Modern Magic

02/20/25 • 41 min

In which Anna and Judith travel back to a world of secrets in Victorian London. Expect multiplatform publishing, debates about access to knowledge, a found-poem performance and a marvellous trick.
When Angelo Lewis writes a book about his boyhood love, some readers are so outraged they wish him dead...

CONNECT WITH ANNA & JUDITH
Find more information and images at the Bookshapers website.
Follow Bookshapers on Instagram.
USEFUL LINKS
Explore a copy of 'Modern Magic' at the Internet Archive.
CREDITS
Recorded by Anna Faherty and Judith Watts. Edited and produced by Anna Faherty. Thanks also to Marco Tarantino of University of the Arts London for support with recording. Incidental music: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, composed by Paul Dukas in 1897 and performed by the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in 1929. Available at the Internet Archive.
Sound effects: The sound of the typewriter from tams_kp on freeounds.org
Theme music: Folk guitar music track from Dvideoguy on freesound.org | Typewriter sound effect from tams_kp on freeounds.org | Print shop sound effect from ecfike on freesound.org

Previous Episode

Botanica Blackwellia

In which Anna and Judith travel back to the degenerate world of Eighteenth-century London. Expect user-focused content and design, a performance in rhyming verse and a dash of gin.
When Elizabeth Blackwell's husband ends up in a debtor's prison, she thinks writing and illustrating her own book will save the day, but it's a mammoth task.
CONNECT WITH ANNA & JUDITH
Find more information and images at the Bookshapers website.
Follow Bookshapers on Instagram.
Follow Bookshapers on Twitter.
USEFUL LINKS
See Elizabeth's letter of introduction to Hans Sloane at the British Library.
'A Curious Herbal as Material Witness' at the Linnean Society.
'Will the Real Elizabeth Blackwell Please Stand Up?' at NYBG.
CREDITS
Recorded by Anna Faherty and Judith Watts. Edited and produced by Anna Faherty.
Incidental music: Concerti Grosso, Opus 3 No 2 in B-flat major composed by George Frideric Handel in 1734 and performed by The London Baroque Orchestra. Available at Wikimedia Commons.
Sound effects: The sound of the typewriter from tams_kp on freeounds.org
Theme music: Folk guitar music track from Dvideoguy on freesound.org | Typewriter sound effect from tams_kp on freeounds.org | Print shop sound effect from ecfike on freesound.org

Bookshapers - Modern Magic

Transcript

Introduction

Personally, I'd love to write a book on whatever takes my fancy, but it's rare to win a nonfiction publishing contract when you don't already have a reputation in the field. Our subject today did manage to do that, and his fascination with a rather secret profession ended up positioning him as a guiding light to others.

I would like to see a version of that trick where the magician was in the basket.

Yes, well again, give us 1