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Magic, superstition, the occult sciences and esoteric knowledge appear regularly in the history of ideas alongside more established academic disciplines such as philosophy, natural history and theology. Particularly fascinating are periods of rapid scientific advances such as the Renaissance or the nineteenth century, which also see a burgeoning of interest in the paranormal among the educated elite. This series provides primary texts and secondary sources for social historians and cultural anthropologists working in these areas, and all who wish for a wider understanding of the diverse intellectual and spiritual movements that formed a backdrop to the academic and political achievements of their day. It ranges from works on Babylonian and Jewish magic in the ancient world, through studies of sixteenth-century topics such as Cornelius Agrippa and the rapid spread of Rosicrucianism, to nineteenth-century publications by Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Subjects include astrology, mesmerism, spiritualism, theosophy, clairvoyance and ghost-seeing, as described both by their adherents and by sceptics.

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145 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Spiritualism and Esoteric Knowledge

Page 1 of 8

Ghost Land
  • Or Researches into the Mysteries of Occultism
  • Edited by Emma Hardinge
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    02 January 2014
  • A lecturer and writer on spiritualism, Emma Hardinge Britten (1823–99) acted as a medium in both England and America. Allegedly written by an enigmatic nobleman, 'Chevalier Louis de B.', Ghost Land was prepared for publication by Britten in 1876. The author's real identity is unknown, and scholars have attributed the work to various personalities, including Ernest de Bunsen, Britten's husband William, and Britten herself. The book is divided into two parts, 'The Neophyte' and 'The Adept'. Each part includes a series of sketches from the life of the author, who was initiated into the ancient mysteries of the occult. The book also describes the spiritual encounters of an Englishman referred to as 'John Cavendish Dudley'. Britten claimed to have translated the French parts of the manuscript and edited the English sections. Of enduring interest in the history of spiritualism, the work reflects a strong theosophical influence.

Old Diary Leaves 1893–6
  • The Only Authentic History of the Theosophical Society
  • Fifth series, January 1893–April 1896
  • Henry Steel Olcott
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1932
  • Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907), co-founder of the Theosophical Society, was a versatile man. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of American agricultural education and also served in the U.S. War Department. Later Olcott was admitted to the New York Bar and became interested in psychology and spiritualism, travelling to India and Sri Lanka with Madame Blavatsky to explore eastern spiritual traditions, especially Buddhism. In this polemical volume (first published in 1932), Olcott describes his view of the history of the Society between 1893 and 1896: conflicts and long-standing tensions had led to a split in 1895, precipitated by a clash between Olcott and William Judge, Vice-President of the Society in America. After the split Olcott carried on travelling widely and lecturing, having established a study centre in Chennai, India, for the movement now known as the Theosophical Society – Adyar.

The History of Spiritualism
  • Volume 1
  • Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1926
  • 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 spiritualism, beginning with Swedenborg before turning to the 'supernatural' events in upstate New York in 1848 that are generally regarded as the beginning of modern spiritualism. It then focuses on key individuals including D. D. Home, and on scientific investigations of spiritualist phenomena. The History provides valuable insights into Victorian and early twentieth-century culture and the controversies generated by spiritualism at that time.

The History of Spiritualism
  • Volume 2
  • Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1926
  • 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 2 focuses on celebrated mediums from 1870 to World War I and explores topics such as 'ectoplasm', 'spirit photography' and 'voice mediumship'. Doyle also discusses spiritualism as practised in Europe and the religious aspects of the movement. The History provides valuable insights into Victorian and early twentieth-century culture and the enthusiasm and controversies generated by spiritualism at that time.

A Magician among the Spirits
  • Harry Houdini
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1924
  • Harry Houdini (1874–1926), whose real name was Erik Weisz, was one of the most famous magicians and escapologists of all time. He was highly sceptical of the many claims made concerning psychic and paranormal phenomena, which were very popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He attended hundreds of séances for the purposes of his study, and never experienced one he believed genuine. In this book, published in 1924, he described the mediums and psychics whom he revealed as fraudulent, exposing the tricks which had convinced many notable scientists and academics. These included spirit writing, table rapping, spirit manifestations, and levitation. Among those he revealed as frauds was the famous medium Mina Crandon, and his exposures led to a public split with his former friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a firm believer. The book is a fascinating account of superstition and gullibility.

That Other World
  • Personal Experiences of Mystics and Their Mysticism
  • Stuart C. Cumberland
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1918
  • Although Stuart Cumberland (1857–1922) was renowned for his mind-reading skills, he was a staunch critic of related spiritualist practices. He claimed that many séances and other events that he had seen confirmed his suspicions that 'the chief basis of the movement was money-making'. So he decided to launch his own campaign to uncover the truth about the methods of spirit-mediums, and in this work, published in 1918, he explains many mediums' tricks, such as making tables move using special silk thread, not spiritual aid. He lectured about the subject in places ranging from Cambridge University to Lambeth Palace, and attributed his own success to his ability to read muscle movement, rather than any supernatural communication. Providing a fascinating picture of the changing spiritualist movement, this work illustrates the extent of the social and political influence of some spiritualists, but also how credibility about their practices was being challenged.

On the Threshold of the Unseen
  • An Examination of the Phenomena of Spiritualism and of the Evidence of Survival after Death
  • William Fletcher Barrett
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    16 June 2011
    First published in:
    1917
  • In this 1917 publication English physicist Sir William Fletcher Barrett (1844–1925) purports to rescue psychical research from the scorn of his colleagues and provide indisputable evidence for the existence of psychic phenomena. A successful scientist (he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society and was honoured with a knighthood), Barrett was better known for his psychical work and his attempts to reconcile it with his scientific pursuits. Certain that the human spirit could linger after bodily death, in this book Barrett examines a wide range of spiritualist practices including levitation, spirit photography, mediumship, automatic writing, the ouija board, clairvoyance, and telepathy, carefully considering the evidence for each phenomenon in the hope that they will in time be recognised as scientifically established facts. This book is a much-revised edition of Barrett's 1908 publication On the Threshold of a New World of Thought, republished to include more 'trustworthy' evidence.

Das Altjüdische Zauberwesen
  • Lajos Blau
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1914
  • Lajos (Ludwig) Blau (1861–1936) was a professor at the Landesrabbinerschule (Hungarian rabbinical seminary) in Budapest. His published work covers biblical studies, Masoretic studies and the Talmud, but his interests in Jewish history also extended to archaeology and folklore. This book, originally published in Strasburg in 1898 but reissued here in its second edition (Berlin, 1914), was the first comprehensive study of Jewish magic from the biblical period to the early middle ages, and is still regarded as an authoritative guide. Blau discusses who practised magic, its beneficial and destructive purposes, and magical techniques and objects including herbs, amulets, spells, the tetragram, and the evil eye, as well as methods for counteracting their effects. He supports his arguments by extensive references to early sources. The material he presents is essential for an understanding of the medieval Kabbalah, and is also relevant to comparative work on ancient Egyptian magic.

Outline of Occult Science
  • Rudolf Steiner
  • Edited by Max Gysi
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1914
  • Austrian philosopher, playwright, and artist Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) is perhaps best known as an educational philosopher and reformer, the founder of Steiner (or Waldorf) schools located around the world. Steiner was an active member and leader of the German branch of Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society before forming his own Anthroposophical Society. His engagement with the occult stems from his work in theosophy and anthroposophy, philosophies invested in reaching and understanding the 'supersensible' world that relies on a cultivation of body, spirit, and soul. This anonymous translation of the fourth German edition was published by the Theosophical Publishing Society in 1914; the first edition was published in Germany in 1909. Steiner asserts in this work the necessary and intrinsic connection between what is possible through cognition with the power of the soul and the spirit. It will be of interest to scholars of spiritual philosophy, spiritual movements, and social psychology.

Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur
  • James Alan Montgomery
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1913
  • In 1888 the University of Pennsylvania sponsored the first ever American archaeological expedition to Mesopotamia, to Nippur, about 160 km south of Baghdad. Among the artefacts discovered were the remains of over 100 inscribed bowls from the early centuries CE. Some contain unidentifiable writing, but most carry spiral inscriptions of exorcism texts in one of three Aramaic dialects and scripts: that of the Babylonian Talmud, a Syriac dialect, and Mandaic. This book, first published in 1913, contains transcriptions and annotated translations of texts from forty of the bowls, together with an inscription found on a human skull, and 41 illustrations. A substantial introduction sets the material in the broader context of Hellenistic magic. The author traces the bowl magic back to ancient Babylonian sorcery, and explores its relations with cuneiform religious texts and Greek magical papyri, emphasising its culturally eclectic character and the diversity of its users.

The History of Magic
  • Including a Clear and Precise Exposition of its Procedure, its Rites and its Mysteries
  • Éliphas Lévi
  • Translated by Arthur Edward Waite
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1913
  • Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Éliphas Lévi (1810–75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. His Histoire de la magie was first published in 1860. In it, Lévi recounts the history of the occult in Western thought, encompassing its biblical, Zoroastrian and ancient Greek origins, various magical practices of the medieval and early modern periods - including hermeticism, alchemy and necromancy - and the role of magic in the French Revolution. The last section of the book describes nineteenth-century magical practices and includes details of Lévi's own occult experiences. Prepared by Arthur Edward Waite (1857–1942), this English translation was first published in 1913. An editor and translator of numerous magical texts, Waite includes here a preface comprising an eloquent defense of Lévi and intellectual magic. The original French edition is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Manuel bibliographique des sciences psychiques ou occultes
  • Volume 2, E–L
  • Albert Louis Caillet
  • Published online:
    05 October 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1912
  • It was only in his forties that civil engineer Albert Louis Caillet (1869–1922) decided to abandon his career to devote himself to the study of psychic sciences. From 1912, he wrote several publications on occultism and created the Société Unitive, whose goal was 'to improve life through a reasoned system of mental, psychic and physical hygiene'. This three-volume compendium, first published in 1912, is an essential reference tool on the literature of the occult. The extensive bibliography lists hundreds of books on subjects as diverse as magic and witchcraft, mythology, divination, the Kabbalah, sects and secret societies, alchemy, ancient medicine, anthropology and philosophy. It includes detailed book descriptions, critical and historical notes, brief biographies of obscure authors and multiple editions of texts. Organised alphabetically, Volume 2 lists authors from E to L.

Manuel bibliographique des sciences psychiques ou occultes
  • Volume 1, A–D
  • Albert Louis Caillet
  • Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1912
  • It was only in his forties that civil engineer Albert Louis Caillet (1869–1922) decided to abandon his career to devote himself to the study of psychic sciences. From 1912, he wrote several publications on occultism and created the Société Unitive, whose goal was 'to improve life through a reasoned system of mental, psychic and physical hygiene'. This three-volume compendium, first published in 1912, is an essential reference tool on the literature of the occult. The extensive bibliography lists hundreds of books on subjects as diverse as magic and witchcraft, mythology, divination, the Kabbalah, sects and secret societies, alchemy, ancient medicine, anthropology and philosophy. It includes detailed book descriptions, critical and historical notes, brief biographies of obscure authors and multiple editions of texts. Organised alphabetically, Volume 1 lists authors from A to D.

The Book of Protection
  • Being a Collection of Charms
  • Edited and translated by Hermann Gollancz
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1912
  • Sir Hermann Gollancz (1852–1930) was an English rabbi, scholar and public figure whose distinguished career led to his becoming the first rabbi to receive a knighthood. Gollancz was Professor of Hebrew at University College London from 1902 to 1924 and published extensively on Jewish history as well as translating many Hebrew and Aramaic texts. This 1912 volume contains editions, with translations and notes, of three Syriac manuscripts (two from Gollancz' personal library and a third from Cambridge University Library) containing a collection of Eastern Christian charms and incantations. They range from antidotes to headaches, colic and 'teeth chattering' to prayers for controlling mad dogs, unruly cows and 'the gun of warriors', as well as for warding off the evil eye. They begin with the Trinitarian formula and often invoke specific biblical stories to add force. Illustrations from Codex A (dated to 1802 and from Turkish Kurdistan) are also included.

Manuel bibliographique des sciences psychiques ou occultes
  • Volume 3, M–Z
  • Albert Louis Caillet
  • Published online:
    05 August 2013
    Print publication:
    02 August 2012
    First published in:
    1912
  • It was only in his forties that civil engineer Albert Louis Caillet (1869–1922) decided to abandon his career to devote himself to the study of psychic sciences. From 1912, he wrote several publications on occultism and created the Société Unitive, whose goal was 'to improve life through a reasoned system of mental, psychic and physical hygiene'. This three-volume compendium, first published in 1912, is an essential reference tool on the literature of the occult. The extensive bibliography lists hundreds of books on subjects as diverse as magic and witchcraft, mythology, divination, the Kabbalah, sects and secret societies, alchemy, ancient medicine, anthropology and philosophy. It includes detailed book descriptions, critical and historical notes, brief biographies of obscure authors and multiple editions of texts. Organised alphabetically, Volume 3 lists authors from M to Z.

Esprits et Médiums
  • Mélanges de Métapsychique et de Psychologie
  • Théodore Flournoy
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1911
  • Written by renowned Swiss physician and experimental psychologist Théodore Flournoy (1854–1920), this 1911 publication offers a scientific treatment of nineteenth-century spiritual interests and beliefs. Dedicating his work to the Swiss scientist and psychical researcher Marc Thury and to the American psychologist and philosopher William James, Flournoy approaches the subject of 'spiritism', or communication with the dead, with great caution, claiming that it had never been adequately proven and that such practices could most likely be explained as mental processes inherent in the mediums themselves. While recognising and offering validation of the existence of phenomena such as telekinesis, clairvoyance and telepathy, as well as the survival of the soul after death, in this book Flournoy casts doubt on the living human's ability to contact the spirits of the deceased.

Henri Cornélis Agrippa
  • Sa Vie et Son Oeuvre d'Après Sa Correspondance (1486–1535)
  • Joseph Orsier
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1911
  • Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535) was a controversial Renaissance theologian and writer who published work on the occult and magic, and his writings influenced later leading literary figures such as Goethe. Agrippa, although born near Cologne, spent his life travelling around Europe, to Italy, Spain, France, England, Switzerland and the Netherlands. He wrote his De occulta philosophia in 1511 (though it was not published until twenty years later) and its three volumes are the best-known works on Renaissance magic, though Agrippa tried to distance himself from the occult side and instead stress more metaphysical aspects. In Henri Cornélis Agrippa, published in 1911, writer Joseph Orsier examines Agrippa's life. The first part of the work discusses Agrippa's travels, writings, thoughts and controversies. The second part is a translation collection of seventy of his letters, dating from 1509 to 1532, to and from a range of correspondents, including Erasmus.

Theosophy
  • An Introduction to the Supersensible Knowledge of the World and the Destination of Man
  • Rudolf Steiner
  • Translated by Elizabeth Douglas Shields
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1910
  • Austrian philosopher, playwright, and artist Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) is perhaps best known as an educational philosopher and reformer, the founder of Steiner (or Waldorf) schools located around the world. These schools' philosophy represents the priorities Steiner discusses in Theosophy: the development of body, soul, and spirit. Goethe was an important influence on Steiner, and he edited the poet's scientific works (1889–1896). Steiner was an active member and leader of the German branch of Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society, eventually broke away from theosophy, as he developed his own spiritual philosophy termed 'anthroposophy'; this philosophical movement asserted the potential of realizing a spiritual reality through cognition. This 1910 translation by Elizabeth Douglas Shields is of the book's third German edition; it was first published in 1904. This work will be of particular interest to historians of philosophy, of spiritual movements and of education.

Magic and Fetishism
  • Alfred C. Haddon
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    14 June 2012
    First published in:
    1910
  • 'A pioneer of modern anthropology', A. C. Haddon (1855–1940) contributed to the fields of embryology and evolutionary science before turning his interests to human civilisation and its history. In this work, first published in 1910, Haddon makes use of his wide-ranging knowledge of folk rituals and religious beliefs to introduce readers to basic principles of sympathetic magic, divination, talismanic powers and fetishism. A strong believer in the importance of preserving local religious practices and beliefs, Haddon uses the work to document customs from Britain to West Africa, America to Australia. Topics include forms of contagious magic, premised on a mutual influence between objects; amulets and talismans; magical names and words; and divination. In the second portion of the book, devoted to fetishism, Haddon offers an authoritative description of the fetish as a 'habitation, temporary or permanent, of a spiritual being', establishing basic definitions for an important field of cultural research.

Mesmerism and Christian Science
  • A Short History of Mental Healing
  • Frank Podmore
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1909
  • For most of his life a clerk in the post office, Frank Podmore (1856–1910) was a prolific author on psychical research. As an undergraduate Podmore became interested in spiritualism, and he joined the British National Association of Spiritualists. Eventually disillusioned by that society, Podmore co-founded several organisations: the Progressive Association (in 1882); the Fellowship of the New Life (1883); and, spurred by his desire to see political change, the Fabian Society (1884). Podmore's membership in the Society for Psychical Research influenced his activities and interests, and he spent the next twenty years investigating and writing on psychical phenomena. Podmore's two-volume Modern Spiritualism (also reissued in this series) is a source for this 1909 work, which 'constituted the most scholarly history of mesmerism and its offshoots to that date', according to one reviewer. This work will interest historians of science and medicine, and scholars of Victorian religious movements.

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