In the sun-drenched island of Crete, an English writer’s hospital stay takes an unexpected turn. A mysterious roommate, their conversations a captivating blend of art, archaeology, reincarnation, and the rigid structures of the English class system, vanishes without a trace. Or so it seems. Upon returning home, the writer uncovers a journal and a worn tarot deck tucked away in his luggage: undeniable proof of his enigmatic encounter. Penned in 1823 by a Paduan named Giovanni Battista Belzoni, the journal reveals a fascinating life. A strongman who captivated British music hall crowds as ‘The Patagonian Samson,’ Belzoni also made his mark as a daring procurer of Egyptian artifacts for the British Museum. But within the journal’s pages lies a chilling account – a terrifying confrontation with Satan himself within the depths of the Great Pyramid of Cheops.

This collection brings together scholars from disciplines including Children’s Literature, Classics, and History to develop fresh approaches to children’s culture and the uses of the past. It charts the significance of historical episodes and characters during the long nineteenth-century (1750-1914), a critical period in children's culture. Boys and girls across social classes often experienced different pasts simultaneously, for purposes of amusement and instruction. The book highlights an active and shifting market in history for children, and reveals how children were actively involved in consuming and repackaging the past: from playing with historically themed toys and games to performing in plays and pageants. Each chapter reconstructs encounters across different media, uncovering the cultural work done by particular pasts and exposing the key role of playfulness in the British historical imagination.