Jon Crabb is an editor at British Library Publishing.
Latest by this author
At the turn of the 20th century, mathematicians, mystics, and modernists blurred the line between physics and philosophy. Their search for a hidden spatial realm—the so-called “fourth dimension”—transformed art, inspired the occult, and reimagined the very structure of reality.
More about this author
Jon Crabb is a writer and editor with interests in the fin-de-siècle, forgotten culture, the esoteric, and anything generally weird and wonderful. He lives in London and works as editor for British Library Publishing and also runs their X feed.
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Monster Mash
Aeon | October | 2017
The printed word powered the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution, spreading ideas across Europe. In the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press transformed communication—turning about 50,000 books into 10 million within fifty years, and 500 million by the 17th century. Many were illustrated, showing a world filled with wonder and fear. Artists and writers tried to make sense of identity, nature, and discovery, yet the pace of change made it impossible to fully understand the marvels they recorded.
Public Domain Review | May | 2017
A revolution in publishing coincided with officially sanctioned witch hunts throughout Europe. Jon Crabb discusses the history of the depiction of witches in woodcuts.
Public Domain Review | March | 2016
The author explores the largely forgotten career of illustrator and mystic William T. Horton. An admirer of Aubrey Beardsley and a friend of W.B. Yeats, Horton’s work bridges the gap between the Decadents and the Moderns.
Public Domain Review | October | 2015
At the end of the 19th century, known as the fin de siècle, old and new ideas clashed and mixed in surprising ways. Victorian spirituality blended with modern science, creating a mix of mysticism and discovery. Movements like Theosophy became popular, and strange gatherings like the Golden Dawn explored magic and philosophy. From this creative chaos, new scientific concepts—such as the modern idea of space—emerged, shaped by the curiosity of artists, thinkers, and scientists alike.
Publications by this author
The Art of the Woodcut
Co-authors: Reece Shearsmith | The British Library Publishing Division | April | 2017
With a foreword by Reece Shearsmith, this beautifully designed book showcases some of the most fascinating and humorous woodcuts from the British Library’s collections. It offers short explanations of the political and social life of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The woodcuts often depict dramatic and lively subjects such as monsters, witches, criminals, drinking, war, and politics, giving readers a vivid glimpse into the culture and imagination of the time.
A Literary Anthology
The British Library Publishing Division | November | 2016
Decadent literature in Britain flourished in the 1890s with writers like Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Max Beerbohm, Ernest Dowson, and Arthur Symons. Following the idea of “Art for Art’s Sake,” they challenged moral rules and pushed the limits of pleasure, often rejecting Victorian respectability. This illustrated collection explores key Decadent themes—artifice, intoxication, spirituality, and death—and includes not just great prose and poetry, but also theory, criticism, and parody, giving readers a rich and balanced view of the Decadent movement.
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