Spirits Before Our Eyes. In Two Volumes - Volume One (Actually all published).
London: W. H. Harrison, 1879. First Edition. Hardcover. Small octavo. 220pp + xiv page publisher's adverts. Bright blue cloth with gilt title and author's name & black borders on upper board, beveled edges, page edges tinted red. Though both the cover and title page are marked "First Volume" it appears that Volume Two was never published. The author, William Henry Harrison (1841–97), was a photographer and journalist who enthusiastically embraced spiritualism, and founded the "Spiritualist" newspaper, a significant spiritualist newspaper of the time. At the commencement of Chapter 1 Harrison indicates his purpose in writing this book is “to classify some of the authenticated apparitions of our own and past times, to examine the conditions under which the spirits of human beings are seen, to show that the spirit of man can sometimes temporarily leave the earthly body, and to seek to draw only those conclusions which well-proved facts warrant. Thus may laws and principles be deduced, to guide future explorers of the realm between the known and the unknown, in relation to spirit existence." With the ownership stamps of Vincent N. Turvey (1873-1912) on both the title-page and the wrapper (at rear). Turvey, a prominent psychic and exponent of Spiritualism and author of "The Beginnings of Seership, or Super-Normal Mental Activity" (1911), was described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as "one of the most gifted clairvoyants in England." Also with the blind stamp of the Psychical Research Society and more recently from the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, although not marked as such. Spine darkened and rubbed, spine ends and corners lightly bruised and chafed with a few tiny tears to spine ends, spine slightly canted, slight adhesive from bookplate (no longer present) on front pastedown, penciled notes on rear pastedown, pages toned with light scattered browning and signs of use, otherwise internally clean and unmarked. The first blank - between the front free endpaper and the title-page - has been excised (note the volume was issued without a half-title page). Otherwise a tight, unmarked about VG copy. Scarce. Item #64101
Sold