Historic Oddities and Strange Events, 2nd Series (ePub)

Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924) was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, and eclectic scholar. He hailed from a family with diverse estates, which afforded him the financial stability to pursue a broad range of interests. Educated at Clare College, Cambridge, he was ordained in the Church of England and embarked on a lifelong commitment to writing and pastoral duties. His literary output was vast and varied, encompassing theology, folklore, history, and fiction. A quintessential Victorian, Baring-Gould's fascination with peculiar historical occurrences and legends is evident in works such as 'Historic Oddities and Strange Events, 2nd Series' (1891), which highlight his penchant for the macabre and the unusual situated within historical contexts. The eclectic nature of his written corpus serves as a testament to his insatiable curiosity and dedication to the preservation and exploration of cultural narratives. Baring-Gould also held notable influence in the realm of hymnody, authoring the enduring hymn 'Onward, Christian Soldiers.' His approach to literature was characterized by a didactic style, with a strong undercurrent of moral and social commentary, reflective of his clerical background and Victorian sensibilities. Despite achieving considerable popularity in his lifetime, much of Baring-Gould's work has since fallen into obscurity, with only a handful of texts, such as 'The Book of Were-Wolves' (1865), maintaining scholarly and cultural interest.