Calling the Spirits

An impressive piece of research . . . 'Calling the Spirits' is a must-read for anyone fascinated with Spiritualism.', Alma Katsu, author of The Deep and The Hunger
'Its not only fearful fiction that is having a moment. With the world full of real-life terrors, nonfiction writers are also responding. Informational texts about horror have traditionally been limited to local ghost tales or explorations of horror in film. Now, authors are entering new territory that goes beyond the confines of the genre. Lisa Morton, the worlds eminent expert on Halloween, has a fascinating new book, 'Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances', a fun and thorough look at how humans have tried to communicate with the dead over time.', Library Journal
'Lisa Morton is clearly sceptical of most of the claims made for séances and the phenomena of Spiritualism, but presents the claims of those involved in an even-handed manner, whilst also presenting the voices of those, throughout history, who have found no evidence for the reality of any form of post-mortem communication. The fascinating history of séances is filled with mystery, deception, self-deception, genuine belief, scientific enquiry and personal transformation, which is well described in this extremely interesting and readable account.', Magonia Review of Books
'While Victorian obsessions are the meat of 'Calling the Spirits', it is bookended by the necromancy of the ancients and modern séances . . . Mortons book will interest anyone whose ancestors claimed psychic powers.', Who Do You Think You Are? magazine
'Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances' is an ambitious primer on the history of Spiritualism, and while it covers much of the same ground as other popular histories of the subject, such Sir Arthur Conan Doyles (1926) 'History of Spiritualism' and Ruth Brandons (1983' The Spiritualists', it is engagingly written, well illustrated, and up-to-dat . . . For those comfortable with [a] skeptical perspective, I can recommend