October 22nd: Meet & Greet, Q&A, and Book Signing with Aaron Mahnke, author of Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire

Grab your garlic and join us in Lexington at Maxima Book Center to meet award-winning podcaster and bestselling author: Aaron Mahnke! Aaron will be discussing his newest book, Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire; a nonfiction account detailing the folklore behind the American vampire of the 19th century. 

Date: Thursday, 10/22/26

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Maxima Book Center, 1717 Mass. Ave. Lexington, MA 02420

ABOUT THE BOOK

From critically acclaimed podcaster and bestselling author Aaron Mahnke comes this engrossing and macabre exploration of the folklore and early medical practices that led to the New England Vampire Panic in the 1890s.

What would drive a man to exhume the body of his daughter and remove her heart? That question has haunted Aaron Mahnke, creator and host of the award-winning podcast Lore. Fueled by a decade of research, Mahnke excavates the past to understand the hysteria that fueled the ghastly exhumation of Mercy Brown in 1892, who like her mother and sister before her, succumbed to “consumption” at the age of 19.

With Exhumed, Mahnke presents a unique history of the intersection of folklore and science, and how pop culture and both genuine medical advancements and pseudoscience of the time shaped the perspectives of people in 19th century America. From the death of George Washington to Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein, Mahnke leads reads on a fascinating journey through history, touching on methods of mummification, the multifaceted role of executioners, medicine made from corpses, European folklore that traveled across the Atlantic, and so much more. He reveals that as shocking as Brown’s exhumation might seem, it also reflected surprisingly common attitudes and beliefs about the relationship between the dead and the living, the nature of science and magic, and the fate of a human soul. It all builds to a revelatory understanding of human behavior that continues to this very day.

Possessing an irreverent view of science, history, and the human condition, Exhumed is perfect for fans of Mary Roach’s Stiff, as well as readers of forgotten American histories like Brad Meltzer’s New York Times-bestselling The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aaron Mahnke began his career in 2015 with the launch of Lore, which quickly topped the charts and gained national attention. Lore has racked up over 800-million downloads, been adapted for television on Amazon, and been published as a three-book collection from Penguin Random House.

Aaron has since gone on to found Grim & Mild Entertainment, a podcast production company devoted to historical-yet-entertaining storytelling. Along the way he has created and executive produced a number of other hit podcasts, including Cabinet of Curiosities, Noble Blood, and Unobscured.

Aaron’s newest book, Exhumed, is an exploration of the folk traditions, bizarre medical practices, and esoteric philosophy that led to the New England Vampire Panic, through the lens of the Mercy Brown exhumation of 1892.

Most recently Aaron has added a number of audio fiction projects to his resumé, including the horror anthology 13 Days of Halloween (starring Keegan-Michael Key, Kathy Najimy, Clancy Brown, and more), and the breakout hit (and 2021 “Best Fiction Podcast” winner at the iHeart Podcast Awards) Bridgewater, starring Misha Collins (Supernatural), Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Rogue One), and Melissa Ponzio (Teen Wolf).

Website: https://www.aaronmahnke.com/

Instagram: @amahnke

Threads: @amahnke

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