Business: Those Golden Gnomes

One of the most enduring characters of European folklore is the gnome, a gnarled night creature who lives for centuries, stands only 6 in. when full grown but is seven times stronger than man. With exhilarating wit and tongue-in-cheek charm, Dutch Physician Wil Huygen and Illustrator Rien Poortvliet put together a mock sociological history of the gnome that is proving to be an astonishing money spinner. Ponderously titled leven en werken van de Kabouter (The Life and Work of the Gnomes) in The Netherlands, the book is a spoof that solemnly reports that, among other things, Mozart's gnome pal is still...

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