Weiser Antiquarian Booksellers Catalogue Featuring Spiritualism & Psychical Research

Weiser Antiquarian Booksellers recently published Catalogue 212: Spiritualism & Psychical Research. This includes such tasty little items as:

ADARE, Viscount. Introduction by Earl of Dunraven. [ HOME, Daniel Dunglas ]. Experiences in Spiritualism with Mr. D. D. Home

Holborn, UK: Privately printed ( by Thomas Scott ), ND (1869). First Edition.Softcover. Octavo. xxxii +178pp. Original pink printed paper wrappers with black lettering over thin card-stock boards. Addenda, b&w illustrations, one fold-out. An extremely scarce account by Viscount Adare of the private seances he attended that were held by D. D. Home in 1867 and 1868. Adare recorded these in a series of letters which he sent to his father, who subsequently published them in an extremely limited edition for private circulation only (they were considered highly sensitive, not least because they included a list of the names of those who attended the seances, many of whom were well-known “society” figures). According to Harry Price only 50 copies of the first edition were printed. Viscount Adare (Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven: 1841 – 1926),was an Irish journalist, landowner, and Conservative politician. The book chronicles his experiences with Daniel Dunglas Home (1833 – 1886), the controversial Scottish medium whose reported ability to levitate to a variety of heights, speak with the dead, and to produce rapping and knocks in houses at will, made him an enormously famous and controversial figure in the nineteenth century. In addition to recounting a variety of paranormal experiences Dunraven owns that he had slept in the same bed with Home; and some of the diary entries are said to contain homosexual overtones. It appears that Adare’s father, the 3rd Earl of Dunraven, who published the book and supplied the Introductory remarks, had two versions printed in rapid succession: one (as this copy) indicated the name of the printer (Thomas Scott), the other gaven no indication of the printer. Due to the relatively clandestine nature of their release and rarity it is difficult to establish precedence, although in his description of the book Price refers to the first edition as being published by Thomas Scott, which may indicate that this, with Scott’s imprint, is that edition. From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, although not marked as such. Covers rubbed and a bit darkened with a few childish pen scribbles on upper cover, spine a little darkened and creased. Edges, spine ends and corners a bit chafed, page edges unevenly darkened, otherwise a tight, clean VG+ copy of a rare edition. Item #62048

AND

ALEXANDER, Patrick Proctor . Spiritualism: A Narrative with a Discussion.

Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo, 1871. First Edition. Hardcover. Small octavo. 110pp + ii adverts. Yellow papered boards, appendix. A short work on spiritualism which commences with the author’s account of attendance at a seance in the home of the well-known medium, D.D. Home. From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, although not marked as such. Covers well worn, discoloured and chafed, lacking spine covering but still solidly bound, related contemporary ewsclipping pasted on verso of front free endpaper, owner’s name on front blank, text clean. Despite faults, a serviceable just Good copy. Sold AS IS. Item #62109

BUT THESE ITEMS ARE GOING QUICK!

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Frater Lux Ad Mundi

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