The History of Spiritualism, Vol. I

What It's About

This is the first of two volumes in which Arthur Conan Doyle sets out a history of the Spiritualist movement. It opens with precursors like Swedenborg and the Shakers before moving to the Hydesville rappings of 1848 and the Fox sisters, generally taken as the movement's starting point. From there it follows Spiritualism's spread through America and England, covering well-known mediums and investigators including D. D. Home, the Davenport Brothers, the Eddy Brothers, the Holmeses, Henry Slade, and Dr. Monck, along with Sir William Crookes's scientific investigations into the phenomena.

Key Concepts

The book centres on physical mediumship (rappings, materialisations, levitation) and the attempts of scientists and researchers to investigate these phenomena under controlled conditions. Doyle writes as a committed believer rather than a neutral historian, and the book is as much a defence of Spiritualism against charges of fraud as it is a chronological account of its development.

About the Author

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a British writer and physician, born in Edinburgh and trained in medicine at the University of Edinburgh. In his later years he became a dedicated advocate of Spiritualism, lecturing and writing extensively on the subject.