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The Odditorium
The Odditorium is a playful re-telling of history, told not through the lens of its victors, but through the fascinating stories of a wealth of individuals who, while lesser-known, are no less remarkable.
Throughout its pages you'll learn about the antics and adventures of tricksters, eccentrics, deviants and inventors. While their stories range from heroic failures to great hoaxes, one thing unites them - they all carved their own path through life. Each protagonist exemplifies the human spirit through their dogged determination, willingness to take risks, their unflinching obsession and, often, a good dollop of eccentricity.
Learn about Reginald Bray (1879-1939), a Victorian accountant who sent over 30,000 singular objects through the mail, including himself; Cyril Hoskin (1910-1981), a Cornish plumber who reinvented himself as a Tibetan lama and went on to sell over a million books; and Elaine Morgan (1920-2013), a journalist who battled a tirade of prejudice to pursue an aquatic-based theory of human evolution, which is today being championed by David Attenborough.
Elsewhere, we uncover the lesser-known obsessions of such historical giants as Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1726), whose beloved alchemy led to a lifetime's search for the philosopher's stone and elixir of life; and philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650), whose obsession with cross-eyed ladies led him to seek a 'cure' through the first recorded case of CBT.
While many of us are content to lead a conventional life, with all of its comfort and security, The Odditorium reminds us of the characters who felt compelled to carve their own path, despite risking ostracism, failure, ridicule and madness. While history wouldn't be the same without the likes of Shakespeare, Caesar and Einstein, it is when curiosity and compulsion meet that conventions are challenged, culture is re-invigorated and we find new ways to understand ourselves and the world around us.
Throughout its pages you'll learn about the antics and adventures of tricksters, eccentrics, deviants and inventors. While their stories range from heroic failures to great hoaxes, one thing unites them - they all carved their own path through life. Each protagonist exemplifies the human spirit through their dogged determination, willingness to take risks, their unflinching obsession and, often, a good dollop of eccentricity.
Learn about Reginald Bray (1879-1939), a Victorian accountant who sent over 30,000 singular objects through the mail, including himself; Cyril Hoskin (1910-1981), a Cornish plumber who reinvented himself as a Tibetan lama and went on to sell over a million books; and Elaine Morgan (1920-2013), a journalist who battled a tirade of prejudice to pursue an aquatic-based theory of human evolution, which is today being championed by David Attenborough.
Elsewhere, we uncover the lesser-known obsessions of such historical giants as Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1726), whose beloved alchemy led to a lifetime's search for the philosopher's stone and elixir of life; and philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650), whose obsession with cross-eyed ladies led him to seek a 'cure' through the first recorded case of CBT.
While many of us are content to lead a conventional life, with all of its comfort and security, The Odditorium reminds us of the characters who felt compelled to carve their own path, despite risking ostracism, failure, ridicule and madness. While history wouldn't be the same without the likes of Shakespeare, Caesar and Einstein, it is when curiosity and compulsion meet that conventions are challenged, culture is re-invigorated and we find new ways to understand ourselves and the world around us.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryScience
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2016
17 people are currently reading
1127 people want to read
About the author
David Bramwell
17 books14 followersDr. Bramwell is a man who likes to keep busy. A magpie by nature, he is the creator of the successful Cheeky Guide series, founder and host of Brighton’s Catalyst Club and singer-songwriter in the band Oddfellows Casino (Nightjar Records). His music and spoken word material have been featured on BBC radio 1, 3,4 and 6.
David has written books on subjects ranging from difficult words to sexuality for Penguin, Harper Collins and DK, has spoken at and hosted TEDx events, curated a tent at Port Eliot Festival and, together with fellow musician Eliza Skelton, entertained festival and cinema audiences with “Sing-along-a-Wickerman”.
His one-man show, The Haunted Moustache, won him awards for “Outstanding Theatre” and “Best Comedy Show” during the Brighton Festival, a BBC R3 commission for the series Between the Ears and a Sony Award in 2011.
His second one-man show, the No9 Bus to Utopia was based on a year spent travelling round communities in Europe and America in search of a better life. The show premiered in the Earth Ship in Brighton’s Stanmer Park and has since featured as a TED lecture and been performed at Alain de Botton’s School of Life, 5X15, the Idler Academy and Port Elliot Festival. He is happiest, however, performing it in the back room of a pub.
It is worth noting that Dr Bramwell is a medical man by rumour only; approach with extreme caution, particularly if he offers to whip out your tonsils in exchange for a packet of biscuits.
David has written books on subjects ranging from difficult words to sexuality for Penguin, Harper Collins and DK, has spoken at and hosted TEDx events, curated a tent at Port Eliot Festival and, together with fellow musician Eliza Skelton, entertained festival and cinema audiences with “Sing-along-a-Wickerman”.
His one-man show, The Haunted Moustache, won him awards for “Outstanding Theatre” and “Best Comedy Show” during the Brighton Festival, a BBC R3 commission for the series Between the Ears and a Sony Award in 2011.
His second one-man show, the No9 Bus to Utopia was based on a year spent travelling round communities in Europe and America in search of a better life. The show premiered in the Earth Ship in Brighton’s Stanmer Park and has since featured as a TED lecture and been performed at Alain de Botton’s School of Life, 5X15, the Idler Academy and Port Elliot Festival. He is happiest, however, performing it in the back room of a pub.
It is worth noting that Dr Bramwell is a medical man by rumour only; approach with extreme caution, particularly if he offers to whip out your tonsils in exchange for a packet of biscuits.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 23, 2021
History may be written by the victors, but it is made by people from all walks of life. Who these people are is often overlooked in the grander history books, but thankfully we have authors like David Bramwell & Jo Keeling who are prepared to poke around in the dustier areas of our past and tell the stories of those that have made their mark in one way or other.
They have split the characters in this book into five different sections, the first is Tricksters & Subversives, Creative Mavericks, Wild at Heart, Pioneers & Inventors and Explorers of the mind. In each part, there are around ten different people that they have found and are telling the story of.
There are a few that stood out for me. W Reginald Bray was one, who in the pursuit of his art, posted anything and everything that he could get in a letterbox. Quentin Crisp who was camp and gay at a time when it was illegal to be, and Alfred Wallace Russell who worked out evolution at the same time as Darwin and is buried just down the road from me in Broadstone. Two particular favourites are Flora Tristan who stood up for injustice before anyone else and Joseph Campbell who took a huge pile of books to a shack in Woodstock and spent four years reading them.
If you want a history book that looks at the people who often go against the flow and you almost certainly haven’t heard of, then this is a good place to start.
They have split the characters in this book into five different sections, the first is Tricksters & Subversives, Creative Mavericks, Wild at Heart, Pioneers & Inventors and Explorers of the mind. In each part, there are around ten different people that they have found and are telling the story of.
There are a few that stood out for me. W Reginald Bray was one, who in the pursuit of his art, posted anything and everything that he could get in a letterbox. Quentin Crisp who was camp and gay at a time when it was illegal to be, and Alfred Wallace Russell who worked out evolution at the same time as Darwin and is buried just down the road from me in Broadstone. Two particular favourites are Flora Tristan who stood up for injustice before anyone else and Joseph Campbell who took a huge pile of books to a shack in Woodstock and spent four years reading them.
If you want a history book that looks at the people who often go against the flow and you almost certainly haven’t heard of, then this is a good place to start.
January 2, 2025
Phenomenal. I had a very good laugh reading the book. Apart from the obvious fact that the people here are weirdos and wackos, the authors described them in such witty and entertaining ways.
January 6, 2020
This was fun, probably more of a bog book than anything but I'm happy to read that sort of thing through. My main criticism would be that the lives it focuses on are mostly white and American or European but it does dig out some interesting women
October 30, 2020
This was a fun book with brief bios written in a fun and snappy way. It was entertaining to learn about such bold and mischievous people who otherwise ended up under the radar. I enjoyed learning about a person or two with my morning coffee :)
September 30, 2017
Short biographies of some fascinating (and mostly) truely bizarre people.
Very easy to read.
Very easy to read.
September 13, 2018
Very entertaining. May lead to other follow up reads!
March 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this book! Very unique individuals and great story lines! Hope to read more like it in the future.
March 23, 2017
This book is beautifully made, it was really funny to read and informative too!
June 19, 2019
Entertaining and lighthearted look at some interesting and strange characters.
February 11, 2017
A delightful miscellany of people who thought (and frequently acted) outside the box and influenced the modern world to a greater or lesser degree, for good or ill. Some would make interesting dinner guests and others I wouldn't want to be within punching distance. It is the sort of book that devotees if QI or Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity would love, and I might have given it a bit higher score if there weren't so many typos in it. Co-author/editor Jo Keeling may claim to be "a devotee to slow and thoughtful journalism" and "is proud to be part of a growing subculture of independent publishers" but a bit of old fashioned slow and accurate proof-reading wouldn't go amiss.
November 24, 2016
I was overjoyed to have won this book in a GoodReads giveaway, as the premise sounded amazing and it did not disappoint.
This book is the literary equivalent of sitting on the late bus, the one with all the nutters, drunks and outcasts, and they are all sitting next to you. But... you kind of like having them there, as it makes the journey more interesting.
The Odditorium contains a few pages each on a large number of eccentric characters, in a reference book sort of format. You will surely have heard of some of them, but perhaps not known the entirity of their history, and with a weird variety of people some of the biographies are more interesting than others. Each chapter ends with a "Seeker's Directory", with books and films and things to visit to find out more about each of the eccentrics. I frequently found myself going off on a tangent searching for more information, or books, wanting to know more than some of the all too brief entries provided (by which I mean, the length meant certain detail was omitted, rather than the entries were too short overall - they are a good length to get an overview, but the more interesting creatures you will want to find out more about).
Thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining and educational to boot.
This book is the literary equivalent of sitting on the late bus, the one with all the nutters, drunks and outcasts, and they are all sitting next to you. But... you kind of like having them there, as it makes the journey more interesting.
The Odditorium contains a few pages each on a large number of eccentric characters, in a reference book sort of format. You will surely have heard of some of them, but perhaps not known the entirity of their history, and with a weird variety of people some of the biographies are more interesting than others. Each chapter ends with a "Seeker's Directory", with books and films and things to visit to find out more about each of the eccentrics. I frequently found myself going off on a tangent searching for more information, or books, wanting to know more than some of the all too brief entries provided (by which I mean, the length meant certain detail was omitted, rather than the entries were too short overall - they are a good length to get an overview, but the more interesting creatures you will want to find out more about).
Thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining and educational to boot.
January 17, 2017
This was a fairly enjoyable read, interesting ideas & facts, style was good.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews