Monday, April 28, 2003


I was recently reminded of this post I once made on Metafilter. Don't miss the excerpted correspondence with Fender Tucker near the end of the thread.

I learned of Keeler through the website of Richard Sala. And I learned of Sala because i stumbled upon a book of his, hidden in some stacks at a used bookstore.

The book was the Chuckling Whatsit, a strange and riveting tale about a mysterious and powerful totem. The story is dark and Victorian and Sala manages to tread on that fine line that joins the humorous and the macabre - not too unlike Edward Gorey. The plot involves secret societies, ancient mysteries and convoluted sub-plots all woven together with a dark sense of humor.

It is not odd then that Sala's website provides one of the few links to Keeler on the web. The Keeler society is itself a sort of secret cult, hinted at by writers such as Neil Gaiman and William Poundstone.

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