Hours with the Ghosts or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft / Illustrated Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and Theosophy

A critical investigation surveys nineteenth-century spiritualist and theosophical claims, distinguishing subjective phenomena (telepathy, table-tilting, muscle reading) from physical manifestations (slate-writing, materializations, spirit photography, apparitions). It recounts séances and experiments with celebrated mediums, examines scientific apparatus and controls, and presents documented exposures of trickery while noting some automatic-writing cases consistent with thought-transference. The second part traces the rise of theosophical circles, analyzes the founder’s writings and contested letters, and profiles leading figures and institutions. The author concludes that many physical phenomena were fraudulent, that telepathy plausibly explains certain effects, and that theosophical claims merit critical scrutiny.