Although famous throughout Europe for his mind-reading skills, Stuart C. Cumberland (1857-1922) was a staunch critic of the 'rascality' of some spiritualist practices and their practitioners. He claimed that many of the seances and other events which he had experienced were merely fraudulent money-making impostures. He wrote several books on his life as a thought-reader, in which he also revealed the techniques of fake mediums and psychics. (His That Other World, of 1918, is also reissued in this series.) In this 1888 work, Cumberland narrates his own history and career and describes some of his most memorable seances. One of these took place in the House of Commons, where Cumberland subjected none other than the prime minister at the time, W. E. Gladstone, to having his thoughts read. Their encounter made a great impression on the author, who found Gladstone one of his most remarkable subjects.

Although Stuart Cumberland (1857 1922) was renowned for his mind-reading skills, he was a staunch critic of related spiritualist practices. He claimed that many s ances and other events that he had seen confirmed his suspicions that 'the chief basis of the movement was money-making'. So he decided to launch his own campaign to uncover the truth about the methods of spirit-mediums, and in this work, published in 1918, he explains many mediums' tricks, such as making tables move using special silk thread, not spiritual aid. He lectured about the subject in places ranging from Cambridge University to Lambeth Palace, and attributed his own success to his ability to read muscle movement, rather than any supernatural communication. Providing a fascinating picture of the changing spiritualist movement, this work illustrates the extent of the social and political influence of some spiritualists, but also how credibility about their practices was being challenged.

Title: A Fatal Affinity. A weird story.Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The GENERAL HISTORICAL collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. This varied collection includes material that gives readers a 19th century view of the world. Topics include health, education, economics, agriculture, environment, technology, culture, politics, labour and industry, mining, penal policy, and social order. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Cumberland, Stuart C.; 1889. 160 p.; 8 . 12626.b.2.

Title: What I think of South Africa; its people and its politics ... With numerous ... portraits and map.Publisher: British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The GENERAL HISTORICAL collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. This varied collection includes material that gives readers a 19th century view of the world. Topics include health, education, economics, agriculture, environment, technology, culture, politics, labour and industry, mining, penal policy, and social order. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++ British Library Cumberland, Stuart C.; 1896. 224 p.; 8 . 10097.de.27.

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