Mediums Rare

Richard Matheson

may 2011 · RosettaBooks

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The celebrated author of Stir of Echoes and Hell House offers a fascinating exploration of parapsychology and its history.

In Mediums Rare, horror and science fiction novelist Richard Matheson shares a personal project inspired by his lifelong interest in all things paranormal. Here is a brief account of psychic beginnings, covering subjects like telepathy, ESP, paranormal activity, and more.

Parapsychology, today, utilizes highly advanced methodology. It has, long since, left behind the era of dim-lit parlors and spiritual melodramatics. It is, now, a completely legitimate field of study based upon precise and sophisticated test procedures. But it began quite differently.

Matheson takes readers on a journey through paranormal history, beginning in Greek antiquity and making his way toward renowned American psychic Edgar Cayce. Along the way, he recounts episodes like the Margaret and Kate Fox, young sisters who, in 1848, convinced others they were in touch with ghosts in a haunted house. There’s also Civil War-era medium Nettie Colburn who aided President Lincoln and may have channeled Daniel Webster. Other episodes include New England mediums “Mrs. Leonard and Mrs. Piper” and the great magician Harry Houdini.

“Fans of parapsychology or of Matheson’s other works should enjoy this lively exploration of great topics that inform the genre and have become legendary.”—Publishers Weekly

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Richard Matheson (1926–2013) was a prolific speculative fiction author and screenwriter who wrote novels, short stories, movie screenplays, and scripts for television. He is perhaps best known for I Am Legend, a novel that was translated to the silver screen twice-once starring Charlton Heston, and once starring Will Smith. His screenplay The Incredible Shrinking Man, based on a prior novel, won the Hugo Award in 1958. Several other novels of Matheson's have been adapted to film, including What Dreams May Come, A Stir of Echoes, Duel, and Hell House. The movie version of Duel, based on a Matheson short story of the same name, was directed by Steven Spielberg. He is also known for writing dozens of episodes for The Twilight Zone, including the iconic "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," and several popular Star Trek episodes, including "The Enemy Within." In addition to the Hugo Award, Richard Matheson was the recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (1984) and an Edgar Award for a teleplay written for The Night Stalker. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010.