TY - BOOK ID - 85473245 TI - The history of spiritualism. PY - 2011 SN - 1139059785 1108033202 PB - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Spiritualism KW - Spiritualists KW - History. KW - Occultists UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:85473245 AB - The Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 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 & 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 & 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, & on scientific investigations of spiritualist phenomena. The history provides valuable insights into Victorian & early twentieth-century culture. ER -