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Fifty Years of Psychical Research: A Critical Survey
A critical survey. Contents: phenomena investigated; beginnings of organized research, the story of the S.P.R.; a fit subject of university study and research; fifty years of psychical phenomena; the Schneider Boys; Margery; Stella C.; Rosalie; miracles of the mind, some famous mental mediums; story of E.S.P.; mechanics of spiritualism; law and the medium; scientific method of psychical research; science solves the fire walk mystery; broadcasting the occult; books that have made history; I believe.
383 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
About the author
Harry Price
78 books20 followersHarry Price was a British psychic researcher and author, who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical phenomena and his exposing fraudulent spiritualist mediums. He is best known for his well-publicized investigation of the purportedly haunted Borley Rectory in Essex, England.
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August 16, 2024
A NOTED RESEARCHER'S SUMMARY OF FIFTY YEARS OF EXPERIMENTS
Harry Price (1881-1948) was a British psychic researcher and author, who wrote other books such as 'The Most Haunted House in England: Ten Years' Investigation of Borley Rectory,' 'The End Of Borley Rectory,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1939 book, "[This book] is the fulfillment of a mental resolution, made many years ago, that some day I would write a continuation of [Frank] Podmore's classic history of the alleged abnormal which he termed 'Modern Spiritualism,'.it was found necessary to encroach on Podmore's territory to a certain extent, as I decided to extend the scope of my record so as to cover the last half-century... I have endeavoured to make this work not merely a history of psychical research, but a record of the principal experiments which have been carried out, with the results obtained... this is not a history of fortune-telling, but of psychical research and spiritualism..." (Pg. v-vi)
He observes in the Introduction, "Psychical research is a science and spiritualism is a religion. The genuine researchers have their laboratories and scientific equipment, their special apparatus for eliminating human testimony as far as possible, their scientific methodology, their critical analyses of the results obtained... spiritualism is, at its best, a religion; at its worst, a 'racket'... A further difference between psychical research and spiritualism is a financial one. There is no money whatever in psychical research. The few societies that exist for the scientific investigation of alleged phenomena are usually poor, and are practically living from hand to mouth... If there is no money in psychical research, there is plenty in spiritualism. Most of the big societies are prosperous... Their incomes are derived from membership subscriptions, the 'rake-off' they obtain from the fees of mediums whom they engage for their members... The revenue from services and lectures must be considerable." (Pg. 1-3)
He concludes, "My last words are directly to ... the sceptical scientist. I implore him not to dismiss to hastily the FACTS which I have enumerated in this critical survey of fifty years of psychical research. The fact that I have devoted many years of my life to experimentation... and have spent a fortune in seeking the truth or otherwise of psychic manifestations, must surely entitle me to a sympathetic hearing. And if I were not convinced of these things, I would not waste another moment of my time or penny of my money in further research. It is as unfair as it is futile for a person to scoff at psychical research if he has had no practical experience, and has made no attempt to investigate the subject for himself." (Pg. 303-304)
This volume is of considerable interest to anyone studying the history of psychical research.
Harry Price (1881-1948) was a British psychic researcher and author, who wrote other books such as 'The Most Haunted House in England: Ten Years' Investigation of Borley Rectory,' 'The End Of Borley Rectory,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1939 book, "[This book] is the fulfillment of a mental resolution, made many years ago, that some day I would write a continuation of [Frank] Podmore's classic history of the alleged abnormal which he termed 'Modern Spiritualism,'.it was found necessary to encroach on Podmore's territory to a certain extent, as I decided to extend the scope of my record so as to cover the last half-century... I have endeavoured to make this work not merely a history of psychical research, but a record of the principal experiments which have been carried out, with the results obtained... this is not a history of fortune-telling, but of psychical research and spiritualism..." (Pg. v-vi)
He observes in the Introduction, "Psychical research is a science and spiritualism is a religion. The genuine researchers have their laboratories and scientific equipment, their special apparatus for eliminating human testimony as far as possible, their scientific methodology, their critical analyses of the results obtained... spiritualism is, at its best, a religion; at its worst, a 'racket'... A further difference between psychical research and spiritualism is a financial one. There is no money whatever in psychical research. The few societies that exist for the scientific investigation of alleged phenomena are usually poor, and are practically living from hand to mouth... If there is no money in psychical research, there is plenty in spiritualism. Most of the big societies are prosperous... Their incomes are derived from membership subscriptions, the 'rake-off' they obtain from the fees of mediums whom they engage for their members... The revenue from services and lectures must be considerable." (Pg. 1-3)
He concludes, "My last words are directly to ... the sceptical scientist. I implore him not to dismiss to hastily the FACTS which I have enumerated in this critical survey of fifty years of psychical research. The fact that I have devoted many years of my life to experimentation... and have spent a fortune in seeking the truth or otherwise of psychic manifestations, must surely entitle me to a sympathetic hearing. And if I were not convinced of these things, I would not waste another moment of my time or penny of my money in further research. It is as unfair as it is futile for a person to scoff at psychical research if he has had no practical experience, and has made no attempt to investigate the subject for himself." (Pg. 303-304)
This volume is of considerable interest to anyone studying the history of psychical research.
Displaying 1 of 1 review