The Naturalisation of the SupernaturalA founding member of the Fabian Society and a prominent member of the Society for Psychical Research, Frank Podmore (1856-1910) occupied a unique position in British political and scientific society. From his undergraduate days at Oxford until his untimely death in 1910, he harboured a fascination for the supernatural, hallucinations and mesmerism. Published in the final years of his life, during a period of prolific writing and introspection, this 1908 work was the result of exhaustive personal research and first-hand observation. Although fascinated by his chosen subject, Podmore never abandoned his scientific stance and demonstrates a level of scepticism rarely found among the more committed Victorian spiritualists. The result is a scholarly but entertaining series of case studies, which remains one of the most authoritative works on the phenomenon of spiritualism. |
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¹ Journal ¹ Proceedings A. W. VERRALL actually Adelphi Theatre agent apparition appear asked automatic automatic writing chapter clairvoyance coincidence communication consciousness Davey dead death deceased December described distance door doubt dream dress Duleep Singh Ebbw Vale Edmund Gurney enquiry evidence experience experimental explanation F. W. H. Myers face fact figure given hallucinations hand heard Hodgson hypnotic hypothesis impression incident investigated kind lady letter living looked medium memory mesmerist mind Miss morning mother narratives night occurred Passenham percipient percipient's person Phantasms phenomena Phinuit Piper Poltergeist present Professor Psychical Research quoted recognised recorded remember séance seemed seen Sidgwick sister sitting slate sleep Society for Psychical spirit Spiritualist suggested telepathy things thought transference tion told took trance Verrall vision vivid waking walking wife witnesses word writing written wrote