In response to some questions raised about the hows and whys of Dell comics series subscriptions, I began checking some Dell series in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

And a look at back covers for Walt Disney's Comics & Stories, Little Lulu, and Tarzan showed a variety of approaches -- as you'll see, if you check the hyperlink above. But each brought young readers 12 comic books for $1. Subscription copies arrived folded lengthwise in half with a partial wrapper made out of thin brown paper, the address stamped on that paper. (The resultant fold in the copy was indelible: the proverbial "subscription crease" that survives to this day.) In a day in which finding current comics on local newsstands was a chancy matter, subs guaranteed you wouldn't miss the latest issue. And it was thrilling to have entertainment delivered in what was otherwise mail for the family's adults.

One collector of my acquaintance, by the way, told me years ago (when there were no Disney comics being published) that he planned to put issues of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories in sequence from earlier decades into their own envelopes. He'd then pretend to his child that it was that month's "subscription copy" of the series so that the youngster could have the same thrill he'd had when he was young.

Lots of companies offered subscriptions, but my parents only subscribed to a few of the Dell titles for me. (The way Don knew that an advertised issue of Steve Canyon never existed was that he did have a subscription to the title -- which was completed by Harvey with issues of Sad Sack.)

I've never made much of a study of comic-book subscription plugs from Dell but I think I'm going to check out some more. I already know that the sub push wasn't limited to Christmastime; there were year-round pitches. But their absence in the Four Color series let that showcase title boast "All Comics" on the cover long after its other titles carried advertisements.

... can go on the bookshelves with the other books I've read. Yep, Page 662 completed, the excellent first volume of Pat's trilogy has provided several hours of pleasure for me.

It's straightforward epic fantasy without the tedium that so many writers of epics seem incapable of trimming from their tales. It's nonstop adventure -- but the adventure encompasses more than battles with a dragon (though there is one), magic spells (though there are many), and torments (though there are those, as well). There's a story within the story (and stories within the story within the story), and Pat is a master storyteller, drawing the reader effortlessly from one chapter to the next.

Now, how the heck long is it going to be before Volume Two, I wonder ...

This morning's mix of snow and freezing rain seems to be typical of Wisconsin's winter this year -- which is (unless you're trying to get somewhere) a good thing. We've had years of way-below-normal precipitation that have left us with something of a drought. This winter: back to what used to be "normal." And then some. (Madison, for example, has already topped its snowfall record.)

Given that it's not a bad thing to be housebound (and fingers crossed that powerlines remain intact), what is there to do (besides the long-delayed and much-needed house cleaning)? Read, of course. So I'm going through a recent influx of DC trade paperbacks and new titles -- and finally resuming a novel that events had interrupted.

Last year, a small convention in Wausau introduced me to Patrick Rothfuss, who had the table next to mine and who had with him a small stack of his first novel, The Name of the Wind. He was great, and I happily took a copy, which I quickly started to read. And then life got in the way -- and the novel is 662 pages long. Yikes! So, after about 150 pages, I had to set it aside. I couldn't lug it along on my travels, thanks to its size, but I never moved it from its spot on my "to read" shelf, because it was tremendous fun.

And now it's winter, and I'm sort of snowbound, and last night I grabbed the book and settled down with it again. And that, in itself, should be noted. The book is so clear, so well-constructed, so memorable, so entertaining that the reader can set it aside and pick it up again later with ease. In fact, thanks to Pat's skills, what's difficult is to put it down. The brisk chapters pull the reader from one to the next with the yearning to read just one more before setting the book aside.

Be warned that it was created as the first part of a trilogy, so I don't think he'll be answering all the questions by Page 662. But I'm now at 304 and looking forward to Chapter 46.