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    History

    The Dubious Book of Famous Deeds

    One day, Paul Bates found a book in an alley. It wasn’t a magical book, but it was very old – 132 years old, to be exact. It’s called The Pictorial Treasury of Famous Men and Famous Deeds: its cover is beautiful, its language is flowery, and its tone is problematic. It’s also full of wildly obscure and preposterously inaccurate stories about people and deeds you’ve probably never heard of. And, it’s the basis for this history podcast. Each episode Paul shares a chapter with a guest and together they cut through the rhetoric, fill in the blanks and bring a modern perspective to this relic from the height of the British Empire.

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    Copyright: © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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    Latest Episodes:
    You might also love: StanLand Jul 30, 2025
    Show notes

    Please enjoy episode 1 of StanLand, a hilarious new comedy fantasy story featuring Rhea Seehorn, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, John Waters, Steve Little, Timm Sharp, and more! Written by Mike Sacks with S.G. Wilson.

    A cynical podcaster, Melanie Hughes (Rhea Seehorn), who investigates tales of “mysterious phenomena,” stumbles upon the most outrageous story of her career. An unemployed mediocrity from Maryland, Stan Little (Bobby Moynihan), has discovered a once-pristine, Narnia-like fantasy world and is accidentally ruining it by introducing commercial capitalism run amok. Will Melanie be able to escape this magical land overrun by fast-food chain restaurants, waterparks and vape stores?

    If you like this, you can hear the full series right now. Subscribe to StanLand wherever you get your podcasts. Join the Apple Subscription for bonus interviews and extras!

    Brought to you by The Sonar Network & Odenkirk-Provissiero Entertainment.

    Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.stanlandseries.com for more info.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 19. Horatio Nelson, or: The Naval Gaze Aug 01, 2022
    Show notes

    Comedian Clare Blackwood joins me for the thrilling tale of Lord Admiral Nelson: commander of the Royal Navy, hero of the Napoleonic Wars, deadbeat husband. Listen to the story of a man who left everything on the field, including an arm, most of his teeth and an eyebrow.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 18. Samuel Colt, or: From My Old, Dead Hands Jul 25, 2022
    Show notes

    If you’re tracing the roots of America’s gun culture, you’ll surely stumble across Samuel Colt, inventor of the Colt Pistol, revolutionary in firearm manufacture and marketing, and total gun nut by anyone’s standards. Guests Rhys Waters and Jesse Harley (‘Canadian Politics is Boring’) come for the weaponry and stay for the pyromania as we explore the life of a man who had a singular appetite for destruction.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 17. Walter Raleigh, or: Misadventure Time Jul 11, 2022
    Show notes

    Comedian Brandon Hackett is here for the story of Walter Raleigh, namesake of Raleigh, North Carolina: a great explorer, so we’re told, but really – did he get a single thing right? Or was he really famous because Queen Elizabeth I had the hots for him? Learn all about the man whose missteps and screw-ups landed him in the Tower of London so many times, they’ve still got his room set up.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 16. Sir Henry Holland, or: Lady Chatterley’s Doctor Jul 04, 2022
    Show notes

    In a surprisingly horny episode, comedian Ashley Botting (Second City, Because News) is here for the story of Sir Henry Holland: physician to the wealthy, confidante to the elite, and – to spread a rumour we can in no way substantiate – hot lover to them all?

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 15. Great Lighthouse Disasters, or: Lead Belly Jun 13, 2022
    Show notes

    Comedian Alastair Forbes is here for stories about lighthouses! Specifically, stories about the destruction of said lighthouses. We’ll also hear a bit about John Smeaton, the first ever civil engineer… but mainly we’re talking lighthouses failing. You know what they say: tragedy plus time equals good podcast content.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 14. John Milton, or: Walking Tour de Force Jun 06, 2022
    Show notes

    Allana Reoch is here to learn all the strange, tragic and uncomfortably public details about legendary poet John Milton, all against the backdrop of the English Civil War. The guy was a major pill but will Allana come around on him? Does she have a soft spot for broken things?? Or is John Milton just *that* charming??? (He isn’t.)

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 13. Sir Edwin Landseer, or: Must Love Dog Art May 03, 2022
    Show notes

    Welcome to season 2! The Dubious Book returns with an extremely funny episode about Queen Victoria’s favourite painter, Edwin Landseer. Tim Baltz (Righteous Gemstones, Shrink) and Marty Adams (Second City) join the podcast to – let’s be honest – absolutely devastate this long dead artist whose main gig was painting pictures of dogs. Find the artwork we discuss at my IG account @famous.deeds, or at this episode’s page on www.thesonarnetwork.com!

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Season 2 Announcement! Apr 19, 2022
    Show notes

    Hi friends! Been a long time. But I’m happy to tell you that more episodes are just around the corner. Season 2 arrives May 3rd with with more great guests, obscure names and fun stories.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


    Chapter 12. Edward Baines of Leeds, or: Trowel Drop Sep 27, 2021
    Show notes

    It’s the season finale! Comedian Lisa Brooke is here for the rags to riches tale of Edward Baines, the newspaperman who had the distinction of being burned in effigy by his fellow citizens not once, but twice. Come for the accusations of bastardy… stay for the silliest name in British history since Ralph Roister Doister.

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network


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