History of the Supernatural in All Ages and Nations Volume 1

Summary

This two-volume history of the supernatural, first published in 1863, is a staggering feat: Extending his work across almost a thousand pages, William Howitt attempts to describe the engagement with the supernatural in all ages and all parts of the world in order to identify a common link between them. Howitt (1792-1879), a well-known writer in his day, published over 50 books in his lifetime, some in collaboration with his wife, writer and translator Mary Howitt. His interest in the supernatural was precipitated by the untimely deaths of two sons. 

This first volume begins with an apology for faith in the nineteenth century and continues with spiritualist histories of Europe, the bible and apocrypha, the ancient world, the East, and Scandinavia, emphasizing the persisting legacy and presence of human engagement with the supernatural in each case.

• Chapter I. "An Apology for Faith in the Nineteenth Century."


• Chapter II. "Spiritualists Before the American Development."


• Chapter III/IV. "Manifestations of the Supernatural in Germany Continued."


• Chapter V. "The Supernatural in Switzerland and France."


• Chapter VI. "The Supernatural in the Bible"


• Chapter VII. "The Supernatural of the Apocrypha."


• Chapter VIII. "The Supernatural of the New Testament."


• Chapter IX. "The Supernatural in the Ancient Nations."


• Chapter X. "The Supernatural in Assyria, Chaldea, and Persia."


• Chapter XI. "The Supernatural of Ancient Egypt."


• Chapter XII. "The Supernatural in Ancient India and China."


• Chapter XIII. "The Supernatural in Ancient Scandinavia"


• Chapter XIV. "The Supernatural in Greece"


• Chapter XV. "The Supernatural in Ancient Rome."


• Chapter XVI. "Showing That in All These Nations the Same Faith and Phenomena Remain to the Present Time "

CONTINUED....