Fried Gold

04/25/2026

04/25/2026

The Art of the Unknown: A Visual Treasury of the Esoteric, Uncanny, and Unexplained is my fourth book, out September 1st from Frances Lincoln/Quarto, and it grew directly from years of frustration at people captioning things as “artist unknown” and shrugging at mystery instead of leaning into it, and a deep, abiding belief that wonder is one of the most incredible aspects of being human. Also Richard Bober (iykyk.)

The front cover is Linda Westin’s staggeringly sublime work. Infrared photography revealing colors that exist beyond human sight. A shadowy Swedish forest where the branches create a perfect oculus. A lush, kaleidoscopic vortex of a thing that feels less like a photograph of a forest and more like what a forest dreams about itself.

The back cover is Nona Limmen whose photographs arrive like transmissions from memory or dream, impossible to recount and equally impossible to forget.

I’m sharing the full story of the what and the why of this book on my blog today.

Hailing the Midwestern school as one of the best places to pursue and then abandon an undergraduate education, U.S. News & World Report announced Thursday that it had selected the University of Toledo as the best college to attend for a semester before dropping out to do hair for a living. “For students who take a few intro-level classes, hang around campus for a while, and then quit to become a hairdresser, the University of Toledo is an ideal choice,” read an announcement that accompanied the rankings, adding that Toledo’s strong town-and-gown relationship meant that social connections forged in college could become potential clients for a former student who was working at a nearby salon when everyone else was returning to classes after winter break.