The Strange Case of Hellish Nell: The True Story of Helen Duncan and the Witch Trial of World War II - Couverture rigide

Shandler, Nina

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0306814382 ISBN 13 : 9780306814389

Editeur : Da Capo Press, 2006

Synopsis

Book by Shandler Nina

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

On March 23, 1944, as the Allied Forces were preparing for D-Day, Helen Duncan--"Nell" to her six children and four grandchildren and "Hellish Nell" to her detractors--stood in the dock of Britain's highest criminal court accused of:witchcraft! At the time of her arrest, Helen Duncan was Britain's most controversial psychic, a celebrity medium with a notorious reputation. During her seances, she channeled spirits who spoke from the world beyond, and on a few occasions, her "spirit" seemed to know too much: Helen's seances were accurately revealing top-secret British ship movements. Intelligence authorities wanted "Hellish Nell" silenced. Using diaries, personal papers, interviews, and declassified documents, Nina Shandler resurrects this strange episode and explores the unanswered questions surrounding the trial: Did "Hellish Nell" channel spirits of the dead who gave away wartime secrets? Was she a calculating charlatan or the innocent target of obsessive wartime secrecy? Why did the Director of Public Prosecutions try her as a witch, and not a spy? Sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, The Strange Case of Hellish Nell is a true crime tale laced with psychic phenomena and wartime intrigue.

Revue de presse :

"Shandler has done well to remind us of this bizarre, forgotten case." The Times --The Times

"(t)his is true-life crime at its most gripping - espionage, séances, intrigue and witchcraft, this book has the lot... Nina Shandler uses diaries, interviews and declassified documents to tell Nell s story with aplomb." --Sunday Express

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Da Capo Press
• Date d'édition: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0306814382
• ISBN 13: 9780306814389
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 304