Spiritualism

Spiritualism, first published in 1853, caused an instant controversy as it detailed the conversion of New York judge John W. Edmonds and physician George T. Dexter to spiritualist practices, with Dexter even becoming a medium. Volume 1 includes letters from two spirits – 'Sweedenborg' and 'Bacon' – who communicated through Dexter.

---

John W. Edmonds (1799–1874), a prominent New York judge, and George T. Dexter, a New York physician, met though their shared interest in the spirit world. They were both dabbling in the spiritualist movement – first with scepticism – and decided to join forces in their investigations of such phenomena as 'spirit-rappings'. Dexter eventually found himself 'fully developed as a writing medium', with his pen controlled by unseen forces. Their conclusions, published in 1853 in Spiritualism, which went into numerous editions and was followed in 1855 by a second volume, caused much controversy. Drawing from their observations, the work gives examples of the authors' purported interaction with the spirit world and their journey from doubt to belief. Volume 1 includes detailed introductions by both authors explaining their experience with spiritualism, which are followed by the letters from two spirits – nicknamed 'Sweedenborg' and 'Bacon' – who communicated their thoughts through Dexter.