History of Spiritualism Vol 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Arthur Conan-Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2001

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 spiritualism, beginning with Swedenborg before turning to the 'supernatural' events in upstate New York in 1848 that are generally regarded as the beginning of modern spiritualism. It then focuses on key individuals including D. D. Home, and on scientific investigations of spiritualist phenomena. The History provides valuable insights into Victorian and early twentieth-century culture and the controversies generated by spiritualism at that time.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This two-volume history was published in 1926 by the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), who, like many of his contemporaries, was fascinated by spiritualism and the possibility of communication with the dead. Volume 1 focuses on the origins of the movement in the mid-nineteenth century. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

The life of Arthur Conan Doyle illustrates the excitement and diversity of the Victorian age unlike that of any other single figure of the period. At different points in his life he was a surgeon on a whaling ship; a GP; an apprentice eye-surgeon; an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate (twice); a multi-talented sportsman; one of the inventors of cross-country skiing in Switzerland; a formidable public speaker; a campaigner against miscarriages of justice; a military strategist; a writer in a range of forms; and the head of an extraordinary family. In his autobiography, he wrote: 'I have had a life which, for variety and romance, could, I think, hardly be exceeded.' He was not wrong. But Conan Doyle was also a Victorian with a twist, a man of tensions and contradictions. He was fascinated by travel, exploration, and invention, indeed all things modern and technological; yet at the same time he was also very traditional, voicing support for values such as chivalry, duty, constancy, and honour. By the time of his death in July 1930 he was a celebrity, achieving worldwide fame and notoriety for his creation of the rationalist, scientific super-detective Sherlock Holmes; yet at the same time his later decades were taken up with his advocacy of the new religion of Spiritualism, in which he was a devoted believer. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Non Basic Stock Line (January 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0853841101
• ISBN-13: 978-0853841104
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,954,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The St. Paul of Spiritualism, November 13, 2002

By 

Benjamin R. Cox, III "RevBen02" (Groveland, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of Spiritualism (Perspectives in psychical research) (Hardcover)

Besides being the Father of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the St. Paul of Spiritualism. Having become disenchanted with the Roman Catholic faith at an early age, Doyle searched for years, before becoming a convinced Spiritualist. The evidence that convinced him was communication with his son, Kingsley, who died at the end of the great war. This information came through in seances. Doyle often remarked,"If only they could know". Doyle not only believed, he knew! This book is extremely well written, as one would expect from a writer of Doyle's distinction. The early beginnings with Swedenborg are covered, as well as important phenomena and mediums of the time. To me, as a Spiritualist minister, the greatest chapters are on the religious aspects of Spiritualism, which Doyle explains in great depth. This is a scholarly book, which I require my students to read. But it is more than worth the time, when one considers what one learns from this authority. Doyle traveled extensively in the cause of the faith and established several churches in Australia. I wish all readers the same exciting learning experience that I had when I first read this book!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expert Account by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, January 20, 2008

By 

D. Foulkes "Dr. Deborah Richmond Foulkes" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The History of Spiritualism (Complete) (Paperback)

No one goes wrong in tapping into the great research of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his review of New Spiritualism. He takes us through the pioneers of that movement that began here in the United States in 1848 with the Fox Sisters. Doyle was purposeful and intent on his work; a scholarly effort that is used today by the Morris Pratt Institute as required reading for its courses on Spiritualism.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The history of spiritualism, August 12, 2008

By 

James W. Turner "JW Turner" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The History of Spiritualism (Complete) (Paperback)

A very surprising book! Doyle embraces spiritualism and digs into the subject.I made one mistake not reading this book earlier.