Levitation: An Examination of the Evidence and Explanation.
London: Burns Oates & Washbourne, 1928. First English language edition. Hardcover. Large octavo. xiv + 276pp. Original cloth lettered in gilt on spine & front board. Bibliography & index. Beautifully INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author to one Austin Gill on the second front blank. One of the first modern studies of levitation, first published in the same year (1928) in French as "La Lévitation. ... et critique à l'etude du merveilleux." The author was a Roman Catholic, and while a large part of his work is devoted to a study of the 60 or so Catholic Saints who are said to have levitated, he also discusses the phenomenon in other religions and cultures throughout history, in occult and mystical practice. Perhaps not surprisingly he concludes that those instances attributed to the Saints are the genuine consequence of piety, whereas those of Spiritualists etc. are either fraud or the result of demonic trickery From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, with his ex-libris seal blind-stamped on the front free endpaper. Top-edge browned, spine ends rubbed, a few small bumps to edges of boards, else a clean, tight VG copy (no dust jacket). Very scarce. Item #54185
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