Welcome to my Blog about all matters relating to Charles Dickens, focusing especially on his interest in magic and spiritualism.  

All the articles are backed up by supporting notes and references: if you would like sight of these, please email me.

I would welcome any comments or further thoughts, or indeed disagreements, about anything I've written.

The Man Who Fooled Dickens

on Wednesday, 06 November 2013. Posted in Magic

Charles Dickens was not a man who was bothered too much with false modesty.  Nevertheless one man had him stumped.  Who was the mysterious conjurer, unnamed by Dickens himself, who fooled him so badly?

caston cartoon

Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens

on Friday, 30 August 2013. Posted in Spiritualism

Poor Samuel Johnson was mocked for his investigations into a ghost.  One man who supported him, however was Charles Dickens.  Why would a sceptic like Dickens take the side of Johnson?

cock lane ghost

The Madness of Catherine Crowe

on Monday, 01 July 2013. Posted in Spiritualism

Dickens was vehemently against Spiritualism and yet rather reluctant to attend séances himself.  Perhaps one reason might be because of what happened to a friend of his called Mrs Catherine Crowe.  

catherine crowe

Seeing Robert-Houdin

on Wednesday, 29 May 2013. Posted in Spiritualism

Continuing my quest to discover whether Charles Dickens ever met, saw, wrote to or spoke to Robert-Houdin?  For the first time there now appears to be some evidence directly from Dickens himself, as opposed to third parties.

poster

Robert-Houdin & Séances

on Thursday, 02 May 2013. Posted in Spiritualism

In a previous blog I posed the question of whether the famous French magician Robert-Houdin and Charles Dickens ever met; and came up with the answer that they probably didn’t.  However according to his son, Henry Dickens, they did – and at a séance.  Could this be true? 

robert houdin

Leaden Lozenges

on Thursday, 04 April 2013. Posted in Magic

Charles Dickens wrote about a conjurer swallowing leaden lozenges which resulted in the spoiling of his facial features.  Was this a prescient warning about lead poisionng and what was the origin of this rather macabre and unusual trick?  

fatal lozenge

Politically incorrect Charles Dickens?

on Monday, 04 March 2013. Posted in Magic

Did Charles Dickens 'black up' in order to portray the part of an Indian conjurer called Kia Khan Khruse - the only image known of whom is pictured below.  According to the distinguished actor Simon Callow and the renowned magic historian Ricky Jay, he did.  But are they correct?  

kkk children

Charles Dickens and Robert-Houdin

on Monday, 28 January 2013. Posted in Magic

Did Charles Dickens ever meet the most famous magician of the 19th century, the man who Harry Houdini took his name from, the French magician Robert-Houdin?  Many respected magic historian think he did: but are they correct?  

unmasking

Dickens Redeemed, Munito Part II

on Monday, 03 December 2012.

Was Charles Dickens justifiably criticised by Ricky Jay in Jay's Journal of Anomalies when he accused him of trying to guess how Munito the Learned Dog performed his tricks? 

jay journal

Dickens Castigated, Munito Part I

on Wednesday, 10 October 2012. Posted in Magic

Did the young Charles Dickens work out how Munito the Learned Dog performed his tricks? [This playbill is reproduced with the kind permission of Professor Eddie Dawes, and comes from his collection]

munito bill

The Pudding Wonder

on Friday, 17 August 2012. Posted in Magic

An analysis of Dickens' big finish to his act.

baker web

 

Tricks Upon the Cards

on Tuesday, 03 July 2012. Posted in Magic

Was Dickens using an out-of-date phrase when he wrote tricks upon the cards instead of card tricks?

 encyl web scarne web  neale web