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nonfiction

Recently published nonfiction.

Posts tagged History
To See What the Upcoming Year Holds, Take a Solo Walk in a Dark Forest

Participating in the ritual known as årsgång, or “year walk,” promised information about the future—if a walker followed the rules and reached the local church or graveyard. This form of divination is recorded in documents dating back to the 1600s, but many such records refer to it as “ancient,” making it unclear exactly when Swedish people began performing the ritual.

Read at Atlas Obscura.

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The myth and reincarnation of John Wilkes Booth

To understand how the Shakespearean actor-turned-assassin from Maryland supposedly came to haunt a theater in Texas, you have to turn to local folklore, modern conspiracy theories and the book that likely started it all: Finis L. Bates’ “The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth,” published in 1907.

Read more at Scalawag.

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