War and the Weird.

Bookseller Notes

Scarce in the dustjacket.An early consideration of the relationship between the Great War and the unseen, the book in two sections by the respective authors. Forbes Phillips, who provides a 45pp. Introduction on manifestations of the spirit-world on the battlefield, was a priest based in Gorleston, Norfolk, known for his unorthodox views - with the experiences of the soldiers that he encountered in Northern France affirming his belief in the supernatural (he also sites Arthur Machen's 'The Bowmen' as a book with which he is in 'hearty agreement'). Forbes Phillips also published under the name 'Athol Forbes'. His co-author, Thurston Hopkins, wrote topographical and literary works (including on Kipling, Wells, and Wilde) - though his later work was more focused on his ghost-hunting activities, an interest that finds its first expression, in the form of 'Five Sketches' (told as stories), here.