THE HISTORY OF
SPIRITUALISM - VOL. 1 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
/ 1926 / 342 pages.
Mention the name of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle and most people immediately think of Sherlock
Holmes and the exciting mysteries he solved. Even today,
decades after the stories were written, they still enjoy
worldwide popularity. Sir Arthur possessed a brilliant
deductive mind, one that was razor sharp with insight. It
was these same qualities Sir Arthur used in probing
Spiritualism and mediumship. And after a thorough
investigation he publicly proclaimed himself a
Spiritualist time after time. "The History of
Spiritualism" is a truly astonishing book, as fresh
now as when it was first written. Doyle begins by
featuring visionary Emanuel Swedenborg, telling, for
example, how the seer observed and reported on a fire in
Stockholm 300 miles away with perfect accuracy, even
though "he was attending a dinner party with 16
guests, who made valuable witnesses." Amongst others
Sir Arthur features is Andrew Jackson Davis, the American
clairvoyant who whilst in trance spoke Hebrew, a language
that as an "ignorant young man", he simply did
not know. Moreover Sir Arthur documents the advent of
modern Spiritualism from its beginnings in America to its
dawning in Britain. Mediums he highlights include D.D.
Home, who demonstrated his superb psychic gifts to
European and Russian Royalty. Sir Arthur tells how home,
"a poor man and an invalid," rejected the then
princely sum of $4,000 for a single séance. "I have
been sent on a mission," said Home. "I have
never taken money for it, and I never will." Of
course, no investigation of Spiritualism would be
complete without mentioning scientific pioneers like Sir
William Crookes. Sir Arthur describes the thrilling
materialization séances Sir William attended with
Florence Cook. In short, "The History of
Spiritualism" is a classic, an easy to read, packed
with detail volume that Sherlock Holmes would undoubtedly
have read - had he been a real person.
