Here, Mr. Splitfoot

by Robert Somerlott

Book by Somerlott, Robert

Genres: Occult

Hardcover

First published February 23, 1971

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before beginning Loyola University's MA/PhD program and for a while after starting it I worked across the street from the Lake Shore Campus at Volume II Bookstore. Before that operation went belly up, I ran the book section and was able to take my pick of the litter at deep discounts. That's where I picked up Somerlott's Modern Occultism, the second issuance of his book originally entitled Here, Mr. Splitfoot.

Judging from his titles, Somerlott is a professional writer, not a specialist in the fields of occultism, parapsychology or anything tangential to the broad topic of this book. What one gets is bunch of stories without an overarching thesis. While entertaining, it's neither authoritative nor exhaustive.

[Doug Mckeever · Rating 3 out of 5]

The informal nature of this book listed on the cover is not to be underestimated. However, if you are fascinated by the occult and both the unexplainable nature of some cases contrasted with the outright fraud of others, it's a great starting point. Somerlott divides his book into categories of phenomena and examines case studies across the history of the West, focusing especially on 1800s USA.

The book is more of a starting point than a thorough history but very enjoyable nonetheless.