Published on

  • September 27, 2017

I’m thrilled to announce events for my upcoming book tour in the US, beginning with the book launch at the MUTTER MUSEUM on October 17th. Below is more info about each venue, as well as links to where you can register for events. I’ll be updating info on this page from time to time, so please check back periodically. Meanwhile, don’t forget you can now pre-order THE BUTCHERING ART. All pre-orders count towards first-week sales, and give debut authors (like me!) a chance at hitting the NYTimes Bestseller List when the book is released. The more pre-orders, the more buzz, which means more publicity for medical history! Please do consider supporting me by purchasing your copy of The Butchering Art in advance.

And don’t forget to ask your local library to order a copy of the book, too!

  • THE MUTTER MUSEUM – PHILLY
    • October 17th, 6:30 pm
    • The official US book launch! Come hear me talk about the brutal and bloody world of Victorian surgery in one of the world’s creepiest anatomical museums that houses such strange objects as a giant megacolon, a necklace of genital warts [right], and a 74-pound ovarian tumor. Book signing to follow.
    • Purchase tickets HERE
  • THE HISTORICAL AMPHITHEATRE AT PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL – PHILLY
    • October 18th, 6 pm
    • Come listen to me talk about the birth of modern surgery in the nation’s oldest  surgical amphitheatre [below], built in 1804.  This event is co-hosted by Atlas Obscura, and will be followed by a book signing & drinks in the medical library.
    • Purchase tickets HERE. 
  • THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE – SAN JOSE
    • October 20th, 7:30 pm & 9 pm
    • This was once the personal residence [below] of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester, who believed the house was haunted by the ghosts of those killed with Winchester rifles. I will be doing two book signings that evening. You can also take a candlelight tour of the house… should you dare!
    • The event is free and open to the public. No need to register. Further info can be found HERE.
  • THE GAMBLE HOUSE – PASADENA 
    • October 21st, 7 pm
    • The Gamble House was designed by brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, and built in 1908 for David B. Gamble of Procter & Gamble. But you may recognize it as Doc’s house from Back to the Future! I’ll be giving an open air talk on one of the house’s sleeping porches, built to protect the Gamble family against tuberculosis at the turn of the twentieth century. I’ll also be signing books after the main event.
    • Purchase tickets HERE
  • THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY – PASADENA 
    • October 22nd, 5:30 pm
    • Learn about “The Last Butchers of Bloomsbury” in Rothenberg Hall at the Huntington Library in Pasadena. I’ll be talking about the horrors of pre-anesthetic surgery, and the butchers who were lauded for their brute strength and speed. Book signing to follow.
    • This event is free and open to the public. Please register for tickets HERE and pre-order your book via the Huntington’s Bookstore before the event HERE
  • THE LAST BOOKSTORE – L.A. 
    • October 24th, 8:00 pm
    • Join me for a fun evening in one of LA’s quirkiest bookstores [right] where I’ll be horrifying attendees with stories about “Sawbones, Butchers, and Quacks!” Paul Koudounaris, author of Empire of Death, will be leading a discussion afterwards. Book signing to follow.
    • The event is free and open to the public. No need to register. More info can be found HERE
  • THE DITTRICK MUSEUM – CLEVELAND 
    • October 26th, 6 pm
    • The Dittrick Museum is one of the midwest’s hidden gems, containing an extensive collection of medical history objects. Join me in this incredible space while I talk about the bloody and brutal world of Victorian surgery. Book signing to follow.
    • This event is free, but you must register HERE
  • THE JAMES A. GARFIELD HISTORIC SITE – MENTOR, OHIO 
    • October 27th, 7 pm
    • Shortly after James Garfield was shot in 1881, twelve different doctors inserted unsterilized fingers and instruments into his body probing for the bullet. So began a long, agonizing death for the 20th President of the United States; a death that might have been prevented had surgeons adhered to Joseph Lister’s antiseptic techniques. Join me in the former President’s house to hear all about this dark episode in history. Book signing to follow.
    • This event is free and open to the public. No need to register. More info can be found HERE
  • BARNES & NOBLE – SKOKIE, ILLINOIS 
    • October 29th, 2 pm
    • Join me as I return to my hometown in Chicagoland! I’ll be talking about quacks and hacks from the past, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
    • This event is free and open to the public. No need to register. More info can be found HERE
  • THE SMITHSONIAN – WASHINGTON D.C. 
    • October 31st, 6:45 pm
    • Join me on HALLOWEEN at The Smithsonian for a spooky night you won’t soon forget! I’ll be covering everything from bodysnatchers to the 19th-century dead houses and beyond. Lots of gruesome surprises on the night! Book signing to follow.
    • Purchase tickets HERE. Enter promo code “234141″ to get $10 off.
  • HOUSE OF WAX BAR & MUSEUM – BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 
    • November 2nd, 5:30 pm
    • Combining mixology with the macabre, House of Wax [below] is Brooklyn’s newest, and most curious, full-service bar. Based on the panoptica touring attractions of the late 1800s, House of Wax exhibits a rare selection of waxwork sculptures featuring life-size, realistic displays of anatomy, pathology, anthropology and even death masks of famous (and infamous) celebrities. Join me as I read bloody passages from my book The Butchering Art. The event will be hosted by TV personality Ryan Matthew Cohn from Discovery Channel’s Oddities, who is also the museum’s curator. Book signing to follow. And if you’d like to buy me a drink afterwards, I won’t say no!
    • This event is free and open to the public. No need to register. More info can be found HERE
  • CONEY ISLAND CIRCUS SIDESHOW – NEW YORK CITY 
    • November 4th, TBD
    • Rooted in mass culture and the traditions of P.T. Barnum, dime museums, burlesque, and vaudeville, the Coney Island Circus Sideshow is a truly unique space. Join Duff Lambros (former MTV VJ, and author of the forthcoming book Backbone) and me for a fun-packed night. I’ll be doing a reading from The Butchering Art about an anatomist who died while dissecting a circus dwarf. Book signing to follow!
    • This event is free and open to the public. Registration opening soon!