Leonora Piper

Leonora Piper
BornJune 27, 1857
DiedJune 3, 1950
OccupationTrance medium

Leonora Piper (née Leonora Evelina Simonds; 27 June 1857 – 3 June 1950) was a famous American trance medium in the area of Spiritualism. Piper was the subject of intense interest and investigation by American and British psychic research associations during the early 20th century, most notably William James and the Society for Psychical Research.[1][2]

Researchers and scientists who studied Piper's mediumship have described mentalist techniques such as cold reading, muscle reading and "fishing", all techniques that she may have used to gather information about séance sitters, so she could appear to have unexplained insight.[3][4][5][6] Science writer and mathematician Martin Gardner dismissed Piper as a "clever charlatan."[7]

  1. ^ Gardner, Martin. (1996). The Night Is Large. "William James and Mrs. Piper". St. Martin's Press. pp. 213-243. ISBN 978-0312143800
  2. ^ Cohen, Patricia (August 14, 2006). "'Ghost Hunters': Seeking Science in Séance". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  3. ^ Tuckett, Ivor Lloyd. (1911). The Evidence for the Supernatural: A Critical Study Made with "Uncommon Sense". K. Paul, Trench, Trübner. pp. 321-395
  4. ^ Rinn, Joseph. (1950). Sixty Years of Psychical Research: Houdini and I Among the Spiritualists. Truth Seeker Company. pp. 183-246
  5. ^ Christopher, Milbourne. (1979). Search for the Soul. Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishers. pp. 152-175
  6. ^ Gardner, Martin. (2003). Are Universes Thicker Than Blackberries?. "How Mrs. Piper Bamboozled William James". W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 252-62. ISBN 978-0-393-05742-3
  7. ^ Irwin, Harvey J; Watt, Caroline. (2007). An Introduction to Parapsychology. McFarland. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7864-3059-8