Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances

by Lisa Morton

From Halloween expert Morton, a level-headed and entertaining history of our desire and attempts to hold conversations with the dead.
 
Calling the Spirits investigates the eerie history of our conversations with the dead, from necromancy in Homer’s Odyssey to the emergence of Spiritualism—when Victorians were entranced by mediums and the seance was born. Among our cast are the Fox sisters, teenagers surrounded by “spirit rappings”; Daniel Dunglas Home, the “greatest medium of all time”; Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose unlikely friendship was forged, then riven, by the afterlife; and Helen Duncan, the medium whose trial in 1944 for witchcraft proved more popular to the public than news about the war. The book also considers Ouija boards, modern psychics, and paranormal investigations, and is illustrated with engravings, fine art (from beyond), and photographs. Hugely entertaining, it begs the is anybody there . . . ?

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Horror, Paranormal, Spirituality, Spiritualism, Mystery

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of horror fiction, and Halloween expert. She is a winner of both the Black Quill and Bram Stoker Awards, and her short stories have appeared in more than 50 books and magazines. Her first novel, THE CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES, was released by Gray Friar Press in 2010, and her first collection, MONSTERS OF L.A., was published by Bad Moon Books in October 2011. She is a native and lifelong resident of Southern California, and currently resides in the San Fernando Valley.

Reviews

[Robert Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Morton has done it again. I previously read (and previously praised) her history of Halloween (entitled Trick or Treat). When I read that I found that, even as something of a low-grade expert on the subject, she managed to teach me a lot that I didn't already know. I picked up Calling the Spirits hoping for the same. I was a little nervous, however, because as well-versed as I was on Halloween history, I VERY much consider myself an expert on seances. As a horror writer, well-versed skeptic, and magician who has actually performed my own seances in a theatrical setting, I wasn't sure how much Morton could tell me I didn't already know.

I needn't have worried, however. Indeed, though I certainly was familiar with the vast majority of this book's cast of characters, there were still some who were entirely new to me, along with some facts that had somehow escaped me. Couple this exposure to some new information with a straight forward yet entertaining style of presentation and we're left with a thoroughly enjoyable history.

Part of the book's value is that it doesn't limit itself to the stereotypical Victorian seance (though that subject certainly takes the lion's share of the pages), but situations that form of the seance within a broader historical context reaching back to antiquity (the book covers communication with spirits as depicted in the myths, legends, and histories of such cultures as the Greeks, Romans, Norse, Egyptians, and Celts, among others) and forward to modernity (the book also covers such recent phenomena as television shows about ghost hunters). This allows the author not only to recite facts about events, believers, and skeptics, but to go a long way toward explaining the origins of those belief structures and practices.

Often, books on this subject (or related subjects) fall into one of two categories. They either unabashedly advocate for belief in the supernatural phenomena under consideration or set out deliberately to debunk those phenomena. While I certainly find myself rather firmly in one of those two camps in my own philosophy, it was refreshing to discover that this book walks a delicate middle ground. Though it's certainly thorough in documenting the various debunkings of seances scientists, magicians, and other skeptics have performed over the years (sometimes even resulting in criminal charges), the reader is never left with the sense that the author is specifically TRYING to debunk the supernatural. Rather, the author's formal position on her subject remains rigorously agnostic. The history you read will give you the facts and will make you fully aware of how some have historically interpreted those facts, but will never specifically take a side.

I'm also quite pleased to report that the book is quite thoroughly documented, and I highly recommend the interested reader should spend some time digging through the references or the author's select bibliography because these additional works will certainly enrich the already surprisingly deep understanding the reader can gain from this book. Of course, given that I have already read extensively on the topic, I could easily nitpick certain omissions. For instance, it's my personal view that the 1907 book Behind the Scenes with the Mediums by Omaha magician David P. Abbott is the greatest expose of the tricks employed by fraudulent mediums ever written and it's not mentioned. That having been said, these minor points of personal preference don't detract from what remains a triumphant work.

If you're interested in ghosts, spirits, seances, or spiritualism, you owe it to yourself to read this book, because I can almost guarantee that no matter how well-educated you are on the subject, you'll find here both entertainment and enlightenment. Even if you don't share my passion for the weirder side of history, I still highly recommend the book for a peek behind the curtain at the kind of history that often gets omitted from the more "mainstream" history books yet nevertheless had a profound impact on the public consciousness.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great idea for a book and a volume that makes a terrific introduction to the topic, though I've read enough of this history elsewhere that not much in it is new to me. The author's style is clear and deftly walks the line between credulity and skepticism, though by the end the verdict is that, in over a century and a half of dedicated table tipping and attendant necromancy no convincing evidence of the survival of a personality has ever been produced. This is, of course, on the objective level rather than the personal, since uncounted multitudes have firmly believed that Uncle Morris and Aunt Edna communicate regularly with their survivors.

Beginning with myth and literary classics, Ms Morton's text really takes flight, as did spiritualism, in Hydesville in 1848 with the Fox sisters and their noisy undead peddler. She covers the growth and spread of the doctrine and its evolution in the 20th Century, checking most of the major players along the way. I would like to have seen more obscurity here but again, I've read so many books about spiritualism that I've lost track of them so I'm a tough audience. The story proceeds into the 20th Century, the birth of the commercialized Ouija Board and the growth of channeling and TV conmen/psychics, with some attention to the filmic and fictional portrayals of the medium's craft. All very enjoyable and a fine succinct history of human hope or hapless desperation, if one is a cynic.

I was pleased to see the Philip experiment included because it is one of the more illuminating episodes in the history of seances. Back in the 70s, my wife and I hosted a recreation of the Philip sessions with five of our friends and an "invented ghost" of our own. Over the course of a couple of years, we experienced all of the traditional séance effects, rapping, table tipping, apparently intelligent responses to questions (using the alphabet and rapping), and at least one incident that terrified everyone at the table. I try to adhere to a Fortean attitude but am generally a hardcore materialist and some of the things we experienced definitely shook my lack-of-faith. If our table had ever actually levitated, I would be a completely different person today.

In any case, the book is recommended to anyone looking for a survey course on chatting with the dead and it makes a fine guidepost to further explorations.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engaging history of seances, from its earliest beginnings to what's become of them since.

My entire knowledge of seances was limited to the Victorian era in England and their appearances in the United States in the early twentieth century. This book begins with elements of seances beginning long before those times until they became the seances that are known today. Also included is how the entertainment industry has shaped them and how elements of them have evolved into something else entirely. I was absorbed with the tales of several figures who lead these conversations with the dead.

I was very impressed with the amount of research that went into this book, including a substantial section of endnotes, should one wish to go into a deeper dive.

I enjoyed every page of this book, from the origins, the celebration, and the downfall of this intriguing spiritual movement. Morton has also written two other historical novels (one on Halloween and the other on Ghosts), and after reading this book I will seek them out.

I purchased this book because of the subject matter and the author was making an appearance (what a horribly unironic word choice) at Dark Delicacies located in Los Angeles, California.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject.

[Nenad Knezevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man’s belief in survival of life after death is one of the oldest expressions of religiosity, firmly embedded in the very foundations of organised religion. Right from the prehistoric times humans have been keenly interested in what happens to the soul after the demise of the physical body, as evidenced by the earliest funerary rites. Spirits of the dead had to be honoured, revered and placated through prayers and offerings; millennia later, that is still the case in many cultures around the world. If the souls of the departed do somehow survive, is it then possible to actually communicate with them?

Lisa Morton’s book Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances is a popularly written account of one strand of such attempts, namely by means of mediums in spiritualist seances. The subtitle may instantly make you think of the seances of the Victorian era, but the book starts long before the 19th century. The author begins with the necromancers of ancient Egypt and continues with an exploration of the same phenomenon in classical Greece, Rome and beyond, continuing with the Christian mages of mediaeval and early modern Europe. The source material is, of course, plentiful, and while much has been overlooked or too condensed, the author does a good job at presenting a digest version of it in the first few chapters, with lots of references for further study.

It is in chapter 4 that we get to the specific subject – the seance in the form we can recognise today. After a brief look into mesmerism and its precursors, Morton delves into a much more detailed treatment of the (in)famous Fox sisters of Hydesville, New York, and the retelling of the fateful events of 1848 that turned the humble Fox family home into the birthplace of Spiritualism as a full-fledged modern religion.

The whole second half of the book is dedicated to the rapid appearance and explosive growth of spiritualist groups and churches towards the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, including the honourable mention of their involvement in – and influence on – various progressive social movements of the day, such as first-wave feminism and abolitionism. This has by now become a lesser known aspect of Victorian and Edwardian spiritualism, at least one that is hardly ever given much notice in contemporary uses of a mediumistic seance as a familiar horror trope: sensationalised, caricatured, and typically presented entirely out of context.

Although the author feels sympathetic at times, this book is most certainly not a piece of spiritualist apologetic propaganda. Far from it, Morton’s writing comes through as that of a critic and a debunker. A big part of the final chapters is about exposing boldly elaborate tricks and hoaxes performed by some of the most prominent mediums. Her portrayal of the heroes and heroines of modern Spiritualism is less than flattering, and true believing Spiritualists will probably find all the juicy and embarrassing bits rather unpleasant to read. However, there are also mentions of the followers and exponents of Spiritualism whose faith was undeniably genuine, and for whom Spiritualism was an escape from the constrictions, excesses and injustices of the established churches; not to mention the sense of relief and comfort they would receive from spiritualist teachings and practices.

Regardless of where you stand on the subject of mediums, spirit communication, and the belief in the spirit world, Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances is an excellent introduction to this subject, well researched and skillfully written. Lisa Morton has also written a critically acclaimed history of Halloween, as well as a book titled Ghosts: A Haunted History, all of which I can heartily recommend.

[The full version of this review is available on my blog .]

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of this book was originally published on The Folklore Podcast website. My interview with the author can be listened to here.


In Reaktion Books’ recent release, Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances, Lisa Morton has done the unthinkable. Tracing humankind’s history of contacting the dead from Homer to Ghost Hunters in under 400 pages, this slim volume contains within it a comprehensive view of Spiritualism up to the modern day -- complete with biographies of all its central figures.

Morton doesn't shy away from the occasionally controversial nature of the subject. She presides over intense debates over the years about the nature of Spiritualism, offering perspectives from all sides. Are Seances demonic? Are Ouija Boards dangerous? Are mediums actually calling up the dead, or simply reading the minds of the living? All of these questions and more are thoroughly considered.

More interesting than these debates, however, is the simple question of how a religious movement, founded by a set of siblings who later admitted to being frauds, still has followers to this day. What was it about Spiritualism, or simple spirit communication in general, that enraptured us so deeply? Why were Spiritualists so determined to prove that there was life after death?

While the book is primarily historical, the latter chapters do address modern day belief in spirit communication. Morton devotes pages to modern mediums, as well as their effect upon both entertainment and law enforcement agencies. The secrets of the trade, both past and present, are revealed to the reader. Yet, Morton thoughtfully explains why mediums - or psychics as they are now primarily called - still thrive.

“Is it also possible that some mediums suffered from nothing worse than a desire to provide comfort to others?” Lisa Morton asks. I believe that that is a question worthy of much more consideration. More than 170 years after the Fox sisters first took to table-rapping, we are still taken with the desire to talk to the dead and see ghosts. It’s about time that we turn from questioning the reality of this phenomena, and instead consider what our desire to believe in it says about ourselves.

[Elizabeth Crowens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally impressed. A definite "must" to have you one's research collection.

[Olesya Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed history on seances and spiritualism, informative and lively, capturing both the points of views of believers and nonbelievers.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got to say that I really enjoyed this book from beginning to the end. Lisa Morton shows the depth of research she did for this book, and its truly an excellent introduction to the the history of spiritualism and spirit contact.

If I may suggest to Ms. Morton, I would love to read a book on the history of paranormal investigation that you research with such care as you took in this book.

[Lindz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction into the theatricality of the Seance. Lisa Mortan name drops the likes of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Arthur Conan Doyle or the members of the Royal Society of Psychical Research. So you can go read more if you want. I like the fraud and theatre of the spiritual mediums, and I got to read about it all.

[Christian Corwel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough book going over the history of seances. Choppy at points, it jumps from Ancient Rome and Greece to the 1800s. Written from a very skeptical perspective

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances by Lisa Morton is exactly the type of non-fiction that I love to read: an extremely well researched story of a cultural phenomenon and the way it has evolved to be what we now perceive it to be culturally. This is exactly how Lisa Morton outlined the history of seances from an academic, yet entertaining perspective.

Her book is packed of all kinds of interesting stories and facts that a mere summary of the book would not provide justice to. However, it would be fair to say that in order to cover the issue of seances fairly she digs deep into the history of spiritualism. While spiritualism has a lot of nuances, the dictionary.com defines it as “a system of belief or religious practice based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead. Morton’s book spans a wide variety of time starting out with necromancy in ancient Egypt and Greece and ends with a discussion on how there is a strong spiritualistic presence in New York. This is enough time to give a large overview of how this became to be and enough material to wet the appetite for to want to dig deeper into some of the different ideas and stories if one desires. (The book is well researched and has excellent footnotes and a good bibliography which can help point one in the direction of other resources…should one desire)

As she tells the story of spiritualism, many topics that are related to communicating with the dead are covered. One of them was “mesmeric somnambulism” which is essentially how Franz Anton Mesmer coined what we now would know a form of hypnosis to communicate with the dead. There was also spirit photography which was founded by amateur photographer William Mumler when he did a self portrait where he saw a ghostly apparition of a woman in the picture. Upon discovering this it would become his enterprise. Another topic was how trance mediums became popular during WW2, which was done by the medium going into a trance state to speak to a spirit. The technique by trance mediums would be altered in the 1970s with the New Age movement’s channeling…where instead of trying to get in touch with a loved ones spirit they would try to communicate with past masters who had individual teachings.

Morton also includes accounts of critics of spiritualism such as the Catholic Church claiming that the spirits would essentially be demons or the magician Houdini who had worked as a medium before coming out to speak against Spiritualism.

Then of course, you can not go into a history of an attempt to communicate with spirits without talking about the Oujia board, which she does. She shares how the Oujia board was patented by Elijah bond in 1891. This was essentially an improvement upon the talking boards or witch boards which had been utilized in spiritualist circles. It would become a popular parlor game for the first two decades and then it saw a huge resurgence in the 1973 after it was featured in the movie The Excorcist and remains a popular way of depicting communication with the spirit world in the media.

There are so many other fascinating details in this book….and if these kinds of facts and stories fascinate you, just go out and read the book and dive into the stories that Morton shares! I really enjoyed the comprehensive overview of seances that Calling the Spirits provided. I appreciated how she also includes people who were openly cynical about seances as this kind of subject manner does provoke serious questions. Fans of podcasts like Lore or Unobscured would definitely be interested in the historical accounts Morton provides. Lovers of supernatural stories will be enticed. Or if you simply want to get a greater understanding of the way seances have emerged you will definitely want to read this book!

My review is also posted on my blog: http://glamorousbookgal.blogspot.com/...

[Magdalena Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calling the Spirits is a fascinating exploration and guide to seances, Spiritualism, communicating with the dead throughout the ages. I'm fascinated by the Victorian era seances, studied it and wrote my MA thesis about female mediumship, and although the chapter on Victorians is the longest one (so good for me, I guess), it was extremely interesting to read and learn about early necromancy, ancient Rome and Greece, something I never even thought about in terms of speaking with/summoning the dead before. The later chapters about 20th century and modern seances were also fascinating. Lisa Morton's research and knowledge are beyond belief, the book reads so well and has plenty of details and resources. It's a great read whether you want to learn about seances (the paranormal, ouija boards, etc.) or expand your knowledge. It's pretty spooky and eerie, too!

[Lori Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book, I couldn't help but think how much research was gathered to write such a book. Whenever an author puts that much into a book, you know the passion is there. It makes you appreciate it so much more. The pictures were great too. Very good.

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very thorough history of Seances and the "Spiritualist" movement, all the way up to modern examples. A bit slow and repetitive. There were times where I found myself pushing through certain sections or losing interest in the granular detail of certain topics.

[Tom Stanger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sure many of us have seen the image on television or portrayed on radio and comic books of the atypical ‘mystic’ calling out ‘is there anybody there?’, and although this Mysticism has been widely lampooned in general media for entertainment purposes, it is indeed a practice that goes back traverses thousands of years of human history.

Lisa Morton in Calling the Spirits A History of Seances leads us through this history of communicating with spirits, a practice that has spanned back to before the times of our ancient civilisations. This communing with spirits, or Necromancy, has not been something that has just been confined to history, now remembered in much of our classical literature, it is a field that is alive and well today (pardon the pun) and has, for many, become a lucrative business.

However, Calling the Spirits A History of Seances explores more than just the history of what we now consider as Mediumship, Morton's in-depth exploration into the subject reveals not just a movement, which has since become a religion, but also the animosity and violence that has been dealt towards those in the past who practiced necromancy, being tortured and killed under the auspices of those in the Inquisition and the infamous Witch trials undertaken by such notorious figures as Mathew Hopkins, culminating with the trials at Salem.

To say things improved really is a test of time, Morton's in-depth analysis of channelling spirits is centred around the largest part of the book focusing on the origin of modern seances and mediumship, in all its guises. Providing a history of some of the well-known characters, such as the Fox sisters, and the ensuing scientific research that was undertaken in an attempt o prove the existence of life after death, Calling the Spirits A History of Seances is a concise history and examination of this rather unique movement.

Exploring the more modern period did provide much pause for thought, having visited Spiritualist services I am aware of the format, and although Spiritualism and the 'psychic world' is often open to ridicule, much of the time from those within other religious practices, it highlights a great level of sanctimoniousness from other parties who have employed many of the same practices to promote their particular movements.

Morton's treatment of the subject is as unbiased as any treatment I've read on the subject (surprisingly more than I realised looking back at some of my old University papers) and it's very clear there is a genuine understanding and appreciation of the subject taking previous works into consideration. In Calling the Spirits A History of Seances Lisa Morton has provided the immediate turn to book on the subject of Mediums and seances.

[Terri Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found ‘Calling the spirits’ quite an interesting book from page one. It has my mind changed quickly on what I had been expecting of the book as I started to read as I thought it would be heavily based on seances and mediums from just the 1800’s which, while there, the author has also taken the time to go back further and explore the origins of necromancy and mediums.
Each chapter has sub chapters within them which helps to break the longer chapters up, but also it helps to keep the book interesting and your mind on track while reading.

What I also enjoyed was the way the author wrote about the different ways that mediumship and seances have affected modern day everyday life in the way of movies and products for sell like the oujia boards and other items. She has also gone on to write about modern day mediums across globally from shamans to voodoo and spirit guides as well as touching upon the religion side of things and how the churches reacted to the spiritualism movement both in the 1800’s and today, covering more than just the uk and the states like most books on this subject.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of this book through the Folklore Podcast, which I actually don’t listen to consistently but I happened to turn on the episode where they interviewed Lisa Morton (about this book) while doing housework one day and I wanted to read the book ever since.
It was definitely a fascinating exploration of the history of seances, going back farther than I had expected. The tone is academic but still accessible. Don’t go in expecting the kind of pop-nonfiction written by Malcolm Gladwell or Bill Bryson though—this is much denser than that (but I actually preferred it that way). The author was almost totally unbiased the whole way through, but there were a couple of instances where she made some snarky quips that made me laugh.
I docked a star because there were some moments when she used jargon without explaining what the jargon meant, which got frustrating because I had to keep whipping out my phone to search terms. I also would have liked more focus on the techniques of the fraud, but I guess it’s possible that that isn’t always known.
Definitely want to read more by the author after this though!

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was super hard to get through, but for some reason i was determined to finish it. i think this is a well researched topic of mostly dryly written non fiction. i think i was wanting something a bit less focused, more of an overview. this would be a great book if you were doing research or writing a paper. some parts/subsections of course were intriguing and seems like for the most part people have been peopling since the dawn of time, this subject is no different, and there is no real proof/ all? most people were debunked. we do love seances/mediums/ghosts as a culture for sure. i do believe in the spirit of a person and have had my own experiences. and i think overall it comes from humans curious about what happens after death and wanting to connect with loved ones when they’re gone.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading, if a bit scattered and light on details in places where I wanted more. There are also fairly random pieces of information (why is there a quote from musician Tom Waites? Is he an expert on Victorian mediums and seances? No idea. Why is there no context for the plot of an old movie that references characters and a plot arc from “Little Women” (never acknowledged by the author)? No clue.). It does work as a high level overview of Western seances and the ways in which talking to the dead evolved and changed over the centuries. And if you were interested in some of the lengths that people went to prove or disprove the power of mediums and psychics, this is a good jumping off point.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was chosen for our history book club and the verdict was unanimous - a slog. This from a group who reads and usually enjoys a wide variety of non-fiction histories.

Morton certainly did an enormous amount of research, but then presents it in a rather scholarly manner that reads like a PhD thesis, not an engaging history. With a few exceptions, rather than turning the details into a compelling story she presents - the details. Perhaps if you have a passion for this area, you will enjoy the book - I notice other reviewers with a fascination for seances do. The first third just failed to draw in those of us who were interested but not already passionate.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting! This book was really easy to read (not overly academic at all) and I really enjoyed the authors’s voice and slight sense of humour throughout it. As someone with very little of knowledge of 19th century history and culture, this book was written in a really understandable way so that I wasn’t always flipping through pages to check dates and names. Overall, an in-depth and fascinating read. I will definitely be looking to read more of Mortons non-fiction.

[Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and humourous.
Pretty astonishing to realise that basically, no Medium got through their career without being revealed as a fraud at least once sometimes many times, but that it didn't end or even dent your career or popularity.
I would have liked more pictures, but that's just because I love a photo of ectoplasm.

[Erin Newton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is in-depth and well researched. Too bad it’s boring. Who knew a topic that I’ve found fascinating in fiction is dreadfully dull in its factual history. There were a couple chapters that were interesting: The Victorians and Spiritualism, and The Modern Seance. The photos are all interesting and add to evidence of quality research.

[Stefano Cucinotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un ricco excursus sulla storia dello spiritismo dall'età classica ai giorni nostri. Ovviamente gran parte del volumone, fitto fitto, è dedicato alla fine del secolo scorso, ed è corredato da immagini in bianco e nero. Direi un buon testo di partenza, un po' scolastico e senza particolari guizzi, che può essere la base per letture successive.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched history of (mostly American and European) human attempts to contact the deceased. Illuminates the fraud perpetuated in most cases, and the willingness of many to believe in the impossible.

[Ana M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love non-fiction history and I love the macabre, but this was not doing it for me. And it's SUCH a good topic! It was really repetitive and didn't seem to be organized in a fashion that made sense. Felt like she was trying to make a good essay into a bad book.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good overview of the history of communicating with the dead. It is meticulously researched and well-organized. It is a bit dry at times but overall well worth the read.

[MKF]

DNF - This book just drags on and on.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh. Too much ancient history for my tastes.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable for nonfiction and provides a comprehensive history of the spiritualism movement, including the thousands of years of necromantic practices that primed society for seances.