Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances

Calling the Spirits explores the eerie history of our conversations with the dead, from necromancy in Homer's Odyssey to the emergence of Spiritualism. It features the Fox sisters, Daniel Dunglas Home, Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Helen Duncan, and considers Ouija boards, modern psychics, and paranormal investigations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 12 September 2022
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Calling the Spirits delves into the enigmatic realm of our interactions with the deceased,spanning from the eerie practices of necromancy in Homer's Odyssey to the rise of Spiritualism during the Victorian era. Among our distinguished cast are the Fox sisters, teenage mediums enthralled by "spirit rappings," Daniel Dunglas Home, hailed as the "greatest medium of all time," Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose unlikely friendship was formed, then shattered, by the mysteries of the afterlife, and Helen Duncan, the medium whose 1944 trial for witchcraft captivated the public more than news about the war. The book also explores Ouija boards, contemporary psychics, and paranormal investigations, all accompanied by captivating engravings, exquisite fine art (from beyond), and photographs. Prepare to be thoroughly entertained as this captivating work raises the intriguing question: Is anyone truly there?

Dimension: 197 x 127 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789146493