M.J. Rose

What could be more mysterious than the discovery of a rare manuscript in a defunct magic shop’s collection?

The discovery of a rare manuscript created for Houdini, of course!

Enjoy…

Long-lost Lovecraft manuscript penned for Houdini found

by Bonnie Burton (cnet.com)

The man who brought us Cthulhu wrote a book for the man known to escape everything. But if you want to read the unfinished work, it’s going to cost you.

“Nothing could be more exciting to fans of legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft than the discovery of a rare manuscript in a defunct magic shop’s collection.

But it gets better. “The Cancer of Superstition,” written by Lovecraft in 1926, was commissioned by magician Harry Houdini. A Houdini memorabilia collector found the book and is selling it to the public.

Anyone who wants to read the 31 typewritten pages for themselves can buy the work as part of a Houdini lot from Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago on April 9.

Previously, most Lovecraft and Houdini scholars believed the book might exist only in outline form since the work was suspended soon after Houdini’s death in October of 1926.

The famous magician’s widow, Beatrice, did not want to pursue the completion of the work after his death…”

For the rest, click here.

An entire city in its blue period…

From Bright Side,

The absolutely incredible blue city that came straight out of a dream

“Tucked in the north of Morocco, there is a small town called Chefchaouen. This unusual place can be safely called a ’blue dream,’ since the old part of it is filled with buildings painted in all shades of blue — from baby blue to aquamarine.

This unusual coloring was introduced by Jewish refugees, who believed that the more you look at anything blue, the more often you think about heaven and God. The tradition caught on, becoming a signature feature of the old part of town…”

For many, many photos of these incredible blues, click here.

Here is a story about a color, or rather, a color that is so dark that it is, in fact, the darkest material ever made:

Scientists Create A “New Black,” The Darkest Material Ever Made
Vantablack is the new black.

“According to experts, Vantablack is as close to a black hole imaginable, as it is so dark that the human eye struggles to discern its shape and dimension.

Created by Surrey NanoSystems, the material is ten times stronger than steel.

Surrey NanoSystems’ chief technical officer, Ben Jensen, pointed out how you would expect to see the foil’s crumpling underneath, but instead the human eye sees nothing…”

For the rest, click here.