What makes you curious?

Mahnke, Aaron, and Harry Marks.  Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, 

         the Unsettling, and the Bizarre.  New York: St. Martin's Press, 2024.  ISBN: 9781250291202

 

Have you ever wandered through a person's personal library or living room and noticed a variety of strange objects that are displayed?  Those are often called conversation pieces in that they generate questions that lead to discussions.  Aaron Mahnke thinks of The Enlightenment Room at the British Museum as a wonder room or cabinet of curiosities   - in essence a collection of objects gathered by the British from around the globe that they saw and went "huh" about.  In Cabinet of Curiosities, Mahnke and Marks have gathered some 160 of the stories that have appeared on his podcast arranged by topic.

 

Mahnke and Marks have gathered an interesting collection of tales that makes the reader wonder, go "Huh," and/or say "What!" in this collection of short tales.  The first topic is Curious Americana with 10 tales (Time Traveler about a 124 old gentleman is one).  The second topic is Wild Coincidences with 15 tales - "Luck of the Irish about a Irish girl working on the Titanic and other ships makes the reader question the concept of luck.  The third topic is Fantastic Beasts with 12 tales - here you find tales of bears, horses,  whales, and a lock-picking orangutan.  Unbelievable Stunts is topic number four (9 tales).  Among these tales is that of Walter who seemed to attract lightening and Ernie who survived plan crashes and 9 major concussions!  Topic five is Bizarre Events with 11 tales that include the time South Carolina had an atomic bomb dropped on it and the time British Airways managed to loose a pilot mid-flight (well almost loose him)!  Strange Literature with 12 tales is topic six.  One such tale reads like a murder mystery while another dealt with a death prediction!  Topic seven is Remarkable Inventions with 9 tales that lead to the creation of Braille and a chess playing robot in 1770 among other things.  Eerie Mysteries is topic eight with 13 tales which include glider models found in Egyptian tombs and the locked-room murder of the King of Bridge.  Topic nine delves into the Baffling Origins of 10 items such at the croissant, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, or Beauty and the Beast.  Uncanny People is topic ten with 16 tales of poisoners, Chinese ladies, or folks who make music with rocks!  Topic eleven takes the reader to Peculiar Places with 8 tales of the Crypt of Civilization, hidden chambers in France, and a very windy city in Iran.  More than Human is topic twelve with 8 tales of folks doing the seeming impossible such as Carl who played the violin with his feet or folks that can remember pretty much every moment of their lives.  Topic thirteen drops the reader int Puzzling Crimes with 11 tales of forged art, fake ghosts, and con artists.  Wartime Wonders is the fourteenth and final topic with 15 tales about a game that brought the FBI to the game company's headquarters, soldiers running away from a horde of hares, and a cursed plane.

Majnke and Mark's Cabinet of Curiosities is a book to keep around and delve into when you just want something to entertain yourself without having to think too hard.  Each tale is short, entertaining, and designed to make your wonder.  And the nice thing about having these tales in written form is that Mahnke and Marks provide their sources for each story so the reader can follow up those that really catch their interest! 

 

 

A Video Game and American History!

Olsson, Tore C.  Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past.  

        New York: St. Martin's Press, 2024.  ISBN: 9781250287700

Do you play video games?  Are you into American history?  What about a video game that is set in a particular time period in American history?  If so, Red Dead's History would be an enjoyable read as Tore C. Olsson explores 1899 America via Red Dead Redemption II.

Olsson opens with an preface that outlines the origin of the book (blame Covid since it drew him back to gaming) which developed out of a class he taught at the University of Tennessee in 2021.  Then, in the introduction, he provides a blueprint for how he approaches history in relation to the game.  He also lays out his views on the accuracy of historical events and settings found in the game.  The rest of the book covers The West, The Deep South, and Southern Appalachia and finishes with an epilogue.

In Part I: The West, Olsson has seven chapters that explore what do we mean by "The West,"  Indian Wars, trains, cowboys, gunslingers, the Pinkertons, and outlaw gangs.  In Part II: The Deep South, Olsson dives into the paradox of race relations, the transition from Old South to New South, the Ku Klux Klan, chain gangs, field work, Jim Crow, the myth of "the Lost Cause," New Orleans, and suffragists in 10 chapters.  Part III: Southern Appalachia has three chapters that explore the myth of Appalachia, the resource scrambles that have shaped Appalachia , and blood feuds in Appalachia. The epilogue has Olsson's personal reflections on the game, American history, and all the fun he had on the way.

If you have played Red Dead Redemption II, this is a book for you.  If you enjoy American history and pop culture, Olsson's analysis of the game and its juxtaposition between American history and American historical myth makes for an interesting read.