Calling the Spirits | Free Book
Calling the Spirits investigates the eerie history of our conversations with the dead, from necromancy in Homer’s Odyssey to the emergence of Spiritualism—when Victorians were entranced by mediums and the seance was born. Among our cast are the Fox sisters, teenagers surrounded by “spirit rappings”; Daniel Dunglas Home, the “greatest medium of all time”; Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose unlikely friendship was forged, then riven, by the afterlife; and Helen Duncan, the medium whose trial in 1944 for witchcraft proved more popular to the public than news about the war. The book also considers Ouija boards, modern psychics, and paranormal investigations, and is illustrated with engravings, fine art (from beyond), and photographs. Hugely entertaining, it begs the question: is anybody there . . . ?
In The Press
"An impressive piece of research. . . . Calling the Spirits is
a must-read for anyone fascinated with Spiritualism."— Alma Katsu,
author of "The Deep" and "The Hunger"
"It’s not only fearful
fiction that is having a moment. With the world full of real-life
terrors, nonfiction writers are also responding. Informational texts
about horror have traditionally been limited to local ghost tales or
explorations of horror in film. Now, authors are entering new
territory that goes beyond the confines of the genre. Morton, the
world’s eminent expert on Halloween, has a fascinating new book,
Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances, a fun and thorough
look at how humans have tried to communicate with the dead over
time."— Library Journal
"Morton is clearly skeptical of most of
the claims made for séances and the phenomena of Spiritualism, but
presents the claims of those involved in an even-handed manner, whilst
also presenting the voices of those, throughout history, who have
found no evidence for the reality of any form of postmortem
communication. The fascinating history of séances is filled with
mystery, deception, self-deception, genuine belief, scientific
inquiry, and personal transformation, which is well described in this
extremely interesting and readable account."— Magonia Review of
Books
"While Victorian obsessions are the meat of Calling the Spirits, it is bookended by the necromancy of the ancients and modern
séances. . . . Morton’s book will interest anyone whose ancestors
claimed psychic powers."— Who Do You Think You Are?
"An ambitious
primer on the history of Spiritualism, . . . Calling the Spirits is engagingly written, well illustrated, and up-to-date."—
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
"In
Calling the Spirits, Morton has provided the immediate turn-to
book on the subject of mediums and seances."— The Pilgrim
"Morton
tells the story of Spiritualism, writ large, in a highly readable book
that provides a succinct, though impressively nuanced, summary of an
otherwise sprawling social movement and religion."— Nova Religio
"A
level-headed and entertaining history of our desire and attempts to
hold conversations with the dead.
Calling the Spirits investigates the eerie history of our
conversations with the dead, from necromancy in Homer’s Odyssey to the
emergence of Spiritualism — when Victorians were entranced by mediums
and the seance was born . . . Hugely entertaining."— New Books
Network
- Title: Calling the Spirits | Free Book
- Author: Steven
- Created at : 2024-10-25 05:51:17
- Updated at : 2024-10-27 05:37:43
- Link: https://novels-ebooks.techidaily.com/210089896-9781789142815-calling-the-spirits/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.