Tag Archives: History

The magic of Owen Davies

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Owen Davies is a U.K.-based scholar who has been writing scholarly and popular books on magic and witchcraft for more than a decade now. I’d only learned about him by reading his Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009), which I … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Playing at history: your author as George S. Boutwell

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I mentioned in my previous post that I’d be spending this last Saturday in my old home town, playing a historical character. The character I was playing was George S. Boutwell (1818 – 1905), who served as a Massachusetts governor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Lady, History | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Conspiracies, imaginary and real

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Brian Bixby

On this date in 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute had its premiere in Vienna. For those of you who don’t know, The Magic Flute is famous for incorporating a great deal of Masonic symbolism into both the music and plot … Continue reading →

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Chapter 23 of Martha’s Children, and the Days of Rage

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Public attention in Chicago shifts from the debut of the Vampire Bureau to the arrival of militant radicals and the “Days of Rage” in chapter 23 of Martha’s Children, “Therefore be o’ good cheer, for truly I think you are damned.” Not … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

One billion years plus forty: Brian Aldiss and the history of sci-fi

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Brian Bixby

One of my constant readers, Judy (whose blog demonstrates her skills as a photographer), sent me a copy of Brian W. Aldiss’s Billion Year Spree: The True History of Science Fiction (1973), along with some cards featuring her photography. The … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Reading fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Goths (gothic writers, that is): twin birthdays

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Tuesday, July 9,  is another twin birthday of significance for readers of this blog. Two famous writers of gothic novels, Mrs. Radcliffe (1764-1823), author of The Mysteries of Udolpho, and “Monk” Lewis (1775-1818), nicknamed for his most popular work, The Monk, were … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Reading fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A few good words about time travel: two books, du Maurier and Riggs

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Having just trashed time travel in a previous post, I thought I’d cover two books that use it in unusual ways as a plot device, one book an old favorite, the other a recent book I’ve just read. The old … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chapter 17 of Martha’s Children, and the Walker Report

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In “To unburden all my plots and purposes,” chapter 17 of Martha’s Children, Sherlock Kammen finds out more about how Martha and sorcerers may affect his chances to get back on the police force. And for all you women’s libbers, as … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chapter 14 of Martha’s Children, the ’45, and the new blog background

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In “If Fortune be a woman, she’s a good wench,” chapter 14 of Martha’s Children, we get to meet the woman Sherlock Kammen trusts the most. Yes, she’s dead. No, this is not just some cynical joke of Kammen’s. Ivy … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The false prophet of Leyden, Massachusetts

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Brian Bixby

My recent post on cities reminded me of a curious story from the town of Leyden, Massachusetts. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts (for that is the official name of this state, a peculiarity shared with Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky) is completely … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments