Overview

A Pulitzer Prize-winning author tells the amazing story of William James' quest for empirical evidence of the spirit world. What if a world-renowned professor of psychology at Harvard University, acclaimed as one of the leading intellects of the time, suddenly announced that he believed in ghosts? At the close of the nineteenth century, Dr. William James, a founder of the American Psychological Association, did just that. James joined with two other brilliant thinkers to form the American Society for Psychical Research. This riveting book is about their investigations of ghost stories-and their courage and conviction to study science with an open mind.

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9780792745112

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Reviews

Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin, tackles a chapter from our past that doubly intrigues-through the search for the afterlife and the number of famous thinkers associated with it...She never wavers...in her ability to draw in readers with stories of famous mediums and their ability to deceive. The result is an entertaining look at the ubiquitous seances and spirit-summonings that make a study of spiritualism a worthwhile curiosity to readers more than a century later. -- Bookmarks magazine Determined to be fair, Blum never scoffs as she narrates the tantalizingly inconclusive results of forgotten research in the history of psychology. -- Booklist In a compelling tale with resonance for today, Blum evokes a surprising sympathy for her band of tough-minded intellectuals...A moving portrait of a fascinating group of people and a first-rate slice of cultural history. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fascinating...Blum tells her literally wondrous tale very well. -- New York Times Book Review A fascinating reminder that reason and revelation are not opposites. -- James Shreve, author of The Genome War

Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and professor of science journalism at the University of Wisconsin, tackles a chapter from our past that doubly intrigues-through the search for the afterlife and the number of famous thinkers associated with it...She never wavers...in her ability to draw in readers with stories of famous mediums and their ability to deceive. The result is an entertaining look at the ubiquitous seances and spirit-summonings that make a study of spiritualism a worthwhile curiosity to readers more than a century later. -- Bookmarks magazine In a compelling tale with resonance for today, Blum evokes a surprising sympathy for her band of tough-minded intellectuals...A moving portrait of a fascinating group of people and a first-rate slice of cultural history. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fascinating...Blum tells her literally wondrous tale very well. -- New York Times Book Review Determined to be fair, Blum never scoffs as she narrates the tantalizingly inconclusive results of forgotten research in the history of psychology. -- Booklist A fascinating reminder that reason and revelation are not opposites. -- James Shreve, author of The Genome War

[Blum] achieves deep poignancy.... The result is a moving portrait of a fascinating group of people and a first-rate slice of cultural history.

Author Information

Deborah Blum is a journalist and the author of The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. She worked as a newspaper science writer for twenty years, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for her writing about primate research, which she turned into the book The Monkey Wars. George K. Wilson is a working actor in stage, film, television, and commercials with almost one hundred audiobook narrations to his credit. He began in broadcast journalism with American Forces Radio and Television and is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He had a lead role in the cult film classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and appeared on television's One Life to Live, Ryan's Hope, and The Doctors and has been heard on voice-overs for The Guiding Light and The Cosby Show, as well as many television and radio commercials.

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