Review by Choice Review
Buckland provides a wonderfully insightful overview of the art and science of spirit communication. In a field that can be fraught with charlatans preying upon those who long for communication with departed loved ones, this work presents both sides of the proverbial coin: the authenticity of mediums and psychics versus fraudulent skeptics and naysayers. It offers coverage of claimed instances in which the living and dead have communicated, and provides examples of living individuals "who have demonstrated time and again, in front of the most intense investigations, that contact with spirits of the deceased is not only possible but is certain." This work contains 500 well-written entries, and each is well documented with listings of sources, though Buckland has a habit of citing his own works in many entries. In addition to the broader areas of mediumship, channeling, and clairvoyance, entries cover such topics as automatic writing, electronic voice phenomena, divination, and the Bible. A bibliography of print and online resources is included, and 100 black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout. The index does an excellent job of including both major and minor concepts, though some minor entries are lacking (e.g., Hamlet and Cymbeline, both of which are mentioned in the Shakespeare entry). ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels. S. E. Marcin Fairfield University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Buckland, who is prominent in Spiritualist circles, has provided a basic, readable encyclopedia of major terms, people, and events in modern Spiritualism. It is written by a believer for believers, and skeptics will not find much in it. The skeptical organization the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal gets one brief, unflattering reference in the introduction. Believers, and those curious about specific terms, practices, or people, will find this work helpful and informative. Some 500 entries range from short paragraphs to a page or two, and each entry includes a list of sources, often other works by Buckland. Examples of entries include Astral projection; MacLaine, Shirley; Near death experiences; Nostradamus; Seance;0 and Tarot cards.0 Boldface terms have their own articles within the dictionary-format text. The index is detailed. The chapter on "Resources" includes both print resources and online sites. Illustrations include both photographs and drawings that should reproduce well, and the writing is accessible without being overly casual. Recommended for academic libraries with popular religion collections and public libraries where there is an interest in Spiritualism and similar beliefs. --Kathleen Stipek Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
The Spirit Book, the latest in Wicca Buckland's extensive occult oeuvre (Buckland's Book of Spirit Communications), cuts a wide swath through the history of spiritualism, its precursors, and widely related supernatural subjects. More than 500 alphabetically arranged entries cover topics (e.g., dowsing), terminology (e.g., astral body), and biographies of famous and infamous trance mediums (e.g., Edgar Cayce), occultists, and fraud chasers (e.g., Harry Houdini); there are bolded cross references to other sections, and citations-often to other Buckland titles-end each entry. Without a narrative, it is difficult to get a sense of the time frames and interconnectedness of the players. Buckland also indulges in a bit of name-dropping, and his biases regarding who is a fake and who is not are evident. Still, the format allows readers to jump to topics of their own interest, and overall Buckland does a credible job of referencing the various mediums, psychics, and channelers. Bottom Line There is nothing else quite like this resource on the market. A huge resource bibliography, great indexing, and Buckland's name recommend it for public libraries with an active parapsychology community.-Janet Tapper, Western States Chiropractic Coll. Lib., Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
