Book Review: The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities

By Sandy Amazeen Aug 6, 2011, 0:56 GMT

The death of Dr. Thackery T. Lambshead in 2003 at his house in Wimpering-on-the-Brook, England, revealed an astonishing discovery: the remains of a remarkable cabinet of curiosities. A carefully selected group of popular artists and acclaimed, bestselling fantasy authors has been assembled to bring Dr. Lambshead\'s cabinet of curiosities to life. Including contributions from Alan Moore, Lev Grossman, Mike Mignola, China MiÉville, Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, Greg Broadmore, Naomi ...more

Although Thackery Lambshead frequently insisted he was not a collector, today he would certainly though perhaps wrongly, be classified as a hoarder. No matter the size, if an item caught his fancy then it found a place in the cabinet. The drawings, writings and photographs assembled here bring many of those forgotten treasures to light thanks to the imaginative fantasy writings of several top writers. From the bizarre like “The Thing in the Jar” to the poignant story behind “The Very Shoe” or the ill received “Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny” to the long tale involving “A Key to the Castleblakeney Key”, the faux history behind these “artifacts” is often more interesting then the items themselves.

Well written with plenty of meticulous line drawings, photos, excerpts from letters and manuscripts and more, this engaging read is sure to pique the interest of young and old alike. Several of the items will generate no end to head scratching as readers ponder who would dream this stuff up or the flip side, who would actually use or want these items in their house and that is all part of the good fun to be found by opening Lambshead’s Cabinet.