The History of Spiritualism, Volume 1
Volume 1By Arthur Conan Doyle
Length10h 44m
About this audiobook
The History of Spiritualism, Vol. 1 is the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's two-volume comprehensive chronicle of the modern spiritualist movement. In this volume, Doyle traces the movement's 19th-century origins, beginning with the famous Fox Sisters of 1848, who sparked American spirit communication with their "rappings". He covers influential early figures and events in America and Europe: spirit mediums like D. D. Home and Eusapia Palladino, the spread of séance phenomena, and the philosophical foundations laid by pioneers such as Andrew Jackson Davis. Doyle writes with a scholar's detail and a believer's passion, recounting numerous séance accounts, spirit materializations, and even the challenges faced, like exposures of fraud and skeptical opposition. He frames spiritualism's rise against the backdrop of Victorian society, arguing that the movement answered a deep yearning for proof of immortality. The volume is rich with anecdotes (table-turning parlors, famous converts like scientist Sir William Crookes investigating mediums, etc.) and dozens of biographies of mediums and spiritists. Doyle's thesis is that despite setbacks, an undeniable thread of genuine phenomena ran through these decades. Volume 1 ends around the late 19th century, setting the stage for volume 2, and leaves readers with the sense of a grand spiritual revelation unfolding through history.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.9 (129)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon
GenreSpirituality and Religion, History
Length10 hrs 44 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 1, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The History of Spiritualism, Vol. I
2ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, M.D., LL.D. Président d'Honneur de la Féderation Spirite Internationale President of the London Spiritualist Alliance President of the British College of Psychic Science
3PREFACE
4I. — THE STORY OF SWEDENBORG
5II. EDWARD IRVING: — THE SHAKERS
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6III. — THE PROPHET OF THE NEW REVELATION
7IV. — THE HYDESVILLE EPISODE
8V. — THE CAREER OF THE FOX SISTERS
9VI. — FIRST DEVELOPMENTS IN AMERICA
10VII. — THE DAWN IN ENGLAND
11VIII. — CONTINUED PROGRESS IN ENGLAND
12IX. — THE CAREER OF D.D. HOME
13X. — THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS
14XI. — THE RESEARCHES OF SIR WILLIAM CROOKES (1870-1874)
15XII. — THE EDDY BROTHERS AND THE HOLMESES
16XIII. — HENRY SLADE AND DR. MONCK
17XIV. — COLLECTIVE INVESTIGATIONS OF SPIRITUALISM
18APPENDIX
19NOTES TO CHAPTER IV
20EVIDENCE OF THE HAUNTING OF THE HYDESVILLE HOUSE BEFORE THE FOX FAMILY OCCUPIED IT
21STATEMENT OF MRS. HANNAH WEEKMAN
22STATEMENT OF MICHAEL WEEKMAN
23EXTRACT FROM HORACE, GREELEY'S ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE GIVING HIS OPINION OF THE FOX SISTERS AND THEIR MEDIUMSHIP*
24THE MYSTERIOUS RAPPINGS
25NOTE TO CHAPTER VI
26PEN-PICTURE OF LAKE HARRIS BY LAURENCE OLIPHANT
27NOTES TO CHAPTER VII
28ADDITIONAL TESTIMONY OF PROFESSOR AND MRS. DE MORGAN
29NOTE TO CHAPTER X
30WERE THE DAVENPORTS JUGGLERS OR SPIRITUALISTS?
31THE END OF VOLUME I
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