Books in the Cambridge Library Collection - Spiritualism and Esoteric Knowledge series

First published in 1877, this two-volume spiritualist text describes the philosophical and occultist aims of the Theosophical Society, which Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-91) had recently helped to found. Drawing on her extensive travels, she claims to address the shortcomings of both scientific and theological inquiry.

English historian and antiquary Thomas Wright (1810-70) published prolifically on subjects ranging from Old English texts to Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. This two-volume 1851 publication is testimony to his interest in folklore, sorcery and legend. Volume 1 gives instances of alleged witchcraft from sixteenth-century Europe.

Albert Louis Caillet (1869-1922) devoted himself to the study of psychic sciences after a career in civil engineering. In this essential reference work on the literature of the occult, published in three volumes in 1912, he covers subjects ranging from alchemy to secret societies.

Samuel Liddell Mathers' 1889 edition of this work introduces readers to a fascinating work of Renaissance occultism. Edited and translated from manuscripts at the British Museum, the text purports to disclose the secrets of history's wisest king, including how to summon God's power to create spells.

The nineteenth-century medium D. D. Home here describes the extraordinary psychic events in his life, from his first vision at the age of thirteen to the seances he held for the rich and famous. The first of two autobiographical works, this 1863 publication describes the mysterious phenomena he experienced.

Modern Spiritualism (1902) was the first comprehensive history of Spiritualism. It traces the movement's historical development from its origins in animal magnetism to its decline in the late 1870s. Volume 1 covers the key figures of Paracelsus, Mesmer, Bertrand, and Esdaile. It is an indispensable source on nineteenth-century Spiritualism.

Written by William Howitt and published in 1863, this two-volume history traces common characteristics in engagement with the supernatural. Volume 1 begins with an apology for faith in the nineteenth century and continues with spiritualist histories of Europe, the Bible and apocrypha, the ancient world, the East, and Scandinavia.

Anna Kingsford (1846-1888) was a theosophist who campaigned passionately for women's rights and vegetarianism, and against vivisection. This book, first published anonymously in 1882, is a collection of lectures on theosophical topics including spirits, reincarnation, religion and myth whose author hoped to promote truth, liberty and reason.

Bucke's account (1901) of his research and contemplation on the trend towards heightened intellectual awareness in man, through evolution, explaining his theory of the three stages of conscious development that culminate in flashes of understanding of the life and order of the cosmos, illustrated by his own and others' experiences.

Throughout his life, Frank Podmore (1856-1910) harboured a fascination for the supernatural. Published during a period of prolific writing and introspection, this 1908 work was the result of years of research, observation and analysis. It remains one of the most authoritative works on the phenomenon of spiritualism.

The German scientist Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert (1780-1860) participated in the debates of his time on animal magnetism, clairvoyance and dreams, and attempted to reconcile Enlightenment philosophy and Christian faith. This two-volume work, reissued in its expanded 1850 edition, presents Schubert's views on the human body, soul and spirit.

Eneas Sweetland (E. S.) Dallas (1828-1879) was a journalist whose love of poetry led to his writing the two-volume The Gay Science, published in 1866. The title comes from an expression used by Provencal troubadours to describe composing poetry. Volume 1 looks at the historical context of artistic criticism.

Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) was a co-founder of the theosophy movement in the United States, which was later extended to Europe and India. In The Secret Doctrine, published in 1888, Blavatsky aims to explain the spiritual origins of the world.

Joseph Ennemoser (1787-1854) was an Tyrolean doctor, who was a forerunner of Freud in his belief in the connection between the mind and physical health: his interest in psychology led to investigations into the paranormal. This English translation of his 1844 work was published in 1854.

Walter Scott (1779-1858), President and Theological Tutor at Airedale College in Bradford, delivered a series of lectures on the occult at the Congregational Library in 1841. This volume is a collection of those lectures which use scriptural and testimonial evidence to evaluate the existence of evil spirits and 'fallen angels'.

The spiritualist and bookseller Frederick Leigh Gardner (1857-1930) privately published this three-volume catalogue (reissued here in a single volume) between 1903 and 1912. It contains detailed lists of books on Rosicrucianism, astrology and English freemasonry, with historical introductions by William Wynn Westcott (1848-1925), co-founder of the Golden Dawn.