MODERN SPIRITUALISM: A HISTORY AND CRITICISM
Book Details + Condition: Methuen and Co (London). First Edition, 1902. Complete two-volume hardcover set. Pagination: 361pp and 307pp, with Index and Advertisements. Dark red boards with gilt to front and spine. Noted British author and paranormal researcher Frank Podmore offers a comprehensive and critical examination of the Spiritualist movement that emerged in the mid-19th century. The book details the origins and development of Spiritualism, as well as an analysis of its claims and practices. Podmore discusses the key figures of the movement, including mediums, investigators, and critics, and examines the various phenomena associated with Spiritualism, such as table-turning, trance-speaking, and materialization. He scrutinizes the evidence for the reality of spirit communication and exposes the frauds and deceptions that plagued the movement. He also discusses the psychological and social factors that contributed to the popularity of Spiritualism, such as the desire for comfort and consolation in the face of death, and the search for new forms of religious and philosophical belief. Chapters include:
Part One: The Pedigree of Spiritualism
- Possession and Witchcraft
- On Poltergeists
- Mesmer and His Principles
- Spiritualism Before 1848
- The German Somnambules
- The English Mesmerists
- Clairvoyance in England
Part Two: Early American Spiritualism
- In Arcadia
- The Physical Phenomena
- Clairvoyance and Speaking in Tongues
- Trance Writing and Speaking
Part Three: Spiritualism in England
- Table Turning and Table Talking
- The Incubation Period
- Private Mediumship
- Physical Mediumship in General
- Materialisation
- Spirit Photographs
- Clairvoyance and Trance Speaking
- Science and Superstition
Part Four: The Problems of Mediumship
- Slate - Writing
- Daniel Dunglas Home
- The Mediumship of Stainton Moses
- Automatism
- Dream - Consciousness
- The Trance Utterances of Mrs. Piper
For both volumes: firm binding; light shelf wear to boards, with small areas of fading/discoloration; chafed spine ends; a few areas of foxing and age-toning; interior is clean and free of markings, save faint name to ffep. All books are carefully packed, and shipped in boxes.
