Ghosts: A Social History
Editor: Owen Davies
978 1 85196 989 0: 234x156mm: £450.00/$795.00
Despite the scientific and intellectual advances of the past five hundred years, populist belief in the supernatural, as evidenced by media investigations into the paranormal, continue to be culturally and socially relevant. Throughout history, ghost beliefs have been a source of literary inspiration and learned investigation. They prompted public panics and scandals, and have been manipulated for political and religious purposes. This five-volume reset edition draws together representative and defining printed sources to reveal changing perceptions of ghosts at different social levels from the Reformation through to the twentieth century in Britain and America.
In the face of growing scholarly interest in the history of ghosts, this groundbreaking edition is the first documentary survey of the field from the early modern era through to the industrial age. Sources have been chosen to present a clear chronological story of continuities and changes in the social and intellectual relevance of ghosts. They focus on the key published debates that emerged in each century, and illustrate the full range of literary formats that reported or discussed ghosts. American material is included in the final two volumes to reflect the US birth of nineteenth-century spiritualism.
The edition benefits from full scholarly apparatus, including a general introduction, volume introductions, headnotes, endnotes and a consolidated index in the final volume. The set is broadly interdisciplinary and will appeal to those researching Social and Cultural History, History of Science, History of Religion, Literature and History of the Supernatural, as well as Early-Modern, Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century History.
- Includes rare sources not available on ECCO, EEBO or Google Books
- Takes a chronologically broad view of the history of the supernatural, from the Reformation to the twentieth century
- New editorial material includes a general introduction, volume introductions, headnotes, endnotes and a consolidated index in the final volume
Contents
Volume 1: 1660-1762: The Enlightenment?
The Philosophical Debate, extracts from: Joseph Glanvill, Sadducismus Triumphatus (London, 1681); Richard Baxter, The Certainty of the World of Spirits (London, 1691); Richard Bovet, Pandæmonium, or the devil’s cloyster (London, 1684); A Narrative of the Demon of Spraiton, In a Letter from a Person of Quality in the County of Devon (London, 1683); Thomas Bromhall, A Treatise of Spectres (London, 1658); John Heydon, The Harmony of the World (London, 1662). Popular Literature A Full and True Account of a Strange Apparition, That Two Months last past hath frequently Appeared and Haunted the House of Mr. S----ge (London, 1685); True Relation of the Horrid Ghost (London, 1673); The Female ghost: being a strange and wonderful discovery of an iron chestful of money (London, 1705); The Suffolk Miracle : or, a relation of a young man, who, a month after his death, appeared to his sweet-heart (1670); News from Basing-Stoak, of one Mrs. Blunden, a Maltsters Wife, who was Buried Alive, etc. (London, For John Millet, 1685?). Satire and Politics A dialogue betwixt the Ghost of Charles the I late King of England and Oliver the late Usurping Protector (London, 1659); A new apparition of S. Edmund-bery Godfrey’s ghost to the E. of D--- in the Tower (London, 1681); The Ghost of Tom Ross To his Pupil the D. of Monmouth (London, 1683); Patrick Swift-Sight, A strange, unprecedented and unheard-of apparition, that was lately seen in Brick-Court, in the Middle Temple Lane, on Wednesday, Dec. 1. 1714 (London, 1714). End of the Age of Miracles? William Assheton, The Possibility of Apparitions (London, 1706); J. Roe, The Certainty of a Future State, or, an Occasional Letter Concerning Apparitions (London, 1698); Life after Death, or the History of Apparitions (London, 1758); Exact narrative of many surprizing matters of fact uncontestably wrought by an evil spirit or spirits, in the house of Master Jan Smagge (London, 1709); The Wonderful Strange Apparition and Ghost of Edward Ashley ... also added an excellent sermon preach’d on that miraculous occasion (London, 1712); Thomas Burnet, A Treatise Concerning the State of Departed Souls (London, 1733), extract.
Volume 2: 1762-1820: Cock Lane, Common Sense and Morality
Cock Lane Oliver Goldsmith, The mystery revealed, containing a series of transactions and authentic memorials respecting the supposed Cock Lane ghost (1762); A Seasonable Present To the Renowned Society of Ghost-Mongers (London, 1762); Cock Lane, Humbug [a song]; An Authentic, Candid and Circumstantial Narrative of the Astonishing Transactions at Stockwell (London, 1772). Education Mary Weightman, The Friendly Monitor; Or Dialogues for Youth against the Fear of Ghosts (1791), extract; Richard Johnson, False Alarms, or, The Mischievous Doctrine of Ghosts and Apparitions (Philadelphia, 1802); James Plumptre, The Truth of the Popular Notion of Apparitions, or Ghosts, Considered by the Light of Scripture: A Sermon (Cambridge, 1818). The Sampford Ghost C. C. Colton, Sampford Ghost. A Plain and Authentic Narrative of those Extraordinary Occurrences (Tiverton, 1810); C. C. Colton, Sampford Ghost. Stubborn facts against vague assertions (Tiverton, 1810); John Marriott, Sampford Ghost!!! A Full Account of the Conspiracy at Sampford Peverell (Taunton, 1810); The First Chapter of Wonders! Containing an Account of the Sampford Ghost! (Exeter, 1810); The Sampford Ghost Surpassed (Dorchester, c. 1815). Cautionary: Popular Morality and Fraud The ghost, or, A minute account of the appearance of the ghost of John Croxford : executed at Northampton, August the 4th, 1764, for the murder of a stranger (London, 1764); The Power of Conscience Exemplified in the Genuine and Extraordinary Confession of Thomas Bedworth (London, 1815); Authentic Narrative of the Mysterious Warnings, Relative to the Hidden Treasure at Limehouse (London, 1821); The Portsmouth ghost (Newcastle, c.1810); A Full Account of a Secret Murder: brought to light by the wonderful means of a divine providence (Thirsk, 1811); The Morristown Ghost, or, Yankee Trick (U.S., c.1815).
Volume 3: 1820-1848: Religion vs Science – the debate updated
Religious inspiration: prophets and spirits Robert Young, The Entranced Female: Or, The Remarkable disclosures of a lady concerning another world (London, 1841); William Reid Clanny, A Faithful Record of the Miraculous Case of Mary Jobson (Newcastle, 1841); Moses Aaron Richardson, Authentic Account of a Visit to the Haunted House at Willington (Newcastle, 1842); Sabin Hough, Remarks on the “Revelations” of A. J. Davis, clairvoyant (Columbus: William Siebert, 1848?); Vetus, Wesley’s Ghost (Manchester ; London : J. Gadsby, 1846).Explaining away ghosts R.Buchanan, The Origin and Nature of Ghosts, Demons and Spectral Illusions (Manchester, 1840); John Stock, A lecture on the philosophy of spectral appearances (Windsor: printed and published by G. McArthur, 184-?); Robert Paterson, An account of several cases of spectral illusions : with observations on the phenomena and on the states of bodily indisposition in which they occur (Edinburgh: Printed by John Stark, 1843?]; James Braid, The power of the mind over the body: an experimental inquiry into the nature and cause of the phenomena attributed by Baron Heichenbach and others to a “new imponderable.” (London : John Churchill, 1846).
Volume 4: 1848-1914: Spiritualism and Hauntings
Advent D.M. Dewy, History of the Strange Sounds or Rappings, heard in Rochester (Rochester, 1850); E. Gillson, Table-Talking: Disclosures of Satanic Wonders & Prophetic Signs (Bath, 1853); John Prichard, A Few Sober Words of Table-Talk about Table-Spirits (London, 1853); Judge Edmonds, An Appeal to the Public on Spiritualism (New York, 1858). Further developments Ghosts / by a ghost, through a writing-medium (Gt. Fencote, near Bedale, Yorks : Made public by J.R. Tutin, ca. 1900?); William H. Mumler, Personal Experiences of William H. Mumler in Spirit Photography (Boston, 1875); William Stainton Moses, Spiritualism at home and abroad : its present position and future work. An address delivered before the London Spiritualist Alliance (London, 1885); Philosophus, Ghosts and their Modern Worshippers (London, 1892); W.H. Harrison, The moral status of certain psychical and spiritualistic organisations in 1884 (London: W. H. Harrison, 1884). Reporting Ghosts Henry Johnson Brent, Was it a Ghost? The Murders in Bussey’s Wood. An Extraordinary Narrative (Boston, 1868), extract; H. Lewis Scaife, A true ghost story; or, Three nights in a haunted house, and a brief sketch of superstition (Louisville, Ky. 1895); Arthur Melhuish, A ghostly annual : The truth about ghosts, together with a reprint of letters from the Daily Telegraph (London, 1883); A selection of newspaper reports of supposed hauntings: ‘The Haunted Houses in the Borough’, The Illustrated Police News, Saturday, 23 December 1871; ‘A Ghost Story’, Leeds Mercury, Saturday 18 July, 1812; ‘The Juvenal Street Ghost’, Liverpool Mercury, Friday 7 May, 1841; ‘The Orton Ghost’, The Preston Chronicle, Saturday 26 May, 1849; ‘A Ghost at Chelsea’ and ‘Further Particulars’, Reynolds’s Newspaper, Sunday, September 11, 1853; ‘The Handborough Ghost’, Jackson’s Oxford Journal, Saturday, 30 May, 1857; ‘A Murder Revealed by a Ghost’, Birmingham Daily Post, Friday, 18 January 1861.
Volume 5: Spiritualism during the Great War
From the Battlefields Anon., War lectures from the spirit world / by General Grant and others (Los Angeles, Cal.: Ideal Publishing Co., c1918); Anon., Gone west, by a soldier doctor (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1919). The last flourish of the great debate Rev. F. Fielding Ould, Is spiritualism of the devil? (Beverley: Wright & Hoggard, 1917); On the side of the angels. The law v. Spiritualism. A verbatim report of the Police Court proceedings. Ministry of National Service v. Ernest Walter Oaten (Huddersfield: Spiritualists’ National Union [ca.1919]); E. A. G. and P. W. S. S., True and False Spiritualism (London: S.P.C.K., 1918); Rev. F.B. Meyer, The modern craze of spiritualism (London: Morgan & Scott, 1919).