This post lists some selected “further learning” resources for participants in my Unboxing an Antique Ghost Show presentation via the Atlas Obscura’s Wonders at Home video lecture series.
Busting the Ghost Racket
Houdini’s Girl Detective: The Real-Life Ghost-Busting Adventures of Rose Mackenberg (2016)
I compiled, edited, introduced and republished this anthology of the fabulous Rose Mackenberg’s 1929 newspaper article series.
A typewritten manuscript for an unpublished book by Rose M., titled So You Want To Attend A Séance?, turned up at auction in 2011, but didn’t sell; I suspect that its contents are likely to be similar to these articles, which catalog some of Rose’s exploits in exposing the chicanery of fraudulent spirit mediums.
A Magician Among the Spirits (1924)
Harry Houdini’s own manifesto/archive of and volley in the “War of the Spirits” fought between skeptics (represented by himself) and faux-spiritualists during the early 1920s.
Mysteries at the Museum (2017)
Season 14, Episode 13 of the popular Mysteries at the Museum docu-series features a segment about Houdini and Mackenberg, including a re-enactment of their 1926 congressional appearance. The episode is available via Amazon Prime Video.
Spook Shows
Ghostmasters (1994)
Mark Walker’s tome is the classic work on this arcane subject. It includes a detailed chapter on Bob Nelson and his “Ghost Factory”, which produced the spookology props I inherited from my dad’s collection in 2016.
The collection is also scheduled to be featured in Jeff Markin’s upcoming documentary Alive!! On Stage!! The Return of the Midnite Spook Show, which is listed as being in post-production.
Social Media
Midnight Spook Show aficionados will enjoy chatting with fellow fans via the following Facebook groups:
Terrific presentation! I’m the writer/producer of an award winning campy horror revival of the spook show called Doctor Zomba’s Ghost Show of Terror. You can find out more about it at our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/DoctorZombasGhostshow/