1-800-1800

Yes, you read that episode year correctly! We are taking it back to the first year of the nineteenth century this week. For this major year, we read Jeanna Smailek’s new book The Invisible Hand of Maria Edgeworth: How a Nineteenth-Century Novelist Taught the World Economics. Smialek argues that Edgeworth pioneered the field of political economy by “hid[ing] her version of economics in storybooks,” earning her a place among the greats of early economic theory, including Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Thomas Malthus. Edgeworth was a prolific writer, publishing over two dozen novels and short story collections betwee...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

This is a very special episode of 1-800-1800 because it is our first ever LIVE episode!

We were honored to be in conversation at Salter House & Picture Room on October 15. It was a truly one-of-a-kind night. We were joined by old and new friends alike, and had the chance to take our little act out into the real world. Thank you to everyone who came and …

Welcome back to 1-800-1800. This week, we are talking 1894, the year that Victoria Woodhull (Spiritualist medium, Wall Street broker, Presidential candidate, newspaper publisher, etc.) sued the British Museum for harboring libelous material about her. For this special episode we were joined by Alex Sujong Laughlin, podcaster, writer, and co-owner of Defector Media. Alex is the author of the forthcoming book The Talent Cult: Ambition, Visibility, and Power in the Attention Economy, coming 2027 from One World/Penguin Random House!!! Find more information about her book here and listen to her podcast Try Hard!!!

Victoria Woodhull was a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Welcome back to 1-800-1800. On this week’s special bonus episode, Madeline and Mabel travel back in time to 2002, and from there head to New York City circa 1846-1863, when violent gangs ruled the town. From the guys that brought you the #MeToo movement, Gangs of New York is an epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese that Madeline has se…

Welcome back to 1-800-1800! This week we are joined by the one and only Abigail Sandler, architect and author of Price Upon Request, a newsletter exploring the role of ornament in our modern lives. Abby delights us with discussion of her favorite building, the Menier Chocolate Factory in Noisiel, France. Designed by Jules Saulnier (1817-1881), the building is distinguished by its iron frame and ornamental brick infill. Listen, like, and subscribe! Xo

Herman Melville statue in New Bedford.

Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872.

Charles Frederick Worth, Ball gown, 1872

Edgar Degas, Dance...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

“It was not necessary for a writer of so great refinement and poetic grace to enter the over-worked field of sex-fiction” — said one critic of Kate Chopin’s landmark 1899 novel The Awakening. Mabel and Madeline dip their toes into the controversy in this week’s special bonus episode of 1-800-1800.

* Kate Chopin: A Reawakening

* “Kate Chopin: The Awakening, T…

This week, Harry Krinsky of Nothing But Respect joins us to talk about the invention of basketball. We discuss the rules of the game (you won’t believe how they dribbled), the cages they played in, and a hot controversy about its inventor. Listen now & follow Harry @lexaprotools on Substack & IG

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

On this week’s bonus episode of 1-800-1800, the girls dare to discuss a contemporary novel, Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear (2026), a novel about a tradwife influencer who time travels to 1855. To avoid being too modern with it, Mabel and Madeline compare Burke’s #1 New York Times bestseller with the least-popular Brontë novel, Anne Brontë’s The Tenant …

On this week’s episode of 1-800-1800, Mabel goes home…to California. After a brief debate about what sport the Forty-Niners play, the girls discuss the history of California before and after the Gold Rush.

Captain Constable and the crew of the Balclutha ship circa 1887. Source.

David Grann, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder.

Sir Francis Drake’s Landing in California circa 1579. Source.

Postcard of Mission Santa Cruz, after 1898. NYPL.

Tour the Sophisticated Spanish-Style Homes of 8 Celebrities, Architectural Digest.

California as I Saw It: Fi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

This week, Mabel and Madeline read Late Fame, a perfect little novella written by Arthur Schnitzler, and saw Late Fame, a perfect little indie movie directed by Kent Jones. More importantly, because the story tackles the rediscovery of a forgotten poet, both the novella and its contemporary adaptation make for the perfect little Mandylion conversation. …

This week on 1-800-1800, we’re discussing life’s inevitabilities—death and unrealistic beauty standards—with Jessica DeFino of one of our all time favorite Substacks, Flesh World!!

Join us to learn more about Prince Albert’s death, Queen Victoria’s resulting mourning period as well as the ways death is trending in contemporary beauty culture. This one goes crazy!

Show Notes

* Flesh World

* Ask Ugly

* Mess World

* “World Exhibition.” Free Library. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/feature/centennial/exhibition.

* Queen Victoria and Prince Alber...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

This week, Mabel and Madeline dig into the painting that has appeared most frequently in Mandylion’s visual glossaries, Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog from 1818. She’s in The Gadfly, The Morgesons, The Hill of Dreams, and our upcoming title, Love Days. Listen to find out why we can’t get enough of this Romantic masterpiece.

**note: Madeline got basically every first name she said in this episode wrong, just listen to last names. Thank yo...

Yoohoo,

Welcome to America, the sequel. In this episode we look back at the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876. We talk about the giant engines and sexy corsets on display, the unfinished revolutionary projects in civil rights and labor movements, and what, exactly, an acre is. Like, subscribe, drop us a line. XOXO,

M&M

Show Notes

* The Flying Horses, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.

* Paine, Thomas, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends. Meeting For Sufferings. Common Sense. London, J. Watson, 1850. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov...

I’m a yankee doodle dandy and you’re on the precipice of learning all that Mabel and Madeline have to say about the American Revolution in this special episode about 1776. Its a World War, its a Civil War, its a tax scheme, its an inspiration to us all! Enjoy it and have a happy fourth of July, k

This week we are very excited to welcome the brilliant Sara Hinkley onto 1-800-1800 to discuss her forthcoming novel The Red Sacrament. Sara’s brilliant debut tells the story of a theater troupe of vampires, set against the backdrop of the Siege of Paris and the Commune. We had simply the best time discussing the book, Sara’s research process, and our shared obsession with the last days of the Second Empire.

Pre-order The Red Sacrament here!

and find Sara on:

Instagram

Bluesky

Twitter

XOXO...

Madeline and Mabel discuss the founding of Punch Magazine, the most popular satirical magazine of the 19th century, and muse on its enduring influence. The girls also touch on a sensational murder/botched abortion case, Summer House, a US president you’ve never heard of, and more!!

Show notes:

Births, Deaths

* Renoir, Blousy Nudes

* https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/08/26/renoirs-problem-nudes

* Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

* https://www.mandylionpress.com/shop/p/elsievenner

Mary Rogers Murder, Restellism, and the Great Moon Hoax

* Mary Rogers Disappearance an...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Book Club Alert !! This week the girls recap Henry James's The Princess Cassamissima, the story of a young man of mysterious parentage who tries to take on the world's inequities but instead just ends up smoking cigarettes on a magenta divan. We were delighted, we were puzzled, we were forced to ask "are beauty and revolution compatible pursuits."

On this week’s episode, Madeline takes us back to her material culture roots to tell the story of the British abolition movement through one object, the Wedgwood “Slave Medallion.” Join us to learn about the object that made abolition a fashionable cause in the 18th century and why 1787 is a part of the long 19th century !!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Mandylion now has a book club at McNally Jackson called the Minor Works book club. Each month we read a forgotten novel from the nineteenth century (brought to you by Mandylion Press), or a minor work of a major author. This month we read Ethel Lilian Voynich’s The Gadfly, one of our first Mandylion books and many people’s favorite. This 1897 novel is a…

What Hath God Wrought, indeed!

This week on 1-800-1800, Mabel tells Madeline what a telegraph is. She starts in 1792 with the one and only Claude Chappe, a man so passionate about the optical semaphore telegraph that he threw himself into a well, and then moves onto Samuel Morse, who gave the world not only the single-wire electromagnetic telegraph, but also this insane painting of Hercules:

This week, Madeline and Mabel discuss the origins of Mormonism and how its founder, Joseph Smith, continues to influence the modern day iteration of the religion. Hypocrisy, hucksterism, hats, bad bets, and talking to God. What more could a girl ask for?

In this special episode of 1-800-1800, Madeline and Mabel discuss Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights as well as Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. The girls cover impossible naming conventions, mysterious heritage, and awful set design in this discussion. Listen now!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Good morning starshine! President James Garfield says hello!

This week on 1-800-1800, Mabel and Madeline discuss the Netflix limited series Death by Lighting, which tells the story of James Garfield’s assassination. We finally have an answer to a long standing question, “how did people in the back hear before electrical amplification,” and some questions…

This week on 1-800-1800, Julia Carpenter, who writes the brilliant Substack “A Woman to Know,” joins us to discuss the Bavarian princess who was convinced that she had swallowed a glass piano. Our conversation covers everything from the fluctuating definitions of delusion to medieval nuns and the curative powers of spanking. Happy listening!

Notes:

Read Julia’s original newsletter about Princess Alexandra here (all of the images we discussed are also here!!) and check out Julia’s website and follow her on instagram to read more of her amazing work!

The books we menti...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Last week, Mabel and Madeline braved a blizzard to go see The Testament of Ann Lee in theaters. In this episode, hear their discussion of the film’s stylistic choices, the actual history of the Shakers, and why there’s so much more to them than beautiful chairs.

On the first episode of the new year, Mabel and Madeline consider the tortoise and discuss the sweatshirtification of Hokusai’s The Great Wave. We go deep on Prussian Blue, Japanese wood-block printing and its influence on the history of modern painting. Listen, like, rate, subscribe, share, love, kiss kiss, bang bang.

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVERS

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

This week Madeline and Mabel read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and discuss Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation for Netflix. We ask and answer the big questions about AI, monsters, pregnancy, and whether Oscar Isaac is hot. Until next time

This week on 1-800-1800, Madeline guides us through the horrifying world of early 19th century meat batteries and an experiment to raise a malefactor hanged at newgate prison from the dead. Listen for all the facts on nicotine enemas, the “apparently” drowned, and an alternative reality where frogs legs were a necessary component of consumer electronics.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

This week on 1-800-1800, Mabel and Madeline discuss their new book Elsie Venner with a VERY special guest: Mabel’s dad!! David, a psychiatrist in practice for over thirty years, joins the girls to discuss the novel and help answer the question that preoccupies the characters in the book: What the hell is wrong with Elsie? Tune in for Freud, theology, an…

Today a man told me that pugs are “inherently naked” and now I can’t think about anything else for long enough to write an episode description. I hope you listen to the podcast anyway, it’s a doozy

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

In this special episode of 1-800-1800, the Mandylion girls discuss, debate, and fawn over their new book, The Hill of Dreams! Welcome to the Mandylion Book Club. Let this episode guide and inspire you on this journey through Arthur Machen’s singular novel, about a young man named Lucian Taylor trying (and failing?) to become a great writer. The book can…

This week’s episode goes out to our book designer Emily and her HUSBAND Jerónimo. They inspired this deep dive into the most important wedding of the 19th century: Victoria & Albert’s!!! We talk about the music, menu, and outfits that went into this event, and also discuss the gnarly diarrhea that Albert had when he first met Victoria. We also discuss incest. TW. hehe xoxo

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Hey beautiful people! 1-800-1800 is back with this month’s bonus episode featuring THE MORGESONS!! Herein we discuss the best book ever written, published originally in 1862 by Elizabeth Stoddard, and revived this year by Mandylion Press. The Morgesons is a caustic bildungsroman about a girl named Cassandra and her weird sister Veronica. The sisters fig…

1-800-1800 is back baby. This month Mabel and Madeline talk about everything in 1865 except for the death of Abraham Lincoln. That means we’re talking refrigerated fish. We’re talking the audacity of ice cream. We’re talking Manet. We’re talking bop houses. We’re talking dog cremations. Get in there, girl!

This episode of 1-800-1800 is SPECIAL. Instead of tackling one year of the long nineteenth century, we spend an hour discussing one single mediocre film: The Substance!!!! Inspired by our recent edition of One or Two, we discuss the body, body horror, “back vaginas,” and whether or not Demi Moore was robbed.

1-800-1845 has moved to Substack and things are about to get real spooky. Catch us this month discussing all the weirdest that 1845 has to offer: the shattering of the Portland vase, unrepentant sons, and that bird that Poe wouldn’t stop talking about.

1-800-1800 is on a freakin' roll! This episode we tackle 1897—the year that gave birth to One or Two, one of our two new books OUT NOW, for sale at mandylionpress.com. In this episode we breathlessly cover Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Meghan Markle's one pan pasta, and Oscar Wilde's prison sentence. Nobody else is doing it quite like us! XOXO

1-800-1800 is back with a bang. This episode we tackle 1862—the year that gave birth to The Morgesons, one of our two new books OUT TODAY, for sale at mandylionpress.com. Up for discussion: Hilma Af Klint, two little boys named Willie, and a hot air balloon crash. Buckle up.

Welcome back to 1-800-1800, where each episode we call up a random year of the 19th century and discuss what the heck happened. Today's episode explores 1846, a year defined by war, sentimentalism, and the looming threat of eating too much raw fruit.

Welcome back to 1-800-1800, where each episode we call up a random year of the 19th century and discuss what the heck happened. In 1805, it turns out Lewis & Clark trekked west to the Pacific Ocean. Who knew. We discuss princesses made of glass and mercury poisoning.