The First Psychic

by Peter Lamont

He was simply the greatest psychic of all time. He was also the first - before him, the word 'psychic' did not even exist. The feats he performed were so extraordinary that Victorian scientists had to invent the term in order to explain them. The man who became the world's first psychic was Daniel Dunglas Home. Now almost entirely forgotten, Home was a household name in Victorian Britain, a man of inexplicable ability who divided opinion wherever he went. Hated by Dickens and defended by Thackeray, denounced by Faraday yet mysterious to Darwin, insulted by Tolstoy but patronised by the Emperor of France and the Csar of Russia. The astonishing feats he performed, and the bizarre personal life that attracted so much controversy, are little known today outside the esoteric world of psychical research. He rarely appears in the biographies of the many great Victorians who knew him as few could openly admit to such a controversial acquaintance. This book will finally introduce one of the most remarkable and enigmatic figures in history, and the strange and seemingly inexplicable events that occurred in his presence.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Victorian

Paperback

First published August 18, 2005

Reviews

[Linda Stratmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fascinated by Victorian oddities and eccentrics and for me this was the perfect book!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first biography of Daniel Home that I have read. I am already planning to read from additional sources, now that I am well-acquainted enough to wish for more perspectives on this remarkable character.

The author reveals his personal opinion about Home only at the very end of the book, and I applaud his decision to refrain from editorializing until the story was completely told, to the best of his ability. His approach is a little prim and self-conscious, as may be consistent with a Scottish historian, but he injects a little humor that is never gratuitous, vicious or malicious. Since I am interested in subject matter of this kind anyway, it was a real page-turner for me. I ripped right through it in less than 2 days, as I might have done with an adventure story.

I found this book a pleasant surprise, as it contains no requirements that the reader must believe (or disbelieve) the accounts relayed from eyewitnesses and others at the time. While it might appear otherwise, this book could provide some good entertainment for believers and non-believers alike. An intriguing read, whatever your position on spiritualism or psi. For me, that elevates it above any of the preaching-to-the-choir books, devoutly thumping on a belief system, with a fervid agenda either for or against psychic phenomena. It would have been less fun without some of the well-deserved mystery left intact. Thanks for not spoiling the fun, professor Lamont!

[Chris Browning · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel a bit bad giving it such a low mark, because Lamont has clearly done so much research and writes intelligently and thoughtfully about someone obviously close to his heart. But it’s also very sluggish to read and not nearly as engaging as Indian Rope Trick. Part of the problem is that Home is a man who did extraordinary things but was, by all accounts, quite ordinary in himself. So there’s nothing so gauche as a showman at work here - instead it’s the story of a very earnest and quiet zealot and somehow that makes the story almost boring. Every chapter for a while seems to be Home doing something spectacular, accidentally incriminating himself by doing something a little foolish, being short of cash and ending up the object of hatred by a famous writer of the day. For a while it just feels a little like there’s not much new happening, just reiterations of the same events. And Lamont’s research and fondness for the subject means that he refuses to do the cheap tricks of showy writing, but instead clearly and thoughtfully takes us through the events. Which is great from an objective point of view but frequently a right old slog to read

[Lennart Guldbrandsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A learned and multifaceted look at a complex person who formed an entire field of study, told in an honest and as unbiased way as possible. There's lots of context and well-known figures at the outskirts of the story, which gives the story most of its funny moments. This should be read by anyone who's interested in the history of science and in how easy it is to jump to conclusions.

[Nigel Code · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly written history of a very unusual man, almost certainly a complete charlatan, almost...
Lamont has an amusing and also serious writing style that conveys the mood of the times and our modern scepticism to make it an enjoyable read.

[Phoebe · Rating 1 out of 5]

The very reason this book sucks was revealed in the preface, when the author admitted to beings obsessed with his subject that he did nothing but research him for 18 years. A book about a single person that has been so obsessively researched has also, clearly, been this obsessively written. Meaning it leaves out NONE of the painfully boring details. I made it through Chapter 1 before wanting to throw it out the window. After Chapter 3, I finally decided it was never going to get any better. It's rare that I don't give a book more of a chance, but this was the most boring book about a subject I adore that I've ever encountered. No wonder I found it on the clearance shelf at the used book store. It wasn't worth the dollar I paid.

[Phillipa · Rating 1 out of 5]

See, the story sounded so interesting but Lamont writes like a pompous Englishman, using needlessly flowery language to describe things. It just got too tedious to read and not at all interesting in the way I was expecting. He spends way too much time trying to explain why he's saying what he's saying (and I didn't even bother with the excessive footnotes!!) I may wikipedia the dude for a brief history tho, cause it's still pretty interesting :)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and detailed account of the life of a high octane super-grifter who came from illegitimate beginnings and effectively scammed his way into high society and the royal courts of Europe. Exhaustively researched and thoroughly satisfying.

[Miranda]

So far this is an interesting story, slow at parts though. Told from a researcher's point of view.