The Big Picture
David Brandon Hodge, an Austin collector and writer, has a new book, Supernatural Machines: The History of Spirit Communication Devices, out Oct. 27. The book surveys mechanical devices used to contact spirits—planchettes, spirit trumpets, pendulums, talking tables and other instruments—many drawn from Hodge’s own collection and archival ephemera. The work traces these devices from 19th- and early-20th-century examples through later curios like 1990s glow-in-the-dark boards.
What Changed
Hodge turned his longtime hobby—cataloging and collecting automatic-writing and spirit-communication devices—into a published book, moving his material from websites and eBay files into a lavishly illustrated print archive. Items that began life on his mysteriousplanchette.com and in antique shops have been collected, contextualized and expanded with newer artifacts added during research, marking a shift from private collector to public historian and exhibitor.
What's Next
Hodge will host a Supernatural Machines launch party on Oct. 28 at the Old Rock Store, 6266 US-290, featuring a pop-up museum and a séance; RSVP is at the provided ThenightOwlPodcast link: https://thenightowlpodcast.com. He’ll also participate in A Séance at the Driskill on Oct. 30, presented by the First Spiritualist Church of Austin, with tickets and information at https://strangeextraordinaryfest.thundertix.com. The Chronicle’s piece does not list event prices or precise start times, so check those ticket pages before you go.