Ghosts of the British Museum by Noah Angell

Ghosts of the British Museum 

by Noah Angell






Ghosts of the British Museum was published on 11th April 2024 by Monoray/Octopus. 

My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to

 Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.





Synopsis


When artist and writer Noah Angell first heard murmurs of ghostly sightings at the British Museum he had to find out more. What started as a trickle soon became a deluge as staff old and new - from overnight security to respected curators - brought him testimonies of their supernatural encounters. It became clear that the source of the disturbances was related to the Museum's contents - unquiet objects, holy plunder, and restless human remains protesting their enforced stay within the colonial collection's cabinets and deep underground vaults. According to those who have worked there, the institution is heaving with profound spectral disorder. With only 1% of its holdings on display, the British Museum is more a site of disappearance than an exhibition space. The neglect of millions of uncatalogued artefacts in museum storage, stockpiled during the rampant looting of the colonial era, is corroding the museum from the inside.





My Review


This is one of the most fascinating and interesting books that I have read for a long time, and I have not finished it yet. For me this is not the type of book to read all in one go but to read chapter by chapter and absorb what you are reading and , in my case, research more about the different artifacts and cultures that are talked about in the book.

I have visited The British Museum many times in the past and have to be honest there are areas of it that do have a strange feel to them . Consequently I wasn’t surprised by anything that I read and actually can’t wait to go back for another visit now that I know more about it. 

One thing I wish were possible is that we could view the millions of objects that are stored away and never, or hardly ever in some cases, seen by the visitors as it is incredibly sad  that , even though they are preserved, they cannot be appreciated by the public.

I am sure The British Museum cannot be the only museum with ghostly happenings as I am sure that anywhere that houses ancient relics has layers of history that is still present.

This is an entertaining and thought provoking read from Noah Angell and as it is his first book I am interested to see what he will write about next.



About the Author






Noah Angell is a writer and artist who works with orally transmitted forms such as storytelling and song. This work has led him to collaborate with the Polar Museum in the north of Norway, while working in North Carolina on a documentary film on gospel singer Connie B. Steadman, and in London, where he has collected testimony of the ghosts that haunt the British Museum. Born in the US, he was resident in London for over a decade and now lives in Berlin. This is his first book




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Delegate by Ali Carter

Image
The Delegate by Ali Carter   What a tangled web she weaved…   The Delegate by Ali Carter was  published on 29th November 2022 by Matador. My thanks to the author and publisher who sent me a copy and Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.      Synopsis Charlotte… Having been sprung by Mafia family the Zandini’s on a day release the previous year, and managing to ‘despatch’ one of their enemies in New York (plus a few extras), ex killer G.P> Charlotte Peterson was now securely back inside Rampton high Security Hospital. However, her work was unfinished and a second escape quite out of the question. It was why she had the need of a delegate. A killer to complete a very important job…someone she’d control. Annie… She had found the perfect person in Annie. A woman who felt cheated. A woman who was mentally and emotionally scarred in exactly the same way Charlotte had been throughout her own life. Annie was fully ripe for manipulation in t...
Read more

Tristan /Yseulte by Harry Bonelle

Image
 Tristan /Yseulte  by Harry Bonelle Tristan/ Yseult by Harry Bonelle  was published on 31st january 2024 by Unicorn. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours  for inviting me to take part on the tour. Synopsis Tristan/Yseult is a narrative poem about the yearning for oneness in a world split into fragments. A duel on an empty island sets the course for one of the greatest romances ever told. As the lovers of legend meet, something new is born, and something eternal is revealed. Their names will forever be spoken as one. This modern retelling of Tristan and Yseult sheds a stark light on the beauty of the Celtic tale. “Harry Bonelle’s new version taps into the dark and furious energy of the old saga, surging and juddering with life. Bonelle’s actor’s training has encouraged him to liberate the performance piece that its original author must have intended. Thrilling on the page, but even more so spoken loud....
Read more

My Father & Other Animals by Mike Kirby

Image
  My Father & Other Animals  by Mike Kirby  My Father & Other Animals was published in February 2024.  My thanks to Mike for sending me a copy  in return for an honest review. Synopsis My parents chose the Yorkshire Pennines – a tough place to pursue their dream of having their own farm. Dad, a man of many actions but few words, was as relentless as the farming seasons, and through long hours and lots of mud, sweat and tears, gradually carved out a living, slowly making real the vision that they shared. My Father and Other Animals tells the story of how this driven man, always hand in hand with Mum, and blessed with a unique understanding of his animals, brought their  farming dream to life, building a successful farming business against the backdrop of the South Yorkshire hills.  Together they raised  a family, blessing all four of their sons  with their  common sense and restless work ethic and love of being outdoors, working s...
Read more