Book review: William Phipps and the Diving Bell Bubble

Before reading William Phipps and the Diving Bell Bubble by Leon Hopkins, I considered Phipps a shadowy figure in the Salem witch trials. He wasn’t actively involved and yet his arrival with the new Charter led to the formation of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, followed by guilty verdicts and the deaths of 20 innocent people. 

In October 1692, Phipps closed the court, tossed out spectral evidence, and in January 1693 opened the new Superior Court of Judicature. Within days, Phipps decisively shut down the witch trials after Judge William Stoughton issued execution warrants for several women whose earlier trials resulted in guilty verdicts that relied on spectral evidence.

Hopkins’ book showed Phipps (1651-1695) had the strength of character to get into situations which, in many cases, were beyond his experience and training. For an unschooled Maine backwoodsman, he fraternized with powerful men, even royalty. 

For a person with no military experience, he was hired to lead military campaigns in Acadia and Quebec. And for a non-government man, he ended up as a royal governor. Some would say these leaps in prospects happened because Phipps discovered the rich treasures of a Spanish galleon, and being required to share a percentage of that loot with the English monarch, earned a knighthood from King James II. 

But that’s not giving credit where credit is due. Phipps rescued his neighbors during an Indian raid in 1676, sailing them into Boston harbor on a ship he built. He attracted wealthy supporters through joint-stock companies to finance his treasure hunting. He married an enterprising widow who could hold her own while he was at sea or in England for months or years at a time. And he won the admiration of Rev. Cotton Mather, who wrote his biography.

At times, the book gets bogged down in tangential topics like the English Civil Wars and Cromwell or John Eliot (1604-1690), the Puritan missionary to the American Indians, and the Pequot Wars (1636-1638). Still, those topics connect to later events and people in Phipps’ life. Hopkins also drops curious historical tidbits—like the imposter royal heir, a secret deal between two monarchs on a Catholic conversion—that especially American readers may not know.

Thanks to Pen & Sword History for the ARC.

Rating: ★★★★

William Phipps and the Diving Bell Bubble 
by Leon Hopkins
Pen & Sword History, 2025

Book review: Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus

In Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus, Elaine Pagels delves into the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Based on critical literary and historical analysis, these books were written anonymously 40 to 70 years after Jesus’ death. But, Pagels says, their intent was not to document history or write a biography but to “spread good news about faith in Jesus.”

With Sunday school, an illustrated Bible, hymns and Christmas songs, children learn about Jesus’ life from start to finish. But the Bible isn’t so linear. It was “a huge effort to pull all four Gospels together, as if they tell a single story,” Pagels explains. These books have some similarities and curious differences. For example, Matthew and Luke mention the birth of Jesus, but Mark and John do not. Matthew says the Magi follow the new star that proclaims the birth of the new king. Luke has no star and no Magi, but local herdsmen visit baby Jesus asleep in the manger.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke share similar content, order of events, and wording, which suggests they may have used common sources. However, the authors and the audiences were different. Mark, who wrote the earliest surviving account, was a devout Jew who believed in one God. Luke was a Gentile and became a (Jewish) convert. John, who Pagels calls the “radical revisionist writer,” is the one who explicitly says Jesus is the Son of God, whose sacrificial death atoned for the sins of the world. All of them use words of the Jewish prophets and the Psalms to prove Jesus’ life was foretold in Scriptures.

In 325 CE, Emperor Constantine gathered 300 bishops to formulate the Nicene Creed, the core Christian beliefs about the nature of God and the divinity of Christ—the basis of the Gospel of John. Over the decades that followed, church leaders and councils decided which doctrines and stories fit this overarching message. Of the many stories of Jesus that existed, few were chosen as scripture; the rest were destroyed.*

The Gospels remind us how Jesus lived, with love, compassion, and support for everyone. And, as Pagels declares, “In a world filled with challenge, oppression, and suffering, their stories shift—often suddenly—into hope.”

Miracles and Wonder is both the keystone and cornerstone to Pagels’ other books on early Christianity and the Gnostics. As a historian and religious scholar, she thoughtfully considers the historical mystery of Jesus and his message while adding personal stories and reflections on her life’s work.

Thanks to Doubleday for the ARC.

Rating: ★★★★★

Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus 
by Elaine Pagels
Doubleday, 2025

*Despite the decree, monks from Nag Hammadi hid some of the forbidden texts in caves. In 1945, these early Christian and Gnostic texts were discovered in a sealed jar. 

Book review: The League of Lady Poisoners

A curiously fascinating book. Was it the poisonous-green artwork on the cover, the clever title, or the idea of women secretly using poison to change their life stories that drew me to this book? Probably all three! Lisa Perrin’s illustrations throughout masterfully blend with the narratives of women seeking love, revenge, money, control of their own lives, or helping others get out of bad situations.

Some of these names will be familiar—after all, they are notorious killers, and women at that! Their methods are intimate, as they carefully dole out poison in food, drink, or in medicines meant for sustenance or cures. Their unsuspecting targets are within the household realm or in the workplace, and the poisoners often are in positions as caretakers. 

Grouped by possible motives, these short biographies provide the setting, the backstory (if known), the crime, and the verdict for 25+ women. And, if you want more, Perrin provides a wide variety of sources to dig into afterwards.

A touch of wit balances the macabre theme, while solid research, riveting stories, and judicious use of illustrations round out Perrin’s debut book. I wonder what topics she’ll tackle next!

rating: ★★★★★

The League of Lady Poisoners: Illustrated True Stories of Dangerous Women
by Lisa Perrin
Chronicle Books