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Esoteric book group - December's book
Posted on: Sat, 11/29/2008 - 19:44
Fonar
Joined: 2008-08-23
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Esoteric book group - December's book
Hello to all book groupies
Just a quick posting to advise that next month's book is "The First Psychic: The Peculiar Mystery of a Victorian Wizard" by Peter Lamont. It's a biography of Daniel Home, the (in)famous Victorian medium and just the thing for these freezing evenings, I reckon. ISBN 978-0316728348
Just to give you a flavour of it, here's what Amazon had to say:
Review
'Lamont has conjured a fascinating story' SUNDAY TIMES '[A] sprightly account' GUARDIAN 'Lamont, with equal amounts of erudition and charm, unpicks the extraordinary life of a man who, if he was a fraud, was the best fraud in the business... Along the way Lamont provides sardonic accounts of seances in this superb, ingenious biography.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'THE FIRST PSYCHIC must surely rank as the definitive work on the extraordinary life of Daniel Douglas Home... This book is peppered with the glitterati of the period.' SCOTS MAGAZINE
Product Description
He was simply the greatest psychic of all time. He was also the first - before him, the word 'psychic' did not even exist. The feats he performed were so extraordinary that Victorian scientists had to invent the term in order to explain them. The man who became the world's first psychic was Daniel Dunglas Home. Now almost entirely forgotten, Home was a household name in Victorian Britain, a man of inexplicable ability who divided opinion wherever he went. Hated by Dickens and defended by Thackeray, denounced by Faraday yet mysterious to Darwin, insulted by Tolstoy but patronised by the Emperor of France and the Csar of Russia. The astonishing feats he performed, and the bizarre personal life that attracted so much controversy, are little known today outside the esoteric world of psychical research. He rarely appears in the biographies of the many great Victorians who knew him as few could openly admit to such a controversial acquaintance. This book will finally introduce one of the most remarkable and enigmatic figures in history, and the strange and seemingly inexplicable events that occurred in his presence.
Happy reading, and will check in with everyone shortly.
Love
fiona
Haha, me too!
I love a bargain and I look forward to reading it!!
Viv xx
Just ordered mine too!
Thanks Fiona!
Love Kirsty xx
Hi Book group
This book looks like a really good read so I've just ordered it off amazon. I love a mystery!
Dawn xx
Hi Viv
How good id it your book arrived before mine !
Take care
Janet
Owing to what looks like Amazon's lassitude, I'll hold off for another few days on posting my thoughts, to give everyone a chance to read the book.
I'll check in again on the 16 and 17th to start the discussion, which can then continue over the festive season (hopefully everyone will have a sufficient lull at some point in order to get it read!.
Chat again soon
Fiona
I have a longstanding interest in the Victorian era, and particularly in the fields of scientific discovery and the growth of popular media and showmanship, so this book, to me, was a real find. I zoomed through it - the author writes in a very accessible way - and was very taken with the eponymous hero, Daniel Home. He wasn't just the first psychic, I think he was the first celebrity! I couldn't believe how many people he came into contact with and however did he end up marrying into Russian nobility, twice? I was stunned by the scientists of his day (though they really had better things to do, such as harnessing electricity and working out evolutionary theory) who felt the need to experiment/decry/vindicate him! It struck me as similar to the days (in the early 80s) when 192 scientists banded together to speak out against...astrology. Not nuclear power, or atomic testing, mind. A bit like Richard Dawkins getting worked up over homeopathy. Some things never change!! This was a truly enlightening, relevant read. We never get to the bottom of who Home really was but he certainly deserves better than declining into obscurity. Without him: no Colin Fry, no Tony Stockwell. And certainly no Derren Brown!
Let me know how you got on.
Fiona
Hi all, I'm a good way through this book now - and found it fascinating that spiritualism and mediumship as we know them are so recent! Like Fiona I found Daniel's celebrity status amazing - but then as the first of his kind, I guess his novelty value as much as anything would make him interesting to the great and good. You still can't quite imagine how he ends up being pals with the rich and famous - let alone emperors etc!! - in so many countries though!
On the down side, I am finding the author's style a bit repetitive at times though.
Will write more when I've finished
Love Kirsty xx
Hello everyone
Have just got back from retreat in bonny Scotland and ready to reconnect with the world once more...
Janet - do tell us more about that TV prog, what was Tony Robinson's conclusion? Hilarious how they're still doing the same testing as in Home's day - I'm always reminded of Bertrand Russell's comment on scientific repetition "How many times do you need to see sulphur burn before you believe that it burns with a yellow flame?" !
Still on the theme of repetition, Kirsty has a very valid point: he did stumble over his words on more than a few occasions. But while Lamont is undoubtedly skeptical, he was careful to avoid the Richard Dawkins-style crusading that he could have fallen into. So credit is due, I feel.
It's a book that warrants a couple of goes before fully getting into: I borrowed it again from my local library to re-read as needed. I would have loved to read a few other articles on Home for extra research, but there is a lack of material. Which, coming back to my first post, is a shame for he was a pioneer of sorts!
Happy New Year to all EBGBees
Fiona
Hi all,
I have had 3 goes so far at getting into the book and I am still finding it difficult I'm afraid.
Im sticking with it though..
I recorded Tony Robinson last night, haven't watched it yet, but I see he is on again tonight with a programme about the ghosts of Glastonbury.
Viv xx
Yes I saw it in bits janet, due to lots of interuptions ! I did catch tonys reading with Darren Britten which I thought was pretty good, despite tony not realising quite abit of what he was told until after the event ! i just wish id seen abit more about helen duncan herself. Its on again tonight and tomorrow so im going to take a peek later on, love kimberley xx
Hi Janet,
If you're interested, I've got more info on DDH the famous Victorian psychic if you want to read it. He was very famous in his time, and was highly regarded by many other spiritualists of his time, as was Helen Duncan. These were pioneers in the early days of the 'ism'. Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes) was also a very committed spiritualist. There's lots of evidence that suggests Winston Churchill and some of his WW2 military advisors used to consult mediums and take part in seances. Like many things connected to spiritualism, people don't find these things out until they go searching for them. Did you know, many renowned physical mediums came from these parts, some of the oldest spiritualist churches are in Yorkshire? There's a photo that hangs on a wall in Dewsbury Spiritualist church, that shows spirit writing on it. Might be worth visiting Dewsbury one day so you can have a look.
Love Pat xxx
Hi all,
I have finally finished the book and I have to say it was a real chore to do so..
It was well written and a good portrayal of DDH, and as someone said earlier he certainly paved the way for the mediums of today, although I am sure they would have made their mark anyway with their geniune talents.
I think my problem with DDH is that he comes across as a showman with too much reliance on the shock factor and I am not convinced that he was a geniune medium, and if he was he wouldnt be the sort that I would like to see.
I really didn't warm to him at all, sorry ladies.
Viv xx
Hi Viv
I was interested in the historical side of things - the fact that Spiritualism developed so recently, and the fact that famous figures from all walks of life took such an interest in Daniel and his activities. But I know what you mean about the showmanship of it. It seems that then (as now, probably and sadly) there were plenty of people who wanted to make money by faking a show - and many of them were found out. It's interesting that Daniel never was - although of course that doesn't prove he was totally genuine. I just find it hard to understand why spirits would communicate with us by lifting a table or playing the accordian, so that side of things doesn't really make sense to me. And I would have much more faith in people who just said "Sorry I'm not getting anything, please come back another time" than this attitude that even the Spiritulists seemed to have that every medium would have to fake it now and then.
Love Kirsty xx
Hi Kirsty and Viv Although I havent read the book as I was too late to join in, I was very interested in your comments about the lifting of tables.
When I went on the ghost hunt on halloween we were communicating with a spirit from the medical hospital. This spirit called Elizabeth lifted the table for us, no one was touching the table at the time. This was just to prove to us that she was really there and I think she did want to entertain us.
She enjoyed us being there and didnt want us to leave. People were asking her to lift the table but again that was for some kind of proof for everyone that she really existed.
I for one didnt doubt at all that is was Elizabeth doing this for us. I imagine that it is very hard for a spirit (in terms of energy) to commincate with us in anyway so that will use collective energy from people that are there. I think that when I eventually go to the spirit world I will definately be lifting tables for people just to show that I can.
Love Jackie xx
Hi Alison,
I'm pleased you enjoyed the book, you and the others obviously got something from the book that I couldn't.
I did try..but I think once my mind was made up that I didn't like him the book didn't stand a chance..lol
Jackie, the table incident that you witnessed sounds fascinating and obvious proof that it can happen..Wow !! Lucky you being able to witness it!
Viv xxx