]

Goodness, almost forgot another book-related piece gotten recently... well, PART of a book.  But, parts is parts, right?  Yup, one of Nancy's book cover creations!  Love that these go right through the postal system as-is!

And, love, love, LOVE that Victorian-era [looking] illustration of the two children!  I'm a little worried for poor Sherry Dumas in Grade 3... I hope the poor dear learned her letters after losing this gem when she was eight!

Thank you, Nancy!!