Narrator Jefferson Mays delivers this carefully researched record of the early days of photography as though it were choice fiction. When William H. Mummler began his sideline in photography in 1862, he noticed a ghostly image in one of his photographs. In Mummler's society it was fashionable to dabble in spiritualism, and he began offering his "spirit photographs" to the public. Belief that the dead remained nearby was rampant, so expecting to see spirits in the ether, visible only to the camera, made perfect sense. Perceived as a threat to Christian doctrine as well as an exploiter of the public, Mummler was arrested, tried for fraud, and eventually cleared due to lack of evidence. Mays keeps his distance, displaying appropriate restraint despite outrageous Victorian allegations.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501966736
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Often provocative and never boring, Depraved provides plenty of material for water cooler discussions.
Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 5 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217338764
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
Swinton’s magnetic performance of this 10th anniversary edition adds meaningfully to the legacy of Laing’s...
Tilda Swinton is a joy to listen to in this homage to loneliness and paean for intimacy. Laing’s landmark work of unconventional art history proves to be as relevant as it was in 2016, if not more so, in an increasingly atomized, post-pandemic world where many, if not most, social interactions happen through our phones. Loneliness, in Laing’s eyes, is not a singular experience, and certainly not a moral failing, but a fact of human nature. Swinton’s clean, polished tone is subtly compassionate to the very real, relatable sufferings of the profiled urbanite artists. This account of our saddest human state is full of rich, hopeful detail.
Swinton’s magnetic performance of this 10th anniversary edition adds meaningfully to the legacy of Laing’s magnum opus.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 37 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250442710
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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