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Marc Hartzman

@marchartzman

Author of We Are Not Alone, Chasing Ghosts, The Big Book of Mars, American Sideshow, and other books. MarcHartzmanBooks.com

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11.09.2023
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Latest posts by Marc Hartzman @marchartzman

Thank you! It’s been a fun and fascinating project. I’m eager for it to get out into the world!

04.03.2026 16:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Working through edits on my next book! Due out in less than a year from @quirkbooks.bsky.social!
#writing #books #author

04.03.2026 13:02 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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In case you were wondering. “There IS Life on Mars”
is from 1955. My book, The Big Book of Mars, from 2020, explores many early beliefs in life on Mars—including ideas about intelligent Martians way more advanced than us.
#mars #martians #aliens #marsbooks #hartzmanbooks

12.02.2026 23:16 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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‘There’s a code among sideshow performers’ Inside one of the world's least documented performance arts

Got a nice mention in this article about the art of sword swallowing:

lostartmedia.substack.com/p/theres-a-c...

12.02.2026 12:40 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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New to my collection - a great title and beautiful cover, from 1964. #bookcovers #bookdesign #shelfie #immortality

25.01.2026 15:41 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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I’ve been wanting a copy of this 1908 issue since I was writing The Big Book of Mars about 7 years ago. Finally showed up on eBay! It features thoughts on Mars by HG Wells and Prof. David Todd. Read about both — and much more — in The Big Book of Mars.
#mars #redplanet #science #hgwells #martians

12.01.2026 23:08 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Talking to the Dead: Séances, Spiritualism, and Messages from Beyond | Talking Strange
Talking to the Dead: Séances, Spiritualism, and Messages from Beyond | Talking Strange YouTube video by Talking Strange

Great to be on the Talking Strange to talk about my book, The Talking Dead!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX3m...

09.01.2026 13:09 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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New hobby to go with the new book I’m writing — on the history of knife throwing. Stay tuned.

10.12.2025 16:04 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Happy Black Friday! Today is a great day to buy my books! Make someone happy with a great gift, and support an author! Visit MarcHartzmanBooks.com for more
info.
#books #blackfriday #swordswallowing #bookgifts #reading #weirdbooks #sideshow #spiritualism #mars #ghosts #paranormalbooks

28.11.2025 17:19 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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I love this preface in The History and Records of The Elephants Club from 1856. True words. I also love the authors’ names.

08.11.2025 22:09 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Alexandre Patty: The Man Who Walked on His Head and Headed Straight for Global Fame The circus has always been a place to showcase remarkable and unimaginable skills. Perhaps one of the most unusual stunts performed was achieved in the early 1900s by Alexandre Patty, the man who walk...

My latest article for Weird Historian — do not try this at home or
anywhere else:

www.weirdhistorian.com/alexandre-pa...

22.10.2025 01:47 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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The Talking Dead: A Collection of Messages from Beyond the Veil, 1850 to 1920s (Expanded Edition)

Available here!
amzn.to/3IsDqzj

16.09.2025 15:14 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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On the side my book projects I have another book project: Curious Publications. I generally republish old, obscure books to give them new life. My newest book is something I edited together: The Talking Dead: A Collection of Messages from Beyond the Veil, 1850 to 1920s (Expanded Edition).

#ghosts

16.09.2025 15:13 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0
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The Damnable Life and Death of Stubbe Peeter — Curious Publications

Now available through my side publication project, Curious Publications:

The Damnable Life and Death of Stubbe Peter

First published in 1590.

#werewolf #lycanthropy #monsters
#weirdbooks

www.curiouspublications.com/portfolio-1/...

11.09.2025 15:09 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Happy 228th birthday, Mary Shelley! Images from the book created in conjunction with the Frankenstein exhibit at the Morgan Library & Museum, 2018-19.

#frankenstein #maryshelley #horror #writing

30.08.2025 17:03 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
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The Martians are Coming! Author David Baron Speaks About His New Book, "The Martians" Science journalist and author David Baron explores our early fascination with Martians in his new book, "THE MARTIANS: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America"

My fascination with the turn-of-the-century #Martians led me to my 2020 book, The Big Book of Mars. So I was especially delighted to speak with author David Baron about his discoveries and fascination in his new book, The Martians. Our conversation follows:

www.weirdhistorian.com/the-martians...

27.08.2025 13:51 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Beyond the Spotlight: How ‘To The Hilt’ Podcast Exposes the Soul Behind Jellyboy’s Stunts | VaudeVisuals Looking through my viewfinder at Jellyboy the Clown over the years, I've witnessed firsthand how this performer has carved out his own unmistakable path in the world of sideshow arts. Every frame I've...

Thank you for the great write-up, Jim!

vaudevisuals.com/beyond-the-s...

08.08.2025 15:24 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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You may have seen Jellyboy the Clown on America’s Got Talent Season 19, where he amazed audiences and the judges.
In this episode, we talk to Jellyboy about his beginnings as a clown, his start in sword swallowing and much, much more. 

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

#sideshow

08.08.2025 11:39 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Great to see that To The Hilt: A Sword Swallower’s History of Sword Swallowing is on sale at #ripleys in St. Augustine! That’s my co-author Dan Meyer on the cover! Get a copy at Ripley’s or wherever you buy books online.

#swordswallower #tothehilt #swordswallowing #books #sideshow #circus

20.07.2025 20:11 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Always great to see the World of Wonders sideshow! Beautiful banner line. #sideshow #circus

13.07.2025 16:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Merry Widow Hats Were Not Always So Merry Though stylish, Merry Widow Hats, in at least one case, also proved dangerous. Just ask Joseph Lewis, a farmer who lost his eye to one.

Big hats can cause big trouble. Just ask the farmer who lost his eye to one in 1908. Check out my latest post on Weird Historian:

#hats #merrywidowhats #weirdfashion

www.weirdhistorian.com/merry-widow-...

09.07.2025 14:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Happy #WorldUFODay! Celebrate with a copy of We Are Not Alone, published by @quirkbooks.bsky.social!
#ufos #aliens #extraterrestrials #uap

02.07.2025 15:00 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
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The closing party for Carnival, Curated by Joe Coleman at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery was amazing! Sideshow in all its beautiful artistic glory. #sideshow #circus #joecoleman #art #sideshowart #johnnyeck

28.06.2025 16:18 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Contortionist “Slim” Biggerstaff. Never too old to perform! As seen in “Pictorial History of the American Circus” (1957). #circus #sideshow #contortionist #oddities #humanoddities

17.06.2025 12:56 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Sword swallowing: one of history’s oldest death-defying stunts. To The Hilt Podcast features Dan Meyer (sword swallowing expert), The Lizardman, and co-host Marc Hartzman, author of American Sideshow.

Anatomical Model of a Sword Swallower, ca. 19th c. Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden.

16.06.2025 23:41 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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You know what makes a great Father’s Day gift? Books about UFOs, sword swallowing, ghosts, and Mars. Fortunately, I’ve written books about all these fascinating subjects!

See more here: www.marchartzmanbooks.com

#books #fathersday #ufos #mars #aliens #sideshow #ghosts

06.06.2025 12:21 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1

“We Are Not Alone by Marc Hartzman is an easy to read yet incredibly thorough look at the history of UFO sightings and supposed alien encounters.” — thank you for the review, @easyqueenie.bsky.social!

05.06.2025 16:58 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Thank you for the wonderful review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. It’s an endlessly fascinating subject!

05.06.2025 16:56 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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New episode of the To The Hilt podcast with The Lizardman: sword swallower, multi-talented performer, author, and as his site says, he’s “The Modified Marvel from the dark heart of Austin, a man with more ink in his skin, than blood in his veins.”

Listen here:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

29.05.2025 18:07 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Adam Realman, talks to me and Dan Meyer on the new episode of our To The Hilt podcast—straight from the historic Coney Island Museum!

Adam is featured in the book, To The Hilt: A Sword Swallower’s History of Sword Swallowing.

Apple Podcasts

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

15.05.2025 23:01 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0