Modern Spiritualism: A History and a Criticism

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Modern Spiritualism: A History and a Criticism
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Frank Podmore
SeriesModern Spiritualism 2 Volume Set
Series part Volume No. Volume 1
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:332
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
ISBN/Barcode 9781108072571
ClassificationsDewey:133.9
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 20 January 2011
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Frank Podmore (1856-1910) published Modern Spiritualism in two volumes in 1902. It was the first comprehensive history of the Spiritualist movement. Podmore traces the historical development of Spiritualism from its earliest origins in animal magnetism and alchemy, to its apogee in the early nineteenth century and through to its decline from 1870 onwards, which Podmore associated with the growth of professional psychics and an increase in fraud. Volume 1 covers the key figures of the movement: Paracelsus, Mesmer, Bertrand, Esdaile, and Andrew Jackson Davis. Book 1 focuses on French, English and German Spiritualism and Book 2 on American Spiritualism and its beginnings in Arcadia. The volume includes invaluable accounts of scientific investigations into possession, poltergeists, clairvoyance, and trances. Podmore was a leading member of the Victorian Society for Psychical Research and his work remains an indispensable source for the modern-day historian of nineteenth-century Spiritualism and occult practices.