Cursed Objects: Strange But True Stories of the World's Most Infamous… (edição 2020)

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this from the publisher to review.

Content (4/5): I liked this; it was an easy and entertaining read. I loved learning about these cursed things and some of the history behind them. I was continually disappointed though that there weren't any actual photographs in here, just cartoon drawn images of them. This would have been so much more interesting if we'd been able to see some old-time photos of these objects or at least of some of the newspaper articles and other things that were referenced.

Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The articles on each object are only a few pages long, so this makes a good coffee table book. I've also been picking it up at night and reading a story or two to my teenage son when we have some downtime. It’s an easy and accessible read. Some of the topics are a bit on the mature side, so make sure to read through it yourself before reading to younger kids. I was disappointed in the drawings and would have loved photographs instead. The drawings were cartoonish and were mostly just distracting without adding anything to the book...I would have preferred they not be there at all.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this is well done and great for those who like reading about weird and curious history. I just kept having to stop and search for photos of the cursed objects being discussed online...would have been sooo much nicer to have them included in the book. ( )

A collection of famous and infamous items or locations that are rumored to be cursed. The Hope Diamond and King Tut are covered, of course, and some other items that have become well-known for being dangerous in more recent years. Valentino's cat's eye ring, both dolls Robert and Annabelle, the Dybbuk Box, and James Dean's Porsche are here, along with chapters on the prevalence of cursed stones and images throughout the world and cursed cemetery statuary. Even though the illustrations are spooky, I wish there were actual photos. The book is really well-made with heavy paperstock, made to last, and turning it under the light makes the images on the cover shimmer. ( )

The stories are mostly presented in the same way, and some are interesting, but if the author has a real fascination with these items it isn't communicated. ( )

This book was so much fun to read. It’s no secret that I’m slightly obsessed with all things paranormal, supernatural, occult... (the list goes on) so I was excited to read this. There’s lots of good stuff in here, from the famous items to the bot so famous. Annabelle, The Hope Diamond, The Dybbuk Box and sooo much more. I think it was made even cooler for me personally because I have been to Zak Bagans’s haunted museum and they talk about the museum and a few of its items in this book and to have seen these objects in real life is awesome. If you enjoy reading about stuff like this then this book is a must read. ( )

Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items by J. W. Ocker is a highly recommended look at several cursed items which are explained and described in an informative and sometimes hilarious way.

Ocker makes it clear in the introduction that you don't have to believe in cursed objects to be interested in the stories surrounding them because a large part of the curses are the stories and tragedies that surround the various objects. The stories are what gave then the reputation of being cursed and the curses are remembered through the retelling of the stories. There are so many cursed items around the world that Ocker chose the objects for this book as follows: "Could I inadvertently pick it up at a flea market or an antiques store and bring it into my home? or Could I brush up against it in a museum and be forever damned? And, with a handful of notable exceptions, that’s exactly what is included in this book."

Included with the scary stories surrounding the objects and their curses are witty, funny, and irreverent remarks that help lighten the mood, which some of us might need after reading about many cursed objects. Objects are divided up into seven different categories. The book includes illustrations of various objects, a selected bibliography and index. (The illustrations are very nice, but I couldn't help but want pictures of the objects.)
Contents include:
I. Cursed Under Glass: The Hope Diamond; Ötzi the Iceman; M-Aori Taonga; The Tomb of Tutakhamen; Muramasa Swords; The Unlucky Mummy; The Ring of Silvianus
II. Cursed in the Graveyard: The Black Aggie; The Bjorketorp Runestone; The Tomb of Timur; The Black Angel;The Gravestone of Carl Pruitt; The Bronze Lady; Shakespeare's Grave
III. Cursed in the Attic: The Crying Boy Paintings; The Baleroy Chair of Death; The Dybbuk Box; The Basano Vase; Rudolph Valentino's Ring; Robert the Doll; Busby's Stoop Chair; The Conjured Chest
IV. Cursed in Stone: The Little Mannie with his Daddy's Horns; The Cursing Stone; The monogram of Patrick Hamilton; The Cursed Pillar; The Hexham Heads; The Amber Room; The Treasure of Cahuenga Pass
V. The Business of Cursed Objects: Annabelle the Doll and the Warren Collection; John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal; Zak Bagans's The Haunted Museum; The Traveling Museum of the
Paranormal and Occult; Cursed on Ebay
VI. Why Aren’t These Objects Cursed?: The Mummified Head of the Dusseldorf Vampire; The Mitchell-Hedges Crystall Skull; The Miniature Coffins of Arthur's Seat; The Skin Book of James Allen; The Antikythera Mechanism
VII. The Curse in the Machine: The Prague Orloj; The Hungarian Suicide Song; James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder; 0888-888-888; The Berzerk Video Game Cabinet; Chain Emails
Plus there are extra chapters included in each section

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Quirk Books.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/09/cursed-objects.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3556773185 ( )