Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Blum tells the fascinating story of William James--philosopher and Harvard psychiatry professor--and his scientific investigation into unexplainable incidences of clairvoyance and ghostly visitations. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Poision Squad and The Poisoner's Handbook tells the amazing story of William James's quest for empirical evidence of the spirit world What if a world-renowned philosopher and professor of psychiatry at Harvard suddenly announced he believed in ghosts? At the close of the nineteenth century, the illustrious William James led a determined scientific investigation into unexplainable incidences of clairvoyance and ghostly visitations.

James and a small group of eminent scientists staked their reputations, their careers, even their sanity on one of the most extraordinary quests ever undertaken: to empirically prove the existence of ghosts, spirits, and psychic phenomena. What they pursued--and what they found--raises questions as fascinating today as they were then.