author
M. (Maximilian) Schele de Vere
1820–1898
A globe-trotting linguist and longtime University of Virginia professor, he wrote lively books that brought language, folklore, and curious corners of culture to a wide 19th-century audience.
1 Audiobook
Modern Magic
by M. (Maximilian) Schele de Vere
About the author
Born in Sweden in 1820, Maximilian Schele de Vere was educated in Europe and settled in the United States in the 1840s. He joined the University of Virginia in 1844 as professor of modern languages and remained there for decades, becoming known as a gifted teacher and scholar of language.
He wrote on an unusually wide range of subjects, from language study and philology to travel, society, and popular beliefs. His books include works on Americanisms, the study of words, and even the supernatural, showing how comfortably he moved between serious scholarship and subjects meant to fascinate general readers.
Schele de Vere died in 1898, but his work still offers a vivid glimpse of 19th-century curiosity about language and culture. For audiobook listeners, he stands out as an author who could make learned topics feel surprisingly readable and full of personality.