“ARBO: The Game of Tree Families” was published by the Scholastic Publishing Co. in 1927. The young players are directed to complete and capture suits of tree families. Thus they learn the rudiments of both dendrology and gambling. The backs of these games are usually uninteresting; this one, though, is worth a look. (Posted by […]

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There is a wonderful variety of short literary forms: limericks, quatrains, haiku, couplets, epigrams, anecdotes, jokes, riddles, parables, fables, proverbs, maxims, blackouts, slogans, and on and on. Some are simply passing thoughts; others pack as much meaning as possible into the smallest space. Here, we’ll trot out the one-word poem — to be specific, the […]

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As an addendum to our toast to La Seine, I offer this sketch of the grave of Raymond Roussel, which I did on one of my visits there (yes, I went more than once). Fittingly, the exterior is formal, the beauties hidden. Roussel was a chess buff. He therefore designed a mausoleum containing 32 compartments, […]

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The old game of dominoes is recast with lambs, puppies, kittens, turtles, cattle, pigs, and other creatures — and a stylish job, too, in my opinion. It was published by E. E. Fairchild (no date, as usual), and cost 19c. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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We here at the Ullage Group are intrigued by the extremes of literature. For that reason, we’ll occasionally raise a toast to an exceptional example. In this series, those will be works that are unusually short or long. The long poem is an unpopular form these days. Long movies and TV serials do well. Novels […]

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I’m pleased to reveal that I have a four-pager in a new comics anthology, “TYPHON #1,” edited by Danny Hellman. The book is 192 pages long; it’s all in color; it’s eye-popping; it has a splendid cover by Bob Sikoryak. My contribution, “Walter and Benny Hunt the Elusive Batworm,” is a gripping cryptozoological adventure. Here’s […]

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