Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Episode 172: #notAllAstrologers

January 8, 2016 7:11 AM

While in London in December, the Consulting Occultist got a sneak peek at key items of John Dee’s book collection. Join us in previewing the upcoming exhibit Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee, which runs Jan 18-July 29 at the Royal College of Physicians.

Then we turn to the Gaming Hut for a consideration of apparent versus actual complexity in roleplaying games, and how to present simple game systems so they look as easy to run as they actually are.

Finally, if we were recently in London, you know that the time has come for another epic installment of Ken’s Bookshelf.

posted by graymouser (4 comments total)

Here are the books from this episode of Ken's Bookshelf:

The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life by Tom Reiss
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein: A Novel by Peter Ackroyd
England's First Demonologist: Reginald Scot and 'The Discoverie of Witchcraft' by Philip C. Almond
Palo Mayombe: The Garden of Blood and Bones by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold
Hooligan: A History of Respectable Fears by Geoffrey Pearson
Murders and Mysteries of the North York Moors by Peter N. Walker
William Lilly: The Last Magician, Adept & Astrologer by Peter Stockinger & Sue Ward
Phantom Terror: The Threat of Revolution and the Repression of Liberty 1789-1848 by Adam Zamoyski
(Original British version that Ken bought)
Spy: A Handbook by Harry Ferguson
Other Pasts, Different Presents, Alternative Futures by Jeremy Black
Shakespeare and the Countess: The Battle that Gave Birth to the Globe by Chris Laoutaris
Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell
The Pinkerton Casebook by Bruce Durie (no Amazon link)
Terror Within: Terrorism and the Dream of a British Republic by Clive Bloom
1968: The Year That Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky
The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism: Origins, Magic, and Secret Societies by Patrick Lepetit
posted by graymouser at 7:21 AM on January 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

The podcast's discussion of Tom Reiss's The Orientalist and Essad Bey (Lev Nussimbaum) reminded me that I should read Ali and Nino one of these days. I've heard it's a pretty good romance of the old orientalist pulp school.
posted by Gnatcho at 8:01 PM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

That book summary is a godsend. Thanks!
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:51 AM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

I kind of enjoy the Ken's Bookshelf segments, but it's often kind of hard to keep track, especially if you are listening and walking at the same time. Ditto for the film review segments.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:52 AM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]