The Addams Family: An Evilution (Book Review)

Hello All,

Well I am very honored to write this post. A publisher from Pomegranate Communications (click here for their website and purchasing info) contacted me about writing a review for a new Addams Family book after she found my blog!

She sent me a complimentary copy so that I could read through it. Oh boy... what a treat!! If you are at all interested in the Addams Family this would be a great book for your collection! It's entitled, "The Addams Family: An Evilution" by H. Kevin Miserocchi (Illustrations by Charles Addams...of course!).

Because of the new Addams Family Musical that just came out, this book was put together to reflect on the beginnings of this odd family. I have looked up a lot of information for my project but I found some things in this book I hadn't read anywhere else.

There are descriptions of each character as they were developed by Charles Addams, put together as a family, and notes on how he named and described each one for the famous Addams Family TV show.

A couple tidbits you might find interesting from the book: It talks about how the Addams 'Family' didn't really start as a family! They were all separate characters that ended up coming together in a beautiful way. This book will show you where they first showed up in Addams' work.

*My Morticia admiring a piece of furniture that she says must be in the mansion!

Another little tidbit..... the book explains the origin of 'Thing' (or 'The Thing') which I didn't think was in any of Chas Addams' cartoons.... but he is. But there's the secret! He used to be more than just a helping hand........

*Thing showing me that he did indeed exist in Charles Addams' cartoons. My bad, Thing.

And that's it... you'll have to get the book if you want more!

....Oh, duh, I forgot the best part! This book has some of the best of Charles Addams original cartoons. I can't tell you how page by page I was gaining more and more inspiration for my project! There are more cartoons than words so don't think this sucker will take you long to read..... but you might be caught up for hours looking at the beautiful illustrations!

And the best for last: Here's an amazing cartoon showing the woeful Wednesday putting a black wreath onto her doll house! How perfect!

Thank you all for reading this review! It's a great book that I will be visiting over and over!

-Ara

*Cartoon images © Tee and Charles Addams Foundation / Courtesy Pomegranate Communications

Off Topic: Quick Apologies

Hi Everybody,

Just wanted to say sorry for not being able to keep up with everyone's blogs for the past two months or so!

You'd think that leaving my day job would give me MORE time on the internet... but apparently not! See at my desk job... I was in front of the computer for 9 hours straight.... and your blogs were the only thing that kept me sane!

Now I am in and out of the house (substitute teaching, running errands, cleaning house, etc...) and I am not at the computer near enough! I really miss reading everyone's blogs everyday and I am trying to set up a schedule for myself so I can do that BECAUSE you guys in blog land are super important to me!

I've been trying to catch up every now and then but please excuse me if I miss something while I figure out my schedule!

Coming up soon.... an Addams Family Book Review (kind of a history of the family)! Exciting!!

And then hopefully some minis when I can get back to that! (once again, you'd think I'd have more time... hahaha)

Hugs, Ara

Off Topic: Piano for Jayne

Good morning all! Just wanted to share my other half of the swap I had with Jayne... I am not as quick as she is so mine went to her a few weeks after I received Cleopatra for my Addams conservatory!

I asked Jayne what she would want as a return swap and she mentioned her Pickled Vicar Project! Perfect!!! If you are not sure what it is please visit her blog here..... but to summarize (and correct me on anything I get wrong, Jayne) it is a pub that is in an old church building!! How perfect!

So I tried to think of what a church building and a pub might have in common.... and of course I thought of a piano! Early last year I had built an organ for Lurch with working keys so I just duplicated the same design for this piano. These keys work as well (Murph is demonstrating in the last photo).

I tried to make it look like an instrument an old church lady would play... but now all faded and dusty and with wood cracks and warps!

Jayne is pleased with it so I am too..... but dumb me forgot the piano bench! Off to work on that! haha!