Dunstable Free Public Library

Through a glass, darkly, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the quest to solve the greatest mystery of all, Stefan Bechtel ; Laurence Roy Stains

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-292) and index

collective biography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Through a glass, darkly

bibliography

957022393

Stefan Bechtel ; Laurence Roy Stains

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the quest to solve the greatest mystery of all

"After the American Civil War, while bodies still littered battlefields, the movement known as Spiritualism began to sweep across America as thousands of people, mostly from shock and grief, tried to make contact with the recently departed. The movement captivated Europe as well, especially England in the aftermath of the Great War and Great Influenza Epidemic...The movement's most famous spokesman was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Known to the world as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle underwent what many people at the time considered an enigmatic transformation, turning his back on the hyper-rational Holmes and plunging into the supernatural. What was it that convinced a brilliant man like Doyle, the creator of the great exemplar of cold, objective thought, that there was a reality beyond the reality?...Using the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a lens, Bechtel probes this largely unexplored movement, a movement rife with fraud but also full of genuine evidence that is difficult to dismiss..."--, Provided by publisher

The infinite strangeness of life -- Into the unknown -- "Mister Splitfoot, do as I do!" -- The spiritual wildfire -- The invention of Sherlock Holmes -- The science of the unseen -- "Some splendid starry night" -- The Saint Paul of spiritualism -- An embarrassment of fairies -- The strangest friendship in history -- Sex, lies, and séances -- Houdini cheats...again -- "We have just begun to fight!" -- A death foretold -- The lion in winter -- Sir Arthur, is that you?