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 ...
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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 Victorian spiritualism, and focuses on key individuals including D. D. Home. It also reports on several scientific investigations of spiritualist phenomena. Volume 2 discusses celebrated mediums from 1870 to World War I, and topics including 'ectoplasm' and 'spirit photography'. The History provides valuable insights into Victorian and early twentieth-century culture and the controversies generated by spiritualism at that time.
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