A vigorous strand of interest in the occult, the spooky and the mysterious has been part of our history since 1840.

Shadow Worlds takes a lively look at communicating with spirits, secret ritualistic societies, the supernatural, the New Age -- everything from The Golden Dawn and Rosicrucianism to Spiritualism, witchcraft and Radiant Living -- and introduces the reader to a cast of fascinating characters who were generally true believers and sometimes con artists.

It's a fresh and novel take on the history of a small colonial society that was not quite as ploddingly conformist as we may have imagined.