An Ian story. <\/p>
One of my university lecturers, \u201cJohn\u201d, once mentioned in passing that he\u2019s got interested in art history after he read a \u201ctrashy science fiction novel\u201d that had Bosche\u2019s Garden of Earthly Delights on the cover. <\/p>
I immediately thought \u201caha\u201d, because I knew it had to be Ian\u2019s The Gardens of Delights, and he was in stitches when I told him the story a few months later, so we cooked up a plan: I tracked down a copy of that edition and posted it to him, with a return envelope addressed to John. Inside, Ian wrote \u201cDear John, I\u2019m very proud that my trashy science fiction novel had such a big impact on your life\u201d and signed it. <\/p>
Obviously, John recognised my handwriting on the envelope, put two and two together and made three. <\/p>
Once John realised that no, I hadn\u2019t forged it, he was simultaneously absolutely delighted by the signed copy and mortified that I had told Ian how he described the book. Ian was literally cackling when I described the scene to him. An Ian story. <\/p> One of my university lecturers, \u201cJohn\u201d, once mentioned in passing that he\u2019s got interested in art history after he read a \u201ctrashy science fiction novel\u201d that had Bosche\u2019s Garden of Earthly Delights on the cover. <\/p> I immediately thought \u201caha\u201d, because I knew it had to be Ian\u2019s The Gardens of Delights, and he was in stitches when I told him the story a few months later, so we cooked up a plan: I tracked down a copy of that edition and posted it to him, with a return envelope addressed to John. Inside, Ian wrote \u201cDear John, I\u2019m very proud that my trashy science fiction novel had such a big impact on your life\u201d and signed it. <\/p> Obviously, John recognised my handwriting on the envelope, put two and two together and made three. <\/p> Once John realised that no, I hadn\u2019t forged it, he was simultaneously absolutely delighted by the signed copy and mortified that I had told Ian how he described the book. Ian was literally cackling when I described the scene to him.
RT: https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/objects\/56a866a4-fa9e-467d-8759-75dde56dab24<\/a><\/p>","generator":{"id":"tag:gnusocial.jp,2026-06-13:notice-source:ActivityPub","objectType":"application","status_net":{"source_code":"ActivityPub"}},"id":"https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/objects\/ef5b9fba-c38a-489a-aa52-72fc727528e1","object":{"id":"https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/objects\/ef5b9fba-c38a-489a-aa52-72fc727528e1","objectType":"note","content":"
RT: https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/objects\/56a866a4-fa9e-467d-8759-75dde56dab24<\/a><\/p>","url":"https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/objects\/ef5b9fba-c38a-489a-aa52-72fc727528e1","status_net":{"notice_id":null}},"to":[{"objectType":"http:\/\/activitystrea.ms\/schema\/1.0\/person","id":"https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/users\/Flick"},{"objectType":"http:\/\/activitystrea.ms\/schema\/1.0\/collection","id":"http:\/\/activityschema.org\/collection\/public"}],"status_net":{"conversation":"tag:gnusocial.jp,2026-04-14:objectType=thread:nonce=09a544f9dbfd3ec9","notice_info":{"local_id":"12449967","source":"ActivityPub"}},"published":"2026-04-14T14:36:31+00:00","provider":{"objectType":"service","displayName":"GNU social JP","url":"https:\/\/gnusocial.jp\/"},"verb":"post","url":"https:\/\/spinster.xyz\/objects\/ef5b9fba-c38a-489a-aa52-72fc727528e1"}],"links":[{"url":"https:\/\/gnusocial.jp\/conversation\/6321205","rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html"}]}