The Siblys of London: A Family on the Esoteric Fringes of Georgian England

Reviews of The Siblys of London: A Family on the Esoteric Fringes of Georgian England

"Susan Sommers has unearthed a fascinating cast of characters, largely unknown. She brilliantly integrates the improbable life of Ebenezer Sibly, shoemaker turned publisher, astrologer, quack, forger, bigamist, Swedenborgian, and freemason. With moderate income he traveled the more exotic byways of Georgian England, a con-man who allows us to experience a lost world, one that Sommers' extraordinary research reveals."–Margaret C. Jacob, Distinguished Professor of History, UCLA"In a mesmerising piece of historical detective work, Susan Mitchell Sommers traces the remarkable journeys of three brothers from an artisan family in an esoteric demimonde of lottery fraud, masonic conspiracies, Swedenborgianism, sermon piracy, astrology and quack medicine. A masterpiece of microhistory, The Siblys of London offers a compelling and memorable picture of the colourful esoteric underbelly of late eighteenth-century life."–Andrew Prescott, Professor of Digital Humanities, University of Glasgow"Historians of esoteric religion and the occult are exploring treacherous waters where deceptions and distortions are easily assumed to be true. The strength of Susan Sommers' book is that she is attuned to deceit, shrewd in her perceptions, and tells the truth about these colourful brothers with verve and colour."–Peter Lineham, Professor of History, Massey University"In this fascinating, deeply researched book, Susan Sommers evokes the mercurial careers of the male and female members of the Sibly family, including astrologers, patent medicine sellers, court reporters, Freemasons and a daring con-man. Tracing their rise from obscurity to national notoriety, Sommers shows how they exploited opportunities created by the upheavals of the period. Her work casts new light on the popular culture of the 18th and 19th centuries."–Professor Paul Monod, author of Solomon's Secret Arts: The Occult in the Age of Enlightenment