Mathew Franklin Whittier, the real author of The Raven ssake1 2019-06-08 | The ten strongest pieces of evidence that it was Mathew Franklin Whittier, not Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote "The Raven." This is the first of a four-part series:2) youtu.be/ud-mJOUZY7o3) youtu.be/NXAUMsUdjCU4) youtu.be/625zc9ezREASee also: http://www.ial.goldthread.com
An extemporaneous, unedited introduction to my book. ssake1 2026-02-02 | An extemporaneous, unedited introduction to my book, "The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Carol." Regardless of what you learned in school, this is the real deal.Supporting website:thesacredcarol.goldthread.comOn Amazon:amazon.com/dp/B0G1Y59JMY
Did Dickens tone down a Bible-lesson scene from the original A Christmas Carol? ssake1 2025-12-02 | It's sort of hinted at in the published version; but did Charles Dickens water down a Bible lesson scene at the Bob Cratchit home, as it was originally written by Mathew and Abby Whittier?Music: "Echo of Sadness"Bensound.com/free-music-for-videosLicense code: DZ70TAKW9CYJ1YETArtist: : TURNIQUEAll images of Charles Dickens' handwriting copied from the original manuscript of "A Christmas Carol" by the channel owner freehand, using a fountain pen and rag paper.
What was the name of the fifth ghost in A Christmas Carol? ssake1 2025-12-01 | We all know the four spirits in "A Christmas Carol": Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. But there was another one, hidden under the redactions in Charles Dickens' handwritten draft.Music: "Between the Spaces" by "The Soundlings," from the YouTube audio library.All handwritten text recreated in imitation of Charles Dickens' handwritten manuscript of "A Christmas Carol" by the channel owner, using a fountain pen and rag paper.
What was Tiny Tims original name? ssake1 2025-11-30 | Before he was "Tiny Tim," the beloved disabled boy in "A Christmas Carol" had another name--in fact, a progression of names, going back to a real boy whom one of the original co-authors, Abby Whittier, knew. Or, such are my own conclusions from my research.Music:"Angels By My Side"Bensound.com/royalty-free-musicLicense code: KSRSL6WUWDGNM066Artist: : Lunar YearsAll graphics created by the channel owner, replicating freehand the actual text in Charles Dickens' handwritten manuscript of "A Christmas Carol," on rag paper with a fountain pen. Photographs of published works from the channel owner's private collection.
The lost word in A Christmas Carol that changes everything ssake1 2025-11-29 | In "A Christmas Carol," Belle dumped Ebenezer--right? But that can't be what originally happened, because of one word that Dickens scratched out...Music:Rain Over Kyoto Station, by The Mini VanfdalsYouTube music libraryImages of Charles Dickens' text copied freehand by the channel owner, in imitation of Dickens' handwritten manuscript
What did the Ghost of Christmas Future say? ssake1 2025-11-28 | Buried under the redactions in Charles Dickens' handwritten draft of "A Christmas Carol," is proof that the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come was not silent, as originally written--which changes a great many things, starting with proving that what the Morgan Library and Museum holds is not the first draft.Music, "Ghostly Presence from Bensound.com/royalty-free-musicLicense code: STQ8V7CNRAUYYM7PArtist: : FoePound
Is There Yankee Slang in A Christmas Carol? ssake1 2025-11-27 | One piece of evidence, out of several, that Charles Dickens accidentally copied over some of Mathew Whittier's American Yankee slang from Mathew and Abby's original version of "A Christmas Carol," then scribbled it out.Music, "Portcullis" by the "Mini Vandals," from the YouTube music library.Facsimile of Charles Dickens' handwriting created by the channel owner with a fountain pen and rag paper, in imitation of real text in Dickens' handwritten manuscript.
Peering beneath Charles Dickens redactions in A Christmas Carol ssake1 2025-11-26 | My method of revealing what Charles Dickens redacted in his handwritten manuscript of "A Christmas Carol," as explained in full in my book, "The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Classic."thesacredcarol.goldthread.com
An introduction to The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Classic. ssake1 2025-11-13 | An introduction to my new book, "The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Classic." Purchase "The Sacred Carol" from Amazon.com at:amazon.com/dp/B0G1Y59JMYSee also the supporting website:thesacredcarol.goldthread.comMusic, "Part Of Me," by Andy Bird. Bensound.com License Certificate #2243662.All photography except closeups of Dickens' handwriting, by the channel owner, Stephen Sakellarios.FAIR USE NOTICE:The manuscript images in this video are used for the purposes of scholarly analysis, commentary, and criticism under the provisions of 17 U.S.C. § 107. Only small, tightly cropped portions of the original pages are shown, transformed through magnification and contextual explanation. This video does not reproduce or distribute the original manuscript in a manner that could substitute for the source material. All rights remain with their respective holders.
The Sacred Carol short introductory video ssake1 2025-11-11 | A 50-second introduction to the book, "The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Classic.Music, "Part Of Me" by Andy Bird, license certificate #2243662, Bensound.comAll images by the producer, Stephen SakellariosPurchase "The Sacred Carol" from Amazon.com at:amazon.com/dp/B0G1Y59JMY
The scene that Charles Dickens bungled when he plagiarized A Christmas Carol ssake1 2024-12-03 | In this blog entry I explain how Charles Dickens, being in a hurry to finish his plagiarized version of "A Christmas Carol" by Christmas 1843, disrespectfully made an illogical hash of the scene featuring Tiny Tim's death. This scene, usually omitted from movies or plays of the "Carol," is both macabre and extremely improbable as written by Dickens. But if you know what to look for, you can see what the original author of this scene, Abby Poyen Whittier, had intended. It's not what you think.
Why Edgar Allan Poe did NOT write The Raven (and a reading of the poem by the reincarnated author) ssake1 2024-10-07 | Eight points demonstrating why it is extremely unlikely that Edgar Allan Poe wrote "The Raven"; followed by a reading of the poem by Stephen Sakellarios, the real past-life author, as the poem should be read.
Albert Pike was a liar, proved in under three minutes ssake1 2024-06-13 | I prove in under three minutes, that Albert Pike, the Confederate General and 33rd degree Mason, was a liar. This makes more plausible my conclusion that he plagiarized the poetry of his classroom student prodigy, Abby Poyen, when he published poetry under their shared initials, "A.P.," in the early 1830's. For an in-depth exploration of this subject, search online for my paper, "Making the Case that Albert Pike Plagiarized from his Young Student, Abby Poyen, to Create 'Hymns to the Gods.'”
Stephen Sakellarios reading his past-life work at his own grave. ssake1 2024-05-26 | Stephen Sakellarios in July of 2022, at his own past-life grave, reading his past-life essay about past-life memory, published in 1850.Video credit, Willy Hassell.
A One-Minute Smoking Gun: Elizabeth Barrett Browning Did Not Write The Cry of the Children ssake1 2024-04-23 | I demonstrate, in one minute, that Elizabeth Barrett Browning is very unlikely to have been the original author of the famous poem, "The Cry of the Children."Note that I delete disrespectful sophistry or dogma. If you have a skeptical comment, make it both respectful and logical.
Disproving Margaret Fullers authorship of the New York Tribune star in one minute. ssake1 2024-02-11 | I prove, in one minute, that Margaret Fuller did not write all of the reviews, essays and reports in the New York "Tribune" from December, 1844 until August, 1846, as scholars believe. I have plenty of other evidence, but in a fair and honest world, this "smoking gun" should be enough to open a serious discussion with Academia.
Direct testimony of Emma Picken, about how Charles Dickens behaved with her ssake1 2024-01-05 | I present an anecdote from a memoir, written by Emma Picken in 1871, about vacationing with Charles Dickens and his family in 1842. This is yet another piece of evidence consistent with my conclusions that Dickens had a sociopathic personality, and hence could not have been the original author of "A Christmas Carol." This series bears directly on my research findings that in the 19th-century, my earlier incarnation was one of the original co-authors of the "Carol."There is a great deal of additional evidence, including in this particular memoir. See my paper, "Evidence that 'A Christmas Carol' was Originally Written by Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier, Rather than by Charles Dickens."
Reading a story by Abby Poyen Whittier, co-author of A Christmas Carol ssake1 2023-12-24 | I read a story entitled "The Sister Mary," by Abby Poyen Whittier, which was published for her posthumously in the Oct. 26, 1850 Boston "Weekly Museum" by her husband, Mathew. There are several points of correspondence with "A Christmas Carol," which I believe Mathew and Abby originally co-authored before Charles Dickens got hold of it. Some of those correspondences are:1) Both stories feature a disabled young boy.2) In Dickens' handwritten draft, his original name for this boy may have been "Allie" (being scribbled out, but still partially visible). The boy in "The Sister Mary" is nicknamed "Alley."3) Abby was raised Catholic, as is obvious by the title of this story. There are elements which were originally in "A Christmas Carol," specifically a Christmas shrine featuring a figure of the Christ Child in a manger, which the Cratchit family would sit beside, worship and touch, which suggests the original writer was Catholic. However, Dickens removed most of those identifying elements.4) There is a passage in this story--which I call attention to in the video--which is eerily reminiscent of certain passages in "A Christmas Carol."For more detailed information, see my paper, "Evidence that 'A Christmas Carol' was Originally Written by Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier, Rather than by Charles Dickens."
A hitherto unknown smoking gun suggesting that Charles Dickens plagiarized A Christmas Carol. ssake1 2023-11-27 | In support of my research findings that in my 19th-century lifetime as Mathew Franklin Whittier, I was one of the original co-authors of "A Christmas Carol," I present a "smoking gun" which has been completely missed by every academic scholar. This clue, contained in the hand-written original of a well-known letter by Charles Dickens, in which he describes in theatrical terms how he supposedly wrote the story, reveals that he inadvertently admitted obtaining it from some other source.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for Sept. 18, 2023 ssake1 2023-09-18 | Evidence that Charles Dickens was a malignant narcissist. This is not as irrelevant to my reincarnation studies as it might seem. If, in my 19th-century lifetime as Mathew Franklin Whittier, my wife Abby and I were the original co-authors of "A Christmas Carol," as I noted down from past-life memory in my public blog in mid-2006, I have to prove that Dickens was a sociopath. That is the only thing which would explain 1) who he would tell such an outrageous lie, as to claim all his life to have written it, and 2) why he was entirely incapable of writing this story.See also my paper on this subject:ial.goldthread.com/MFW_APW_Carol.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for August 5, 2023 ssake1 2023-08-05 | I read from Nathaniel Hawthorne's diary, demonstrating that his view of Margaret Fuller parallels my own conclusions that she was an imposter. Then I use that evidence to reveal yet another clue indicating that she is very unlikely to have been the author signing with a "star" in the New York "Tribune" (which work she actually stole from my 19th-century self, Mathew Franklin Whittier).See also my recent paper: "The Hitherto Disregarded Testimony of Three Victorian Whistleblowers, Concerning Three Famous Authors (and the self-incrimination of a fourth)," available at the following link, or on Academia.edu:ial.goldthread.com/Three_Victorian_Whistleblowers.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog July 21, 2023 ssake1 2023-07-21 | A demonstration of my research method--how a little notice in the back of an 1846 newspaper led me to two of Mathew Franklin Whittier's anonymous novellas. My two e-books, as mentioned in the conclusion of the video, are available for purchase on Amazon.com:Mathew Franklin Whittier in his own words:amazon.com/Mathew-Franklin-Whittier-his-words-ebook/dp/B0083X6Y2EMathew Franklin Whittier in his own world:amazon.com/dp/B07D5GY783
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, June 20, 2023 ssake1 2023-06-20 | I compare three of Mathew Franklin Whittier's star-signed commentaries on women's education in the early 1830's--in three different publications--with his commentary on the same subject, using the same signature, in the New York Tribune in the mid-1840's. The purpose is to show that it was Mathew, not Margaret Fuller, signing with the star in the Tribune.See the following papers for the relevant background research:Margaret Fuller's Dishonest Appropriation of Mathew Franklin Whittier's "Star" Signatureial.goldthread.com/MFW_Fuller.pdfThe "Star"-Signed Reviews, Essays and Reports in the New York "American," from 1831-33; Or, how the "Tribune's" "star," which was never Margaret Fuller in the first place, turns up in New York City more than a decade earlier, looking very much the sameial.goldthread.com/American_Tribune_star.pdfDisputing an Historical Authorship Attribution for the "Star" in the 1830-34 New York "American"ial.goldthread.com/star_American_Hoffman.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for June 4, 2023 ssake1 2023-06-04 | I read my own 1833 review of "Frankenstein" when it was first published. This is one of almost 400 reviews and editorials signed with a single asterisk or "star," written by Mathew Franklin Whittier for the New York "American" from 1830-1834. It is obviously the same author as wrote the "star"-signed reviews and editorials in the 1844-46 New York "Tribune," which scholars have mistakenly attributed to Margaret Fuller. I have written three papers addressing these interrelated subjects, which I will list, below. They can also be found by searching for the title on Academia.edu.Margaret Fuller's Dishonest Appropriation of Mathew Franklin Whittier's "Star" Signatureial.goldthread.com/MFW_Fuller.pdfThe "Star"-Signed Reviews, Essays and Reports in the New York "American," from 1831-33; Or, how the "Tribune's" "star," which was never Margaret Fuller in the first place, turns up in New York City more than a decade earlier, looking very much the sameial.goldthread.com/American_Tribune_star.pdfDisputing an Historical Authorship Attribution for the "Star" in the 1830-34 New York "American"ial.goldthread.com/star_American_Hoffman.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, March 15, 2023 ssake1 2023-03-15 | I read a short story entitled "Old Alice," by Abby Poyen Whittier, which was published for her posthumously in the August 3, 1850 edition of the Boston "Weekly Museum." Abby was the real author behind the "Hymns to the Gods" and other poems falsely claimed by Albert Pike; and she, along with Mathew, was one of the original co-authors of "A Christmas Carol." This story will give you a clear idea of which portions of the "Carol" were her contribution (even though Dickens watered down her spirituality for his published version). I am reading from the original publication in the "Weekly Museum."You can read my recent paper about Abby entitled "Abby Poyen Whittier, a Transcendentalist Before the Transcendentalists," at this link:ial.goldthread.com/Abby Poyen Whittier.pdf
More Proof that Margaret Fuller was a Massive Plagiarist ssake1 2023-03-07 | This newly-discovered evidence is almost enough, by itself, to prove that Margaret Fuller falsely claimed the work of Mathew Franklin Whittier (myself in the 19th century), which was published in the New York "Tribune" from Dec. 1844 to August 1846. The video is less than 17 minutes long--if you only watch the first 4-5 minutes, like almost everybody on my channel has been doing, you'll miss it.Note this is not, in fact, all the evidence I have, so put this clue together with two or three others, and it's a "done deal."Edited and re-posted on 3/7/23.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for December 17, 2022 ssake1 2022-12-17 | I explain, without notes, how Mathew and Abby Whittier's story, "A Christmas Carol," came to be published and falsely claimed by Charles Dickens.My paper, "Evidence That ‘A Christmas Carol’ Was Originally Written by Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier, Rather Than by Charles Dickens," as well as an abridged version designed for scholarly journals, entitled "Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier's Proposed Original Authorship of 'A Christmas Carol,'" can be downloaded from the links below.http://www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_APW_Carol.pdfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_APW_Carol_abridged.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog entry for November 23, 2022 special Thanksgiving edition. ssake1 2022-11-23 | I read a story written in collaboration by Abby Poyen and her future husband, Mathew Franklin Whittier, probably in 1833/34, entitled "Chanticleer: A Thanksgiving Story of the Peabody Family." About five years later, Mathew and Abby would similarly begin work on the original version of "A Christmas Carol," so this is your chance to hear what, in this first chapter, is primarily Abby's own voice in another holiday novella. Mathew published this book anonymously for Abby in 1850, nine years after her passing. In the 1856 reprinting, the name of Cornelius Mathews inexplicably showed up on the title page as the author. There are a great many clues pointing to Abby's authorship, having Mathew's assistance--and Cornelius Mathews simply didn't write in this style or with these spiritual sensibilities. The patriarch of the family wears a "broad-brimmed hat" (and hence is a Quaker, just as Mathew was a Quaker in 1833); Mathew often used the names "Ethan" and "Peabody," which show up in this story. Abby was raised French, and Mathew liked to use the French word "chanticleer" for a rooster. Abby's sense of the nearness of the heavenly realm, and her deep spirituality, is all through this story. Cornelius Mathews was a secular political liberal, and hence is *extremely* unlikely to have been the original author.This is the link to my written blog entry, which goes somewhat into the history of this book.ial.goldthread.com/blog11_21_22.html
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for Nov. 17, 2022 ssake1 2022-11-17 | An extemporaneous talk presenting my discovery and interpretation of a booklet published by Jane Seymour, wife of the late illustrator, Robert Seymour, who was the real genius behind "The Pickwick Papers." I argue that, contrary to the "damage control" campaign launched by Charles Dickens apologists, Mrs. Seymour's testimony is entirely credible--and if it is, it is damning as regards Dickens. Furthermore, it matches what I had already concluded about Dickens' plagiarism of "A Christmas Carol" from Mathew and Abby Whittier.You can download Jane Seymour's public statement, "The Origin of the Pickwick Papers," (without the dishonest, smearing Preface by F.G. Kitton) at the following URL from my own website:ial.goldthread.com/Jane_Seymour_statement_sans_commentary.pdfYou can also find more information in my video blog:ial.goldthread.com/SS_blog.htmlI suggest the entries for Nov. 16 and 17, 2022.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, October 31, 2022 ssake1 2022-10-31 | I demonstrate some of the evidence from a recent paper, proving that when Abby Poyen was a student in Albert Pike's class in Newburyport, Mass. in 1830, he plagiarized her poems and became unjustly famous for them.The paper, entitled "Making the CAse that Albert Pike Plagiarized from his Young Student, Abby Poyen, to create 'Hymns to the Gods,'" may be read on Academia.edu at the following URL:https://www.academia.edu/89346615/Making_the_Case_that_Albert_Pike_Plagiarized_from_his_Young_Student_Abby_Poyen_to_Create_Hymns_to_the_Gods_Or, you can download it directly from my own server at:http://www.ial.goldthread.com/Pike_as_plagiarist.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, October 10, 2022 ssake1 2022-10-12 | I explore three instances in which poems by Mathew Franklin Whittier (myself in the 19th century) were mistakenly attributed to other authors, because the poem ended up in that person's papers after they died, and family or friends assumed he or she was the author. My third example is "Annabel Lee," which was mistakenly assumed to be Edgar Allan Poe's last poem.Reposted on 10/12 for a minor correction.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for September 28, 2022 ssake1 2022-09-28 | I share a new antiquarian addition to my library, a rebound volume of Mathew Franklin Whittier's 1833 novel, "The Life and Adventures of Dr. Dodimus Duckworth. This copy has the interesting feature that some unknown person praised it, in pencil, on the inside front cover. I put all this in context by explaining Mathew's deeper rationale for writing this novel, tying it in with a book review he wrote for another publication during this same year, which he signed with his "star" signature. Two mistaken historical attributions are challenged in the course of this presentation.For those who are new to this channel, I am Mathew Franklin Whittier's reincarnation.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog September 13, 2022 ssake1 2022-09-13 | I present proof that the story which scholars think was Charles Dickens' precursor to "A Christmas Carol," was actually plagiarized in large part from two stories written by Mathew Franklin Whittier (one of them possibly in collaboration with his wife Abby). One of these stories, entitled "The Unbidden Guest," Dickens would almost definitely have seen several months before publishing Chapter 29 of "The Pickwick Papers," which he titled "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole The Sexton." If one assumes that Dickens drew from both stories, hardly any of his story is original. Even the main character's name, "Gabriel Grub," is an obvious imitation of Mathew's protagonist, "Israel Wurm." The reason he would have felt safe imitating the name so blatantly, is that this second story had never been published. It would not be the only time Dickens was accused of obtaining an unpublished manuscript directly from a magazine to which it had been submitted by another author.Note that where I give the opinion, off the top of my head, that in the 1830's hand-held lanterns hung by a chain and were made of heavy brass, I was mistaken. They had a handle (which would still generate leverage when swung). Some were made of wood, but many were tin boxes. Although lighter than brass, both types had sharp corners. I think it's still correct that an enraged grown man could seriously injure or even kill a small boy by swinging one at full strength and hitting him over the head "five or six times," as Dickens describes in "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton." Obviously, the sexton would have to restrain him to get in more than one blow; and likely, the boy would be unconscious on the ground after the fourth, not "singing a different song." This makes his sexton a murderer, and not merely a misanthrope. If one were to protest that I am taking the details of the scene too literally, then I would say it is the author's responsibility to think it through. In my paper on "A Christmas Carol," I point out a sloppy logistical error where Dickens hurriedly re-worked *that* story, as well.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, September 4, 2022 ssake1 2022-09-04 | I demonstrate the sheer extent of Mathew and Abby Whittier's literary legacy by sharing multiple examples of their works which were plagiarized by, or erroneously attributed to, other authors. The conclusion is that their legacy was scattered through 19th-century America, even extending overseas to Europe; and that there actually weren't as many inspired authors as people think there were.One example I didn't mention is the story that Samuel Clemens ("Mark Twain") read aloud in his dinner speech at John Greenleaf Whittier's 70th birthday party in Boston, in 1877. Mathew wrote that story, which was originally set in New England, and then Clemens re-worked it so as to set it in California with West Coast idioms. The reason it got Clemens in such hot water is that Mathew wrote it as a practical joke to chide the Boston literati, whom he knew personally, and used Clemens as a sort of literary Trojan Horse to deliver it.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, August 20, 2022 ssake1 2022-08-21 | In 1861, Mathew Franklin Whittier writes a parody of Edgar Allan Poe's false claim to have written "The Raven," in response to a phony trance medium supposedly channeling a poem from Poe. To make sure we know Mathew is the author, he involves his character, "Ethan Spike," but the authorship is still contested because he signed with an old pseudonym from 1831, which is mistakenly assumed to be another author. In this video, I straighten the whole thing out and demonstrate that this is, in fact, yet more evidence that Mathew was the real author of "The Raven."
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, August 9, 2022 ssake1 2022-08-09 | Inasmuch as I have cited Abby Poyen Whittier as an original co-author of "A Christmas Carol" along with her husband Mathew; and inasmuch as I have asserted that she had an in-depth knowledge of spirituality and the occult which she contributed to the story, whereas Charles Dickens was ignorant of these matters; I decided to demonstrate that Abby did, in fact, have this knowledge. In this video, I present some of Mathew's writings describing her, as well as some of her own writings, in support of my conclusions.The lip-sync problem has been solved.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog for August 5, 2022 ssake1 2022-08-05 | My purpose in this video entry is to demonstrate that Francis A. Durivage was not the real author of "The New Year's Bells," which he published in 1852. I set this one up with an overview of the investigative trail I discussed in my previous entry, where "Bells" and its authorship is key. Then I proceed with my evidence--a theme that Mathew Franklin Whittier wrote on in 1830, which clearly prefigures another piece stolen by Francis Durivage and published by him in 1851. This is one instance in which I've caught Durivage red-handed, because he was clearly not the author of the 1851 piece. Therefore, he was not the real author of "The New Year's Bells," and it was not written when he published it in 1852, either.Note that Durivage began publishing in the "New-England Galaxy" on dec. 10, 1830; but Mathew had been publishing in it since 1825, the Jan. 1830 story is precisely in Mathew's style, and Durivage is known to have been plagiarizing and imitating even during this early period.I have improved the lip-sync problem, but haven't completely solved it, yet.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, July 24, 2022 ssake1 2022-07-24 | Scholars cite Charles Dickens' story, "The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton," from the "Pickwick Papers," as his precursor to "A Christmas Carol." But what if he got most of the ideas for that story from two different stories by Mathew Franklin Whittier? That's what I demonstrate in this video. One of those stories Dickens would almost definitely have seen, eight months before he published "Goblins"; the other one I extrapolate as an influence from multiple pieces of evidence--including one that's very strong.My computer had trouble processing the video, and there are lip-sync lags especially for the first few minutes. Also, I had to reposition my light to the right-hand side because I got a different monitor, and then I forget to fill in the lighting on the left-hand side. Hopefully the next video will be improved on both counts. (I did a little testing and I think maybe it has to do with my anti-viral software--if so, I may have solved my lag and freezing issues.)
Stephen Sakellarios reading his past-life essay on Pre-Existence on his own past-life grave. ssake1 2022-07-07 | I read an essay about glimpses of past-life memory, written by my past-life self, Mathew Franklin Whittier, from the Dec. 28, 1850 Portland "Transcript," while kneeling on Mathew's grave in Union Cemetery, Amesbury, Mass. Video courtesy of Willy Hassell.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, June 24, 2022 ssake1 2022-06-25 | I demonstrate why I have concluded that Thomas Dunn English's public criticisms of Edgar Allan Poe were accurate and truthful, rather than being exaggerated slander as most people seem to think. I also compare what English had to say about Poe's public reading in Boston, with what Mathew Franklin Whittier--who had personally attended--said about it.You may read my papers on "The Raven" at Academia.edu. The first is a shortened version prepared for submission to scholarly journals; the second contains all (or most) of the evidence.Edgar Allan Poe's Plagiarism of Mathew Franklin Whittier's Poem, "The Raven"https://www.academia.edu/81604355/Edgar_Allan_Poes_Plagiarism_of_Mathew_Franklin_Whittiers_Poem_The_Raven_Evidence that Edgar Allan Poe Stole "The Raven" from Mathew Franklin Whittierhttps://www.academia.edu/49095038/Evidence_that_Edgar_Allan_Poe_Stole_The_Raven_from_Mathew_Franklin_Whittier
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, June 22, 2022 ssake1 2022-06-22 | I demonstrate, by hard evidence, that a famous poem attributed to John Greenleaf Whittier from a book coyrighted in 1848, called "The Poems of John Greenleaf Whittier," is actually unlikely to have been his poem, and was probably written by Mathew Franklin Whittier--his younger brother, and myself in the 19th-century.After providing this evidence, I read several other poems by Mathew for comparison.An e-book containing a collection of Mathew Franklin Whittier and Abby Poyen Whittier's best poetry, entitled "Soul-mate Songs," can be purchased from Amazon.com at:amazon.com/dp/B07D5GWXP2Or, visit my online bookstore, MFW Books:mfwbooks.selz.comNote that the odd appearance of the original printing of the poem in question is because the photograph had severe motion blur, and I semi-corrected it digitally. I have a physical reprinting of the same poem in another newspaper, but the type is set for a different column-width and hence doesn't have the same appearance. I opted to stick with the premiere in the first newspaper, even though the visual quality is poorer.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, June 18 2022 ssake1 2022-06-19 | I present two new discoveries of evidence concerning Mathew Franklin Whittier's plagiarists. One has to do with Francis Durivage, where he appears to have imitated one of Mathew's own articles in order to mock him; and the second concerns a newly-found example of Mathew's style of writing dialogues, which matches one of the "F."-signed pieces in the Transcendentalist journal, "The Dial" (s signature historians mistakenly believe was Fuller's).Errata:1) Mathew Franklin Whittier's story, "The Street Spectre," does, in fact, appear reprinted in the Oct. 30, 1830 "Philadelphia Album," in the same edition that Francis Durivage's story, "The Long Man," was reprinted.2) "The Long Man" was first published in the Oct. 16, 1830 Boston "Centinel," the same date that Mathew's story, "The Street Spectre," appeared in the NY "Constellation." Therefore, if Durivage was imitating, he had to have seen an advance copy Mathew sent to a mutual acquaintance in Boston.3) Durivage's story gives, as the reason for hating "The Long Man," that he was a moocher. The examples are absurdly exaggerated (six bottles of wine and two boxes of cigars), and to me, the charges look like merely an excuse for hating him, being trumped up. Nonetheless, I have to note that Mathew wrote two pieces about a moocher in 1850 and 1852, respectively. These appear to have been inspired by an actual encounter. Mathew had written about "bores" as early as 1827, in the "New-England Galaxy," and continued to do on occasion so for many years. It's possible that in 1830, Durivage was imitating something Mathew had written earlier, which I haven't found. In that case, Durivage would have been combining two of Mathew's works to create his caricature.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, June 1, 2022 ssake1 2022-06-02 | I demonstrate that Mathew Franklin Whittier could plausibly have been the author of the essays and reviews signed with a "star" in the 1844-1846 New York "Tribune," by style comparison. Multiple examples of Mathew's identified works, ranging from 1826 until 1874--many of them also signed with his "star" signature--are compared with the "star"-signed works traditionally attributed to Margaret Fuller in the "Tribune." I demonstrate that it is arguably the same voice in all of these pieces. Many of these were written before Fuller began publishing; many others were published after her untimely death in 1850. The examples include a "star"-signed essay by Mathew arguing for the education of women in 1831.The pieces below, written by Mathew Franklin Whittier, are among the samples examined in the video.http://www.ial.goldthread.com/Album_asterisk_9_10_31_female_education.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Tribune_asterisk_9_30_45_women.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Galaxy_unsigned_6_16_26_biblical_parable.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Tribune_asterisk_3_31_46_what_fits_a_man_parable.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Transcript_asterisk_5_20_54_Alexander_Smith.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Transcript_asterisk_11_15_56_Dred.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Constellation_D_1_7_32_debtors_prison.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Transcript_unsigned_6_15_50_visit_alms_house.rtfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/Transcript_ES_7_4_74_women_meeting.rtf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, May 23, 2022 ssake1 2022-05-24 | In this entry I set straight the misconception that just because my study began as research into reincarnation, past-life memory is the primary basis for my literary discoveries. Here, I trace the dates, and antiquarian sources, of my discoveries in the historical record concerning Mathew and Abby Whittier's original co-authorship of "A Christmas Carol."
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, May 17, 2022 ssake1 2022-05-17 | I explore the mysteries behind Mathew Franklin Whittier's unknown and, in this case, unclaimed 1850 novel, "The Mistake of a Lifetime; Or, the Robber of the Rhine Valley," which sold widely but was unfairly panned by the critics. I prove Mathew's authorship, and demonstrate two different ways he "signed" it for posterity. There are a number of interesting surprises in this entry.Here is an example of Mathew Franklin Whittier's "Joe Strickland" style, mentioned in the video. This was published in the June 9, 1826 New-England Galaxy, in Boston, by Mathew when he was 13 years old. It is ostensibly written by Joe's brother Sam in Boston, to Joe in New York. The letter begins in the upper-left corner.http://www.ial.goldthread.com/SS_6_9_26.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, May 13, 2022 ssake1 2022-05-13 | I visit the place in Portland, Maine where I, in my 19th-century lifetime as author Mathew Franklin Whittier, wrote an essay for the Portland "Transcript" in May, 1851. The essay, itself, where it was republished in the Boston "Carpet-Bag," can be downloaded from the following URL:http://www.ial.goldthread.com/unsigned_5_31_51.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, May 9, 2022 ssake1 2022-05-10 | I discuss how I wrote my two e-books, "Mathew Franklin Whittier in his own words," and "Mathew Franklin Whittier in his own world." I then randomly dip into each one, and explain the section I land on.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, April 28, 2022 ssake1 2022-04-28 | Evidence that in 1851, British author William Makepeace Thackeray took Mathew Franklin Whittier to dinner at his London club, as a literary colleague; and that they got on very well indeed.
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, April 23, 2022 ssake1 2022-04-24 | In the Jan. 4, 1868 Portland "Transcript," is a star-signed review by Mathew Franklin Whittier of Charles Dickens' public reading in New York City. It looks like a favorable review on the surface, but Mathew embeds code in several places. I break down this code for the viewer, with some surprising results.Relevant papers:http://www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_APW_Carol.pdfhttp://www.ial.goldthread.com/MFW_EBB.pdf
Stephen Sakellarios video blog, April 17, 2022 ssake1 2022-04-18 | I share selected passages written by Mathew Franklin Whittier about some of the public figures that he deeply admired. It's an excellent way for the viewer to get to know Mathew, but it doubles as an opportunity to share some of his best prose writing. Featured are violinist Ole Bull, singer Jenny Lind, actor John Gough, Hungarian freedom fighter Lajos Kossuth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the "learned blacksmith," Elihu Burritt.
