'In an age when voodoo dancers have appeared in London, when Robert Williams, chief psychologist at Kansas State Industrial Reformatory admits to being a practising war-lock; when moon-astronaut Edgar Mitchell conducts extra sensory experiments in space; when the course of a £1,000,000 road is altered to save a 'fairy tree'; when a ghost is officially registered on a census form; when Americans can 'dial-a-horoscope' for a twenty-four hour prophesy; and when the complete skeleton of a cyclops is unearthed by archaeologists - is it surprising that there is a growing interest in the occult, for research in many fields simply proves that things are not what they seem?'So Peter Underwood introduces his authoritative investigation of aspects of the supernatural not discussed in his earlier Into the Occult. In the light of his long experience in psychical research, the author attempts to find an explanation for a variety of phenomena that have baffled scientists and contradicted the basic tenets of their calling. Using many case histories, he discusses haunted music, vampires, superstitions, and dowsing and divining. Do Egyptian or family curses have any effect? Is there any evidence to support the theory of reincarnation? Does psychic surgery work? What part have clairvoyants played in the solution of famous criminal cases? Could there really be fairies at the bottom of your garden?Through the investigation of these and other fascinating questions, and the inclusion of extensive lists for further reading, Mr Underwood leads the enquirer to an awareness of the possibilities of the occult so that he may pursue an open minded approach for himself, and, like the author, come to the realization that things are indeed not always what they seem.
About the Author: Peter Underwood was President of the Ghost Club (founded 1862) from 1960-1993 and probably heard more first-hand ghost stories than any man alive. He was a long-standing member of The Society of Psychical Research, Vice-President of the Unitarian Society for Psychical Studies, a member of The Folklore Society, The Dracula Society and the Research Committee of the Psychic Research Organization, he wrote extensively, and was a seasoned lecturer and broadcaster. He took part in the first official investigation into a haunting; sat with physical and mental mediums and conducted investigations at seances. He was present at exorcisms, experiments at dowsing, precognition, clairvoyance, hypnotism, regression; he conducted world-wide tests in telepathy and extra-sensory perception, and personally investigated scores of haunted houses across the country. He possessed comprehensive files of alleged hauntings in every county of the British Isles and many foreign countries, and his knowledge and experience resulted in his being consulted on psychic and occult matters by the BBC and ITV. His many books include the first two comprehensive gazetteers of ghosts and hauntings in England, Scotland and Ireland and two books that deal with twenty different occult subjects. Highlights from his published work include 'Nights in Haunted Houses' (1993), which collects together the results of group investigations, 'The Ghosts of Borley' (1973), his classic account of the history of 'the most haunted house in England', 'Hauntings' (1977), which re-examines ten classic cases of haunting in the light of modern knowledge, 'No Common Task' (1983), which reflects back upon his life as a 'ghost hunter', and 'The Ghost Hunter's Guide' (1986), which gives the reader all the advice necessary to become one. Born at Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire, he lived for many years in a small village in Hampshire.