The Reference Desk

In this episode, Katie is bewitched by Cassie Chadwick. 

In 2021, everyone learned the name "Anna Delvey," fake heiress and SoHo grifter extraordinaire. But over a century before Anna partied with pharma bros and Fyre Fest scammers, Cassie Chadwick was laying the foundation for all female con artists; setting a bar so high for fraud and fakes few would ever come close to achieving her level of Master Swindler. 

Born Elizabeth "Betty" Bigley on a rural Canadian farm, this gilded-age grifter would go on to operate under dozens of aliases. From clairvoyant to an heiress, Bigley wreaked havoc across the midwest with a lifelong string of scams. But it was as Cassie Chadwick, the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie, that her name and face would gain international attention when she pulled off one of the biggest financial frauds of all time. 

If you are interested in purchasing any of the books mentioned in this episode, visit our bookshop! 

Staff picks: 

-The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

-Abbott Elementary (TV series)

Recommended reading:

-Queen of the Con by Thomas Crowl

-Greed in the Gilded Age by William Elliott Hazelgrove

-Confident Women by Tori Telfer

-Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

-Lucky by Marissa Stapley

-Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Links: 

The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance  

Nerves of Steal 

Cassie Chadwick: Female Wizard of Finance 

Glitzy, Tragic, and Selfish 

Cassie L. Chadwick 

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In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Lizzie Borden. 

Lizzie Borden took an ax
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.

But is that what really happened? On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abbie Borden were murdered in their home by an axe in broad daylight. Lizzie, Andrew's daughter, was the only suspect in the murder but she was acquitted through a trial sensationalized in the media and lived the rest of her life as a free, though publicly tormented figure. No one else was ever tried for the crime and it technically remains an unsolved murder. 

Staff picks: 

• Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Jessica Spotswood
• Lessons in Chemistry  by Bonnie Garmus
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Related media recommendations: 

• The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015)
• Lizzie Borden Took an Axe (2014)
• Lizzie (2018)
• The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller
• The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson
• The Jennings Journals 1892: The unpublished notes and documents from the files of Lizzie Borden’s Defense Attorney, Andrew Jackson Jennings.
• See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
• Maplecroft by Cherie Priest
• The Murderer's Maid by Erika Mailman

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!

Sources:

Lizzie Borden.

Famous Trials: Lizzie Borden Trial.

https://lizzieandrewborden.com/

Why 19th Century Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden was Found Not Guilty 

The Long Silence of Lizzie Borden

CBS: Lizzie Borden Case Images

On the Market: Lizzie Borden House for Sale

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On this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by Key West. 

As the southernmost point in the continental U.S., Key West, Florida, takes some work to get to. But you'll find this place of weirdness, inclusivity, and strange history well worth the voyage. From its beginnings as a shipwreck paradise to its current vibrant mix of American, Spanish, and Caribbean influences, Key West is full of great stories. We'll cover the history of this cayo Hueso from its indigenous people to Spanish colonization to modern times, through a look at some of the elements that make Key West so wonderfully unique: The Conch Republic Secession, the very creepy Carl Tanzler and his corpse bride, the story of the notorious haunted Robert the Doll, and the evolution of Fantasy Fest. Stick around until the end for books about and in Key West, our first-ever content overlap, and the best review of a lift-the-flap book you've ever heard. 

Staff picks: 

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic by Cory Thoman Hutcheson

Key West reads: 

Hidden History of the Florida Keys by Laura Albritton and Jerry Wilkinson

Hemingway’s Key West by Stuart B. McIver

Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean by Les Standiford

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

The Key West Food Critic Mysteries series by Lucy Burdette 

Naked Came the Manatee by Carl Hiaasen et. al.

Purchase these books and all of our other recommended titles here! 

Key West Artists: 

https://keywestartcenter.com/artists

https://tskw.org/

https://www.oceanbluesstudio.com/

Sources: 

Key West Fantasy Fest Turns 40

Fantasy Fest Agreement & Nudity Restrictions Discussed at Length By Key West Officials

Key West to Allow Body Paint in Designated Zone for 2022 Fantasy Fest

Why Are There So Many Chickens on the Streets of Key West?

Key West Declared a Faux War on the U.S. in 1982

Conch Republic Passports

Hijacker Linked to 'Conch' Passport

The Time the Florida Keys Tried to Secede from the U.S. by Dropping Conch Fritter Bombs

History of the Florida Keys and Wrecking

Key West Shipwreck History

The Calusa

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In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969. 

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was a music festival that happened from August 15-17 in 1969 on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. It was billed as an Aquarian Exposition providing three days of music and peace. Thirty-two acts performed for the nearly 500,000 attendees over the three days and Rolling Stone Magazine lists it as one of the top 50 moments that changed Rock and Roll history. There have been attempts to recreate the iconic music festival and all have been unsuccessful, most notably the absolute disaster of Woodstock 1999. So what made the original festival so special? 

Staff picks: 

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price 

Related media recommendations: 

Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber 

Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 by Bob Spitz

The Road to Woodstock by Michael Lang

Three Day Summer by Sarvenaz Tash

Woodstock, Baby!: A Far-Out Counting Book by Spencer Wilson

www.woodstock.com

https://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!

Spotify Playlists

Woodstock 1969 - Full Chronological Setlist

Best of Woodstock 1969

Sources:

Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99

Woodstock '99

Woodstock

Richie Havens | 50 Years of Peace & Music

Joan Baez Looks Back at Woodstock: ‘It Was the Eye of the Hurricane’

Peace, Love and Music: The Legacy of Woodstock 50 Years Later

Woodstock 1969: How a Music Festival That Should've Been a Disaster Became Iconic Instead - HISTORY

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In this episode, Katie is bewitched by lobotomies. 

The U.S. has a long and tragic history of barbaric and inhumane treatment of people living with mental illnesses. From overcrowded institutions to painful experimental treatments, patients were subjected to the unthinkable. Admittance to a state hospital was tantamount to a death sentence served in inhumane conditions. Then, a promising young neurologist introduced a new procedure inspired by the work of a Portuguese physician. Walter Freeman and the prefrontal lobotomy offered the promise of returning a patient home in a year or less. To many, this psychosurgery was seen as a miracle. But as thousands of unconsenting patients had the connections in their prefrontal cortexes severed by leucotomes and orbitoclasts, the true costs of the procedure were slowly revealed. 

Staff picks: 

• The Flatshare (and ALL the other books!) by Beth O'Leary 
• Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert 
• The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike + its Netflix adaptation

Related media recommendations: 

• The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness  by Jack El-Hai
• Madness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity, from the Bible to Freud, from the Madhouse to Modern Medicine by Andrew Scull
• Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
• My Lobotomy: A Memoir by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming
• The Lobotomist's Wife by Samantha Greene Woodruff
• The Mad Woman's Ball by Victoria Mas
• The Mountain, directed by Rick Alverson
• The Lobotomist, produced by American Experience PBS
• My Lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey by "All Things Considered" NPR

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!

Sources:

The Strange and Curious History of the Lobotomy
My Lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey
Psychosurgery, Ethics, and Media: A History of Walter Freeman and the Lobotomy
A Hole in the Head: A History of Trepanation
America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System
The Secret Lobotomy of Rosemary Kennedy
Mental Illness in Black Community, 1700-2019: A Short History
The Village at Grand Traverse Common: History

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Happy Halloween! The Reference Desk is back with a spooky, special Halloween episode! Turn off the lights, grab some Halloween candy and settle in as Hailee tells you one of Virginia's creepiest urban legends and Katie enthralls you with a haunted house story that is anything but typical. Plus, get some spooky reading recommendations for any level of scare.

The Reference Desk will be back for Season 3 on November 9th! Want to listen (or watch!) episodes 2 days early? Support us on Patreon!

Recommendations 

• The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
• The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
• My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
• Lute by Jennifer Thorne
• Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
• The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
• Other Terrors, edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Rena Mason

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!

Links:
The Bunny Man Unmasked
The True Story Of The Bunnyman, Northern Virginia's Most Gruesome Urban Legend
Bunny Man Bridge: Northern Virginia's Spooky Urban Legend
The Clifton Bunny Man

Witch Witchcraft Act is Which?
A True and Just Record...
I Bought a Witches' Prison
Real estate listing for The Cage 

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Join us in the stacks for our final episode of SEASON 2! This week, and always, we are bewitched by libraries! Learn about how we got into the library profession, listen to some listener stories, and check out some of our recommended readings about these magical places we love so much. 

We have had the best time researching and telling each other (and you!) all about the strange things that keep us up at night and can’t wait to see you again soon! 

Recommendations 

• I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks by Gina Sheridan
• The Story Collector: A New York Public Library Book by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
• Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise
• The Library Book by Susan Orlean
• The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murphy
• What You Wish For by Katherine Center
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!

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In this episode, Katie is bewitched by the tragic story of the Radium Girls.

Hundreds of young women were thrilled at the chance to paint clock faces and dials with a new kind of glow-in-the-dark paint in the 1920s. Factories that produced these new products paid three times as much as similar employers, with the added bonus of free access to the highly valuable radium that gave its paint its signature glow. At the time, radium was being added to everything from water to makeup and was touted as a miracle cure.  But within a few short years, the dial painters were suffering from everything from tumors to teeth loss. Dubbed the "radium girls" these brave women spent their final years locked in battle with the corporations that poisoned them.

What we are reading:
The Paris Library  by Janet Skeslien Charles
 Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane

Recommended:
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-1935 by Claudia Clark
The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
Glow by Megan E. Bryant
Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford
The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash

Links: 
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/we-used-to-put-radium-in-coffee/263408/

 https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/nyregion/mae-keane-who-painted-watch-dials-with-a-radium-mixture-dies-at-107.html

 https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/radionuclides.pdf

https://nypost.com/2017/03/22/skin-glowing-from-radium-ghost-girls-died-for-a-greater-cause/

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/curies-isolate-radium

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/radium-girls-radioactive-paint/index.html

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This week, Hailee is bewitched by the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Born Norma Jean in 1926, she was moved from foster home to foster home, living for a time in an orphanage and never having a stable home base. She was married off when she was only 16 years old and was discovered by an Army Airforce photographer sent to take morale-boosting photographs of female workers during WWII.  Marilyn worked tirelessly on her craft, reading books and taking classes but she struggled with her past and with her mental health. Marilyn is much more than the blonde bombshell she has been pegged to be.

Recommendations 

• Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, edited by Bernard Comment 
• The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli
• Marilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria Steniem
• Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers
• Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!

Links
https://www.biography.com/actor/marilyn-monroe

https://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-life-of-marilyn--EqqS7PM6B13chDP6QRYNgtnk

https://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-joe-dimaggio-relationship

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/15/opinions/marilyn-monroe-film-critic-origseriesfilms-opinion/index.html

https://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-arthur-miller-relationship

https://www.grunge.com/417140/marilyn-monroes-eerie-letter-from-inside-a-psychiatric-hospital/

https://www.womansday.com/relationships/a60346/true-story-marilyn-monroe-john-f-kennedy-affair/

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/entertainment/gallery/marilyn-monroe/index.html

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This week, we continue telling the story of Julia Child. 

After returning to America, Julia Child became a star within the culinary world, thanks to her best-selling cookbook. But it was a local television studio that made her a household name. After a successful guest appearance, Julia was given her own series on PBS. For nearly four decades, Julia remained a constant presence in American homes, thanks to her down-to-Earth, fun-loving approach to home cooking.

This week's recommendations:

Currently Reading:

A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox
Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty and David Roberts

Non-fiction suggestions:

My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme
In Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child by Pamela Heyne and Jim Scherer
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Fiction suggestions:

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Abundance by Amit Majmudar
The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

Children's suggestions:

Minette's Feast by Susan Reich and Amy June Bates
Julia, Child by Kyo Maclear and Julia Morstad
Born Hungry by Alex Prud'homme and Sarah Green

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