Item #60839 The Life and Work of Mrs. Piper. Alta L. PIPER, Sir Oliver Lodge.
The Life and Work of Mrs. Piper.

The Life and Work of Mrs. Piper.

London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co, 1929. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. xii + 204pp. Original blue cloth gilt-lettered on spine & front board, b&w frontisportrait & illustrations. A scarce biography of Mrs. Leonore E. Piper, American trance medium, who was first studied closely by Professor William James and then by Dr. Hodgson, and other members of the American Society for Psychical Research over a number of years. Her mediumistic powers were said to have been fired by a visit to a French clairvoyant, after which she began channeling an Indian girl with the unlikely name of 'Chlorine' (?) and thereafter a number of others including Bach and Longfellow. The séances held by Piper, the wife of a Boston shop holder, were kept under close scrutiny for nearly twenty years by the American Society for Psychical Research, and the British Society for Psychical Research, but with little suggestion of irregularity, and it was the experience of working with her that largely led to the acceptance of the validity of Spiritualism by the likes of Sir Oliver Lodge and Hodgson. From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, with his ex-libris seal blind-stamped on the front free endpaper. Cloth rubbed, discoloured and unevenly faded, some flecking to upper board, several very small chips to cloth on both boards, spine quite faded with some fading to gilt lettering, upper corners bumped, all edges and extremities a bit chafed, owner's name and address on front blank, pages toned but text bright and unmarked. Still solid, and internally clean and tight, but exterior cosmetic flaws bring it down to a Good only copy. Item #60839

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