About the author
Alicia Puglionesi is a historian of science and medicine whose work examines how Americans have investigated and made sense of paranormal experience. Her book Common Phantoms: An American History of Psychic Science, published by Stanford University Press in 2020, traces the history of séances, clairvoyance, and telepathy research in the United States from the 1850s into the twentieth century, focusing on the investigators, amateur scientists, and institutions that tried to study these phenomena on their own terms rather than dismiss them outright. The book is grounded in archival research rather than advocacy for any of the practices it describes. Puglionesi writes for a general as well as an academic readership, and her approach treats psychic science as a subject for cultural and intellectual history, examining what the pursuit of such phenomena reveals about American science, religion, and public life in the period she covers.
📖 Where to start with Alicia Puglionesi
💬 What our editors say about Alicia Puglionesi's books
“Puglionesi offers a compelling resurrection of an often-overlooked historical period, providing fresh insights into the democratic exploration of human consciousness. However, readers seeking dry, technical manuals on…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Common Phantoms: An American History of Psychic Science - Ingram Academic Puglionesi, Alicia
“Puglionesi provides a rigorous academic resurrection of a vibrant, forgotten era in American intellectual life. The text successfully argues for the significance of psychical research within the broader history of psychology.…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Common Phantoms: An American History of Psychic Science - Ingram Academic Puglionesi, Alicia
