Preliminary Report of the Commission Appointed to Investigate Modern Spiritualism

Preliminary Report of the Commission Appointed to Investigate Modern Spiritualism
Author: University of Pennsylvania. Seybert Commission for Investigating Modern Spiritualism
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2023-08-12
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN:

The book 'Preliminary Report of the Commission Appointed to Investigate Modern Spiritualism' by the University of Pennsylvania Seybert Commission for Investigating Modern Spiritualism is a groundbreaking study on the phenomenon of modern spiritualism. This detailed report provides a comprehensive analysis of various spiritualist practices and manifestations, shedding light on the cultural and social context in which they arose. The writing style is scholarly and objective, presenting empirical evidence and testimonies gathered by the Commission. The book offers a unique insight into the spiritualist movement of the 19th century and its impact on society. The investigative approach of the Commission adds credibility to the findings and conclusions presented in the report. The University of Pennsylvania Seybert Commission was established in response to the growing interest in spiritualism during the 19th century. Composed of esteemed scholars and researchers, the Commission aimed to provide a scientific and rational analysis of spiritualist phenomena. The authorship of the report reflects the expertise and academic rigor of the University of Pennsylvania, enhancing the scholarly value of the book. I highly recommend 'Preliminary Report of the Commission Appointed to Investigate Modern Spiritualism' to readers interested in the history of spiritualism, paranormal phenomena, and scientific investigations of the supernatural. This book offers a fascinating glimpse into a significant cultural movement and the efforts to understand and analyze unexplained phenomena.

The Seybert Report

The Seybert Report
Author: Elizabeth Schleber Lowry
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 113
Release: 2017-08-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3319615122

This book is a rhetorical analysis of the "Seybert Report," based on the findings of the Seybert Commission formed in the nineteenth century at the University of Pennsylvania and tasked with investigating the paranormal phenomena alleged to arise in Spiritualist séances. The findings of the report are significant because they provide a historical benchmark for how “paranormal” research--or psi--has been addressed by academics for well over a century. Elizabeth Schleber Lowry examines academic discourse with respect to psi from such approaches as the rhetoric of science and scholarship in the history and philosophy of science.

The Magician and the Spirits

The Magician and the Spirits
Author: Deborah Noyes
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2017-08-22
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 110161689X

“Noyes makes history accessible and irresistible . . . Excellent.”* A century ago, the curious idea that spirits not only survive death but can be contacted on the “other side” was widespread. Psychic mediums led countless séances, claiming to connect the grieving with their lost relations through everything from frenzied trance writing to sticky expulsions of ectoplasm. The craze caught Harry Houdini’s attention. Well-known by then as most renowned magician and escape artist, he began to investigate these spiritual phenomena. Are ghosts real? Can we communicate with them? Catch them in photographs? Or are all mediums “flim-flammers,” employing tricks and illusions like Houdini himself? Peopled with odd and fascinating characters, Houdini’s gripping quest will excite readers’ universal wonderment with life, death, and the possibility of the Beyond. *School Library Journal, starred review of Ten Days a Madwoman

Reconstructing the Personal Library of William James

Reconstructing the Personal Library of William James
Author: Ermine L. Algaier
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2019-11-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1498552919

While a reconstruction of the whole of William James’s personal library isn’t feasible, there are significant portions of it that reside within the Harvard University Library system and this book is a partial reconstruction of their story. Reconstructing the Personal Library of William James offers a new, comprehensive account of the James collection at Harvard University, bringing together all known Harvard-owned entries into one comprehensive volume. The annotated bibliography contains data on 2,554 entries (2,862 volumes) from James’s personal library, including both the 1923 “Philosophical Library” and all known additional donations by James and his family. . Each entry, when applicable, contains the following data points: Harvard Library location and call number, provenance, bookplate, accession record, autographs, inscriptions, ownership marks, indexical annotations, markings, and marginalia. To orient the reader, Ermine L. Algaier IV supplements the bibliography with essays that examine the history of the James’s library at Harvard, assess the size of the collection and how it came to reside at Harvard, and showcase patterns that emerge from looking at the collection as a whole. Additional essays are devoted to explaining the source lists and archival resources used in reconstructing James’s personal library, as well as outlining steps for continued research on the collection.