The Tale of Edwin Booth
We’re all too familiar with John Wilkes Booth, and his role in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, but in this story called “Acting Out,” the author Aaron Mahnke focuses on John’s brother, Edwin. More successful and well known for his acting than his brother, Edwin had been touring with an international acting group and returned to the United States in 1864 to a country at war. As Edwin stood on a New Jersey train platform one day, he noticed a young man being pushed towards the train. As it pulled away, it caught the man, knocking him over. With quick reflexes, Edwin caught the young man and pulled him back to safety.Recognizing Edwin, the young man thanked him and relayed the story to his Union Army commanding officer; that officer wrote to the actor to thank him for saving his recruit, Robert Todd Lincoln, the President’s son. Edwin was unaware of his brother’s deadly plan, but in the years to come, the author wrote, rather than dwell on the dishonor brought on the Booth family, he chose to focus on the good deed he’d performed.
There are lots more stories like this in this treasure-trove of “curiosities,” as Mahnke calls them, inspired by the Enlightenment Room at the British Museum, a place he describes in the introduction. He says browsing that room is “like you’re also walking through someone’s personal library. It’s also, in a very real sense, a cabinet of curiosities,” and includes in its possession centuries-old oddities. The stories here also reach back in time and cover a variety of themes which are compiled into 14 chapters. As if browsing through a museum, readers can examine themes like “Bizarre Events,” “Eerie Mysteries,” and “Peculiar Places.” With titles like these, it’s hard to pick where to start.
A Tale as Old as Time
Fans of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” will no doubt enjoy the story “Art Imitates Life,” which introduces readers to Pedro Gonzalez, born in the 16th century and living off the coast of Africa. Afflicted with a disease called hypertrichosis, he had dark hair from head to toe. Because of this, he was kidnapped as a curiosity and presented as a gift to the King of France. King Henry looked with kindness on the man, had him educated, and gave him all the trimmings of a nobleman. He also changed his name to the Latin version: Petrus Gonsalvus.After the death of the King, Gonsalvus became the property of the King’s widow, Catherine de’ Medici, who arranged a marriage between Gonsalvus and one of her servants. Over the course of their marriage, the couple produced seven children. The notoriety that followed the couple caught the attention of writer Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, who them penned a story that eventually became a “tale as old as time,” or “Beauty and the Beast.”
In the story “Fancy Footwork,” readers learn of the German self-taught violinist, Carl Unthan. Born in the mid-1800s, he studied with the finest teachers and his notoriety grew, playing with an international orchestra and at sold-out performances. He even became an ace marksman while studying music. During performances, if a string broke on his violin, he would change it without leaving the stage.
The Popular Podcast Producer
His first podcast, “Lore,” which recounted true life scary stories, went on to become one of Apple’s most downloaded podcasts, then a Prime TV show, and a three-book series from Penguin Publishers.Mahnke went on to produce more popular podcasts, including the one that inspired this 322-page book. “Cabinet of Curiosities,” his “bite-sized storytelling” podcast, gave listeners what the book also offers: a guided tour of the unbelievable, the unsettling, and the bizarre. It’s style provides an easy reading experience—readers can read some now and save some for later. However, it’s also like eating potato chips; it’s hard to stop at just a few. Once one story is finished, readers may want “just one more.”
Mahnke has given readers 160 of his favorites stories with chapter titles like “Wild Coincidences,” “Unbelievable Stunts,” “Strange Literature,” and so on. Stories include tales about where the croissant was invented, a dog that stowed away and went to war, and how a popular espionage book series began from the author’s own real-life experience. Hint: Think Robert Ludlum.
One after another, there is a story for every reader and all ages. After reading one of these unbelievable stories, readers, like this reviewer, may feel compelled to do their own research to learn more about the subject or discover their basis in fact. It adds a bit of fun detective work to the experience. To the author’s credit, he included an extensive reference section at the back to get readers started.
