The History of Spiritualism 2 Volume Set

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Overview

The Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) is best known for his creation of the character Sherlock Holmes. Trained as a medical doctor, Doyle – like many Victorian intellectuals – became fascinated by spiritualism and its promise of communication with the afterlife. Doyle was a firm believer in the movement, claiming as evidence 'sign[s] of a purposeful and organized invasion' from the spirit world. In 1926, towards the end of his life, he published this influential two-volume history. Volume 1 covers the background and origins of Victorian spiritualism, and focuses on key individuals including D. D. Home. It also reports on several scientific investigations of spiritualist phenomena. Volume 2 discusses celebrated mediums from 1870 to World War I, and topics including 'ectoplasm' and 'spirit photography'. The History provides valuable insights into Victorian and early twentieth-century culture and the controversies generated by spiritualism at that time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108033220
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2011
Series:	Cambridge Library Collection - Spiritualism and Esoteric Knowledge
Pages:	732
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

A prolific author of books, short stories, poetry, and more, the Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is best known for the creation of one of literature’s most vivid and enduring characters: Sherlock Holmes. Through detailed observation, vast knowledge, and brilliant deduction, Holmes and his trusted friend, Dr. Watson, step into the swirling fog of Victorian London to rescue the innocent, confound the guilty, and solve the most perplexing puzzles known to literature.

Date of Birth:

May 22, 1859

Date of Death:

July 7, 1930

Place of Birth:

Edinburgh, Scotland

Place of Death:

Crowborough, Sussex, England

Education:

Edinburgh University, B.M., 1881; M.D., 1885

Table of Contents

Volume 1: Preface; 1. The story of Swedenborg; 2. Edward Irving: the Shakers; 3. The prophet of the new revelation; 4. The Hydesville episode; 5. The career of the Fox sisters; 6. First developments in America; 7. The dawn in England; 8. Continued progress in England; 9. The career of D. D. Home; 10. The Davenport brothers; 11. The researches of Sir William Crookes (1870–4); 12. The Eddy brothers and the Holmeses; 13. Henry Slade and Dr. Monck; 14. Collective investigations of spiritualism. Volume 2: 15. The career of Eusapia Palladino; 16. Great mediums from 1870 to 1900: Charles H. Foster, Madame d'Esperance, William Eglinton, Stainton Moses; 17. The Society for Psychical Research; 18. Ectoplasm; 19. Spirit photography; 20. Voice mediumship and moulds; 21. French, German and Italian spiritualism; 22. Some great modern mediums; 23. Spiritualism and the war; 24. The religious aspect of spiritualism; 25. The after-life as seen by spiritualists; Appendix; Index.