FolioDeux Blog

FD expected to be disappointed in the lost finale.  After six years, there were far too many plot points/avenues that had been put into play.  Still, the actual ending was weak, weak, weak.  FD also watched the Jimmy Kimmel show afterwards, which included three parody alternate endings.  Although the Bob Newhart “all a dream” finale was included, the more appropriate, Dallas “dream” solution to a bad season wasn’t mentioned.

FD was reminded of a nineteenth-century phenomenon, the novel The Gates Ajar by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, which offered its readers a similarly comforting vision of how happy everyone will be after death.  Phelps’ novel inspired others; there’s an interesting discussion of those novels in this essay by Elmer Suderman, “Utopia, The Kingdom of God and Heaven: Utopian, Social Gospel and Gates Ajar Fiction.”

There’s a lovely little piece in the May 10 issue of the New Yorker about a postcard mystery.  A British actor has been receiving anonymous postcards for several years — more than 500 so far.  Some people might find this a bit creepy, but the actor and his wife have come to enjoy the cards and their short, cryptic messages.  FD thinks this is a charming story, and a lovely idea, though not something FD has enough energy to do!

A few months ago, FD bought from shopgoodwill.com some limited edition jigsaw puzzles created back in 1991 – 92.   The two boxes arrived in great condition, all sealed and uninjured.  They were even signed by the artist who created the original images used for the pictures.  FD wasn’t able to find out much about that artist (an Oregonian names Robert Emmitt Miller) or the puzzles.  According to the insert FD found on opening one of the puzzles, only 2000 were made of the image of the sailing ship the Juan Sebastian de Ellano.  But, alas, not even the jigsaw puzzle blogs seem interested or aware of this or the sister (brother?) puzzle, of the Kruzenshtern.

Yes, FD did open the box and is putting the puzzle (1000 pieces and not “fully interlocking” there are some of those pieces that don’t “lock” but just fit together with various curves!  so not FD’s favorite) together.

It is a lot like the old books, some of them even signed, that friends sometimes ask FD about, “Is it worth something?” These puzzles  a good example of a truism of the used book business — just because something is old or rare doesn’t mean it is valuable.  FD feels the puzzles were a bargain, costing less than ones made by national companies and probably going to provide many hours of happy puzzling), but, like self-published books, these self-published puzzles probably aren’t going to finance anyone’s retirement…