If you’re into strange and fascinating history, Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a must-read. This book, based on Mahnke’s popular podcast, is packed with bizarre and unsettling stories, from the unexpected origins of the croissant to daring wartime escapades involving a heroic dog. Each tale is short and engaging, making it easy to pick up and put down, perfect for fans of weird history and intriguing facts.

Very interesting stories. The stories are very short but they don't need to be longer. It's not the type of book I would buy due to its format. It is very well researched and I could see it being used as a reference in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

Aaron Mahnke's intriguing collection of bite-sized oddities of history makes for excellent "pick up and put down" reading. A cab driver who hits and kills two brothers exactly one year apart. A lock-picking orangutan. The odd fate of the men aboard the Hunley, which sank the Housatonic in the Civil War in the first torpedo attack. How the croissant got its shape and name. The man who was a dwarf when young and a giant as an adult. A nuclear bomb dropped on South Carolina.

Each vignette is a 2-3 minute read, usually presented with the vital piece of the information withheld until the end: the troubled West Point cadet was Edgar Allan Poe, Tsar Alexander's body wasn't in the coffin, you might know Samuel better as Mark Twain, etc. The others have a pithy moral or a "dad joke" at the end.

The pieces are grouped into topics like inventions, literature, and war, and they span prehistory to current events. My interest in the volume rose and fell in accordance with the subject; sometimes it just didn't interest me and other times--especially historical mysteries--they were too speculative to be satisfying.

The format makes this book an easy one to pick up and read a few capsules, which is a pleasant way to consume these oddities in a light, breezy, fun manner.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in return for an honest review.

Fun collection of strange coincidences, odd happenings and just bizarre occurrences. The stories include historical events, medical syndromes, and quirky interactions. It was a fun read that could be enjoyed one tale at a time! Well researched and written, although the puns started to wear on me.

Have you ever wandered through a person's personal library or living room and noticed a variety of strange objects that are displayed? Those are often called conversation pieces in that they generate questions that lead to discussions. Aaron Mahnke thinks of The Enlightenment Room at the British Museum as a wonder room or cabinet of curiosities - in essence a collection of objects gathered by the British from around the globe that they saw and went "huh" about. In Cabinet of Curiosities, Mahnke and Marks have gathered some 160 of the stories that have appeared on his podcast arranged by topic.

Mahnke and Marks have gathered an interesting collection of tales that makes the reader wonder, go "Huh," and/or say "What!" in this collection of short tales. The first topic is Curious Americana with 10 tales (Time Traveler about a 124 old gentleman is one). The second topic is Wild Coincidences with 15 tales - "Luck of the Irish about a Irish girl working on the Titanic and other ships makes the reader question the concept of luck. The third topic is Fantastic Beasts with 12 tales - here you find tales of bears, horses, whales, and a lock-picking orangutan. Unbelievable Stunts is topic number four (9 tales). Among these tales is that of Walter who seemed to attract lightening and Ernie who survived plan crashes and 9 major concussions! Topic five is Bizarre Events with 11 tales that include the time South Carolina had an atomic bomb dropped on it and the time British Airways managed to loose a pilot mid-flight (well almost loose him)! Strange Literature with 12 tales is topic six. One such tale reads like a murder mystery while another dealt with a death prediction! Topic seven is Remarkable Inventions with 9 tales that lead to the creation of Braille and a chess playing robot in 1770 among other things. Eerie Mysteries is topic eight with 13 tales which include glider models found in Egyptian tombs and the locked-room murder of the King of Bridge. Topic nine delves into the Baffling Origins of 10 items such at the croissant, the Pinkerton Detective Agency, or Beauty and the Beast. Uncanny People is topic ten with 16 tales of poisoners, Chinese ladies, or folks who make music with rocks! Topic eleven takes the reader to Peculiar Places with 8 tales of the Crypt of Civilization, hidden chambers in France, and a very windy city in Iran. More than Human is topic twelve with 8 tales of folks doing the seeming impossible such as Carl who played the violin with his feet or folks that can remember pretty much every moment of their lives. Topic thirteen drops the reader int Puzzling Crimes with 11 tales of forged art, fake ghosts, and con artists. Wartime Wonders is the fourteenth and final topic with 15 tales about a game that brought the FBI to the game company's headquarters, soldiers running away from a horde of hares, and a cursed plane.

Majnke and Mark's Cabinet of Curiosities is a book to keep around and delve into when you just want something to entertain yourself without having to think too hard. Each tale is short, entertaining, and designed to make your wonder. And the nice thing about having these tales in written form is that Mahnke and Marks provide their sources for each story so the reader can follow up those that really catch their interest!

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the fun of reading this title!

Another installment from Aaron Mahnke that would appeal to people looking for witty, short anecdotes to read or share with their friends and family. I would like to see citations within the stories or a short bibliography after the stories to learn more. It is wide reaching in both regions represented and types of people discussed.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, opinions are my own.

<i>Cabinet of Curiosities</i> is a collection of strange historical anecdotes, ranging from interesting bits of trivia to downright bizarre occurrences. Each story is just a few pages long, which makes this perfect book to dip in and out of.

Received via NetGalley.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I really loved the concept for this book, and a lot of the stories were neat and random. It’s the kind of things I found myself quoting and talking to my family about. I could also see my oldest kid loving the random facts. I would be between 4 and 3.5 stars, though, because some of the stories seemed more odd than cool facts and didn’t seem to be very significant, and there were soooooo many puns it got a little silly. I like a pun and a dad joke now and then, but I was doing some serious eye-rolling. Overall, it was neat and would appeal to people who love random facts and coincidences.

Now I've never heard a podcast by this author, but the title and blurb made me want to read this book.
I was not disappointed, these are all short stories, about 6 pages, and then your on to the next, because my attention was grabbed by the last, I wanted more!
Coincidences, unbelievable and really! I never realized how many unsettling, unbelievable happenings there are, but they are documented here.
I read some of these to my family, and they didn't want me to stop at one, yes, they are attention grabbers. I really enjoyed this read!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

A delightful collection of short stories about a variety of bizarre things that really reminded me of those world record type books that used to be more common in the mid-2000s. I do wish there were some pictures or at least illustrations, as I feel like that would have taken this book further than just the short stories alone. 3.25/5

I've been a fan of Aaron's podcasts for years and began listening to Cabinet of Curiosities from the first episode. This book is based on that podcast, and if you enjoy his writing style, you will absolutely eat this up. If you are new to the author - get ready to have a new obsession. There is a little something for everyone here, from bizarre history to enthralling mysteries, and I enjoyed every minute.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

I found this to be a captivating and interesting book! Each story is a morsel of information that usually has a surprise worked in! I especially enjoyed how nicknames were used in the beginning of the story, and then the real name was provided! So fun!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'm going to watch the podcasts!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was little morsels of unusual stories and was like reading mini episodes of the author's podcast. I read them in his voice! I read a few chapters in between reading other books, and it served as a good palette cleanser for when I was reading heavier things. Would recommend for any fans of the Lore podcast!

Cabinet of Curiosities is a book that should be savored. Author of Aaron Mahnke has compiled some of the best stories from his podcast. The book is a well organized compilation of stories that need to be read and shared. Strange coincidences, unsettling, remarkable, unexpected, this book is filled with short stories that fit the bill. I feel like this is the perfect gift and I can't wait to share it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I was curious to read this book because I had recently had the podcast recommended to me. It surprised me that I didn’t like this book more; I like the podcast format better. Part of that reason I think is because the podcast stitches two of these stories together, making for a short, about 10-minute listen. Sitting down to read the book is just a different experience. The writing style, while good for the podcast version, gets old when reading it. This book would probably be better enjoyed if you were to read it in small sections at a time. For a book that is based in fact, it is fairly lightly researched. The stories are good hooks to get you to look into various events, think of it as history lite, fun if not fully satisfying.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in return for my honest review.

4 stars

This book is an interesting collection of very short tidbits about occurrences in history. Some are funny, some are sad. I enjoyed reading the little vignettes. Although I knew many of them, I didn’t know all the coincidences or timing of the events.

I think my favorite stories were Franklin’s bones in the basement and the story of “Uncle Sam.”

The writing is very clear and easy to read. Children, as well as adults will enjoy these stories.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With the expanding world of podcasts. I have not yet encountered Aaron Mahnke's pod that gave inspiration for this fun and interesting book. Full of small 'featurettes', this book can be consumed all in one read from start to finish, or could be digested in multiple sessions of curious oddities and amazement. Think of it as somewhat akin to "Ripley's Believe it or Not" or one of Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story" broadcasts.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the segments. Some I had previously heard or read about in the past, and some sparked more "wow" reactions than the others. All-in-all, this was a quick read and entertaining, and inclusion of the author's own commentary kept the book from reading more like an encyclopedia of facts.

I will be investigating Mr. Mahnke's other work, including his related podcast offerings.

Get ready to dive into some of the most curious items, people, and places in history. Aaron Mahnke takes us on a fantastic journey, with short pieces on a wide array of oddities. If you enjoy a bit of the unknown, the mysterious, and the downright crazy of things - you are going to love this book.

I have been slowly reading through this, trying to drag it out as long as I could. There were times I didn't want to stop, but devouring this book in one sitting just didn't feel right.

Not well researched, not much that's new, no depth, trying to be too pithy | Meh. That's how I generally felt about this right from the start, and it went down from there. It wasn't really worth my time, because I knew more about most of these tidbits than was provided, especially the ones that I knew were being presented misleadingly. The style annoyed me, too, since the entries are so short it meant the saccharine "The More You Know" Lesson of the Day used to wrap up every one takes up an outsize proportion of the entry. This could have been a great book but it was not executed at all well, and leaves the impression of a rush to publication by people who aren't qualified to do the proper research for a project of this scope.

So, you’ve got Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke in your hands, a book that promises to take you on a wild ride through history’s quirkiest moments, kind of like a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! meets your high school history teacher. It’s a collection of oddities, mishaps, and tales that make you question how the world ever made it this far without tripping over itself.

The Good Stuff: Mahnke’s knack for storytelling shines here. If you’re a fan of the podcast, you’ll feel right at home with his style—each story is like a cozy fireside chat with a slightly eccentric uncle who has a seemingly endless supply of weird anecdotes. The tales themselves are undeniably interesting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about a dog that accidentally goes to war and ends up capturing a German spy? Or the mind-bending fact that the croissant, that quintessential French pastry, wasn’t even invented in France. There’s a certain charm in how Mahnke pieces together these bits of forgotten history and makes you wonder why we never learned about them in school. It’s like being at a dinner party where the host keeps whipping out these bizarre facts, and you're genuinely entertained—until you start questioning where they’re getting their information.

Which brings me to the slightly sketchy part. The bibliography seems to have been pulled from a mix of Wikipedia, possibly Reddit, and your grandma's collection of questionable factoids. If you’re the kind of reader who likes to know that their trivia is backed by solid research, you might find yourself raising an eyebrow (or both). It’s not that the stories aren’t fun—they are—it’s just that you might want to double-check before you drop one of these “facts” at your next trivia night.

While the stories are engaging, the format can get repetitive. The “weird historical fact” formula works great in a podcast, where each episode is a bite-sized piece of intrigue. But in book form, reading one after another can start to feel a little like you’re binge-watching a show when maybe you should’ve taken a break between episodes. The pacing is uneven, and you might find yourself skimming through some of the less captivating stories just to get to the next mind-blower. If you’re already a fan of Mahnke’s work, the book doesn’t necessarily offer anything new—it’s more like a greatest hits album. That’s not a bad thing, but it does make you wonder if you’d be better off just re-listening to your favorite episodes instead of reading them.

This book is a solid read, especially if you’re into oddball history and need a quirky coffee table book to impress your guests. It’s like a box of assorted chocolates—some pieces are delicious, some are just okay, but overall, it’s a fun treat. Just don’t expect every story to leave you in awe. Maybe take this one in small doses.