Words were important both in Curnoe’s works and as an extension of his art practice. In addition to four periodicals, he produced one-of-a-kind books, intended as works of art, recording his daily thoughts and observations. Perhaps the best known is Blue Book #8, which was published by Art Metropole in 1989. In it Curnoe defined himself negatively, noting 797 times what he was not, ending with “I AM NOT USUALLY PARANOID, GOD’S GIFT TO WOMEN, ILLITERATE, REFUNDABLE, UNDER WARRANTY, COOL, APPALLED, WISE, ALWAYS TRUTHFUL.”