Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World

A comprehensive investigation of spiritualism, published in 1860 by a Scottish-born former member of the US House of Representatives.

An investigation into supernatural phenomena ranging from dreams to apparitions and hauntings, this work, first published in 1860, reports the observations and research of Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), a Scottish immigrant who became a member of the US House of Representatives and US minister at Naples.Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877) was born in Scotland and emigrated to the United States in 1825 to help his social reformer father Robert Owen set up an experimental community in New Harmony, Indiana. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1842, and appointed US minister at Naples in 1853. In addition to his political career, Owen was a follower of spiritualism. In Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World, published in 1860, he draws from his own observations of supernatural phenomena as well as published research in fields such as psychology. Owen's comprehensive study addresses six thematic areas. He starts by comparing attempts to navigate uncharted spiritual waters to Christopher Columbus' voyages of discovery, and then moves on to examine themes such as dreams, disturbances and apparitions.