FREE THE COMING OF THE FAIRIES PDF

Sir ,John M. Lynch | 189 pages | 01 Oct 2006 | University of Nebraska Press | 9780803266551 | English | Lincoln, United States The Coming of the Fairies by Arthur Conan Doyle - Free Ebook

The Cottingley Fairies appear in a series of five photographs taken by Elsie Wright — and Frances Griffiths —two young cousins who lived in Cottingleynear in England. Inwhen the first two photographs were taken, Elsie was 16 years old and Frances was 9. The pictures came to the attention of writer Sir Arthur Conan Doylewho used them to illustrate an article on fairies he had been commissioned to write for the Christmas edition of The Strand Magazine. Doyle, as a spiritualistwas enthusiastic about the photographs, and interpreted them as clear and visible evidence of phenomena. Public reaction was mixed; some accepted the images as genuine, others believed that they had been faked. Interest in the Cottingley Fairies gradually declined after Both girls married and lived abroad for a time after they grew up, and yet the photographs continued to hold the public imagination. In a reporter from the Daily Express newspaper traced Elsie, who had by then returned to the United Kingdom. Elsie left open the possibility that she believed she had photographed her thoughts, and the media once again became interested in the story. In the early s Elsie and Frances admitted that the photographs were faked, using cardboard cutouts of fairies copied from a popular children's book of the time, but Frances maintained that the fifth and final photograph was genuine. Currently the photographs and two of the cameras used are on display in the National Science and Media Museum in BradfordEngland. In December the third camera used to take the images was The Coming of the Fairies and is scheduled to complete the exhibition. In mid nine-year- old Frances Griffiths and her mother—both newly arrived in the UK from South Africa—were staying with Frances's aunt, Elsie Wright's mother, in the village of Cottingley in West Yorkshire; Elsie was then 16 years old. The two girls often played together beside the beck stream at the bottom of the garden, much to their mothers' annoyance, because they frequently came back with wet feet The Coming of the Fairies clothes. Frances and Elsie said they only went to the beck to see the fairies, and to prove it, Elsie borrowed her father's camera, a Midg quarter-plate. Elsie's father, Arthur, was a keen amateur photographer, and had set up his own darkroom. The picture on the photographic plate he developed showed Frances behind a bush in the foreground, on which four fairies appeared to be dancing. Knowing his daughter's artistic ability, and that she had spent some time working in a photographer's studio, he dismissed the figures as cardboard cutouts. Exasperated by what The Coming of the Fairies believed to be "nothing but a prank", [3] and convinced that the girls must have tampered with his camera in some way, Arthur Wright refused to lend it to them again. Letter from Frances Griffiths to a friend in South Africa [5]. Towards the end ofFrances sent a letter to Johanna Parvin, a friend in Cape TownSouth Africa, where Frances had lived for most of her life, enclosing the photograph of herself with the fairies. On the back The Coming of the Fairies wrote "It is funny, I never used to see them in Africa. It must be too hot The Coming of the Fairies them there. The photographs became public in mid, after Elsie's mother attended a meeting of the Theosophical Society in Bradford. The lecture that evening was on "fairy life", and at the end of the meeting Polly Wright showed the two fairy photographs taken by her daughter and niece to the speaker. As a result, the photographs were displayed at the society's annual conference in Harrogateheld a few months later. There they came to the attention of a leading member of the society, Edward Gardner. Gardner sent the prints along with the original glass-plate negatives to Harold Snelling, a photography expert. Snelling's opinion was that "the two negatives are entirely genuine, unfaked photographs Author and prominent spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle learned of the photographs from the editor of the spiritualist publication Light. Doyle contacted Gardner in June to determine the background to the photographs, and wrote to Elsie and her father to request permission from the latter to use the prints in his article. Arthur Wright was "obviously impressed" that Doyle was involved, and gave his permission for publication, but he refused payment on the grounds that, if genuine, The Coming of the Fairies images should not be "soiled" by money. Gardner and Doyle sought a second expert opinion from the photographic company Kodak. Several of the company's technicians examined the enhanced prints, and although they agreed with Snelling that the pictures "showed no signs of being faked", they concluded that "this could not be taken as conclusive evidence Doyle also showed the photographs to the physicist and pioneering psychical researcher Sir Oliver Lodgewho believed the photographs to be fake. He suggested that a troupe of dancers had masqueraded as fairies, and expressed doubt as to their "distinctly 'Parisienne ' " hairstyles. Doyle was preoccupied with organising an imminent lecture tour of Australia, and in Julysent Gardner to meet the Wright family. Frances was by then living with her parents in Scarborough[16] but Elsie's father told Gardner that he had been so certain the photographs were fakes that while the girls were away he searched their bedroom and the area around the beck streamlooking for scraps of pictures or cutouts, but found nothing "incriminating". Gardner believed the Wright family to be honest and respectable. To place the matter of the photographs' authenticity beyond doubt, he returned to Cottingley at the end of July with two W. Frances was invited to stay with the Wright family during the school summer holiday so that she and Elsie could take more pictures of the fairies. The Coming of the Fairies went off, to Cottingley again, taking the two cameras and plates from London, and met the family and explained to the two girls the simple working of the cameras, giving one each to keep. The cameras were loaded, and my final advice was that they need go up to the glen only on fine days as they had been accustomed to do before and tice the fairies, as they called their way of attracting them, and see what they could get. I suggested only the most obvious and easy precautions about lighting and distance, for I knew it was essential they should feel free and unhampered and have no burden of responsibility. If nothing came of it all, I told them, they were not to mind a bit. Until 19 August the weather was unsuitable for photography. Because Frances and Elsie insisted that the fairies would not show themselves if others were watching, Elsie's mother was persuaded to visit her sister's for tea, leaving the girls alone. In her absence the girls took several photographs, two of which appeared to show fairies. In the first, Frances and the Leaping FairyFrances is shown in profile with a winged fairy close by The Coming of the Fairies nose. The second, Fairy offering Posy of Harebells to Elsieshows a fairy either hovering or tiptoeing on a branch, and offering Elsie a flower. Two days later the girls took the last picture, Fairies and Their Sun-Bath. The plates were packed in cotton wool and returned to Gardner in London, who sent an "ecstatic" telegram to Doyle, by then in Melbourne. My heart was gladdened when out here in far The Coming of the Fairies I had your note and the three wonderful pictures which are confirmatory of our published results. When our fairies are admitted other psychic phenomena will find a more ready acceptance We have had continued messages at seances for some time that a visible sign was coming through. Doyle's article in the December issue of The Strand contained two higher-resolution prints of the photographs, and sold The Coming of the Fairies within days of publication. To protect the girls' anonymity, Frances and Elsie were called Alice and Iris respectively, and the Wright family was referred to as the "Carpenters". The recognition of their existence will jolt the material twentieth century mind out of its heavy ruts in the mud, and will make it admit that there is a glamour and mystery to life. Having discovered this, the world will not find it so difficult to accept that spiritual message supported by physical facts which has already been put before it. Early press coverage was "mixed", [25] generally a combination of "embarrassment and puzzlement". Margaret McMillanthe educational and social reformer, wrote: "How wonderful that to these dear children such a wonderful gift has been vouchsafed. Look at Iris's [Elsie's] face. Major John Hall-Edwardsa keen photographer and pioneer of medical X-ray treatments in Britain, was a particularly vigorous critic: [27]. On the evidence I have no hesitation in saying that these photographs could have been "faked". I criticize the attitude of those who declared there is something supernatural in the circumstances attending to the taking of these pictures because, as a medical man, I believe that the inculcation of such absurd ideas into the minds of children will result in later life in manifestations and nervous disorder and mental disturbances. Doyle The Coming of the Fairies the later photographs in to illustrate a second article in The Strandin which he described other accounts of fairy sightings. The article formed the foundation for his book The Coming of the Fairies. Sceptics noted that the fairies "looked suspiciously like the traditional fairies of nursery tales" and that they had "very fashionable hairstyles". Gardner made a final visit to Cottingley in August He again brought cameras and photographic plates for Frances and Elsie, but was accompanied by the occultist Geoffrey Hodson. Although neither of the girls claimed The Coming of the Fairies see any fairies, and there were no more photographs, "on the contrary, he [Hodson] saw them [fairies] everywhere" and wrote voluminous notes on his observations. By now Elsie and The Coming of the Fairies were The Coming of the Fairies of the whole fairy business. Years later Elsie looked at a photograph of herself and Frances taken with Hodson and said: "Look at that, fed up with fairies. Public The Coming of the Fairies in the Cottingley Fairies gradually subsided after Elsie and Frances eventually married and lived abroad for many years. She admitted in an interview given that year that the fairies The Coming of the Fairies have been "figments of my imagination", but left open the possibility she believed that she had somehow managed to photograph her thoughts. Elsie and Frances were interviewed by journalist Austin Mitchell in Septemberfor a programme broadcast on Yorkshire Television. When pressed, both women agreed that "a rational person doesn't see fairies", but they denied having fabricated the photographs. They concluded that the photographs were fakes, and that strings could be seen supporting the fairies. He also concluded that the pictures were fakes. Inthe cousins admitted in an article published in the magazine The Unexplained that the photographs had been faked, although both maintained that they really had seen fairies. Elsie had copied illustrations of dancing girls from a popular children's book of the time, Princess Mary's Gift Bookpublished inand drew wings on them. Seated on the upper left hand edge with wing well displayed is an undraped fairy apparently considering whether it is time to get up. An earlier riser of more mature age is seen on the right possessing abundant hair and wonderful wings. Her slightly denser body can be glimpsed within her fairy dress. Elsie maintained it was a fake, just like all the others, but Frances insisted that it was genuine. In an interview given in the early s Frances said:. It was a wet Saturday The Coming of the Fairies and we were just mooching about with our cameras and Elsie had nothing prepared. I saw these fairies building up in the grasses and just aimed the camera and took a photograph. Both Frances and Elsie claimed to have taken the fifth photograph. In a interview on Yorkshire Television 's Arthur C. Frances died inand Elsie in The collection included prints of the photographs, two The Coming of the Fairies the cameras used by the girls, watercolours of fairies painted by Elsie, and a nine-page letter from Elsie admitting to the hoax. Frances's daughter, Christine Lynch, appeared in an episode of the television programme in Belfastbroadcast on BBC One in Januarywith the photographs and one of the cameras given to the girls by Doyle. Christine told the expert, Paul Atterburythat she believed, as her mother had done, that the fairies in the fifth photograph were genuine. In one letter, datedFrances wrote:. I hated those photographs from The Coming of the Fairies age of 16 when Mr Gardner presented me with a bunch of flowers and wanted me to sit on the platform [at a Theosophical Society meeting] with him. I realised what I was in for if I did The Coming of the Fairies keep myself hidden. In a further two fairy photographs were presented as evidence that the girls' parents were part of the conspiracy. The Coming of the Fairies - The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia

Conan Doyle first heard of these in may On 20 decemberin the Starwas published a statement by a representative of the candle makers Price and Sons that the fairies on the photos were identical with the drawings used to advertise their night lights. Until his death, Conan Doyle was convinced that the photographs were genuine. However, of all the objections, which he considered in Our African Winter p. Elsie Wright finally confessed the hoax inalthough her cousin Frances maintained to her death that the fifth and final photograph showed genuine fairies. Frontispiece This book contains reproductions of the famous Cottingley photographs, and gives the whole of The Coming of the Fairies evidence in connection with them. The The Coming of the Fairies reader is in almost as good a position as I am to form a judgment upon the authenticity of the pictures. This narrative is not a special plea for that authenticity, but is simply a collection of facts the inferences from which may be accepted or rejected as the reader may think fit. I would warn the critic, however, not to be led away by the sophistry that because some professional trickster, apt at the game of deception, can produce a somewhat similar effect, therefore the originals were produced in the same way. There are few realities which cannot be imitated, and the ancient argument that because conjurers on their own prepared plates or stages can produce certain results, therefore similar results obtained by untrained people under natural conditions are also false, is surely discounted by the intelligent public. I would add that this whole subject of the objective existence of a subhuman form of life has nothing to do with the larger and far more vital question of . I should be sorry if my arguments in favour of the latter should be in any way weakened by my exposition of this very strange episode, which has really no bearing upon the The Coming of the Fairies existence of the individual. The series of incidents set forth in this little volume represent either the most elaborate and ingenious hoax ever played upon the public, or else they constitute an event in human history which may in the future appear to have been epoch-making in its character. It is hard for the mind to grasp what the ultimate results may be if we have actually proved The Coming of the Fairies existence upon the surface of this planet of a population which may be as The Coming of the Fairies as the human race, which pursues its own strange life in its own strange The Coming of the Fairies, and which is only separated from ourselves by some difference of vibrations. We see objects within the limits which make up our colour spectrum, with infinite vibrations, unused by us, on either side of them. If we could conceive a race of beings which were constructed in material which threw out shorter or longer vibrations, they would be invisible unless we could tune ourselves up or tone them down. It is exactly that power of tuning up and adapting itself to other vibrations which constitutes a clairvoyant, and there is nothing scientifically impossible, so far as I can see, in some people seeing that which is invisible to others. If the objects are indeed there, and if the inventive power of the human brain is turned upon the problem, it is likely that some sort of psychic spectacles, inconceivable to us at the moment, will be invented, and that we shall all be able to adapt ourselves to the new conditions. If high-tension electricity can be converted by a mechanical contrivance into a lower tension, keyed to other uses, then it is hard to see why something analogous might not occur with the vibrations of ether and the waves of light. This, however, is mere speculation and leads me to the fact that early in May I heard, in conversation with my friend Mr. Gow, the Editor of Light, that alleged photographs of fairies had been taken. He had not actually seen them, but he referred me to Miss Scatcherd, a lady for whose knowledge and judgment I had considerable respect. I got into touch with her and found that she also had not seen the photographs, but she had a friend, Miss Gardner, who had actually done so. On May 13 Miss Scatcherd wrote to me saying that she was getting on the trail, and including an extract from a letter of Miss Gardner, which ran as follows. I am quoting actual documents in this early stage, for I think there are many who would like a complete inside view of all that led up to so remarkable an episode. Alluding to her brother Mr. I am so very thankful that I happened to be in Willesden when his bereavement The Coming of the Fairies place, for it was so wonderful to watch him, and to see how marvellously his faith and beliefs upheld and comforted him. He will probably devote more and more of his time and strength to going about the country lecturing, etc. He believes in fairies, pixies, goblins, etc. He has got into touch with a family in Bradford where the little girl, Elsie, and her cousin, Frances, constantly go into woods and play with the fairies. The father and mother are sceptical and have no sympathy with their nonsense, as they call it, but an aunt, whom Edward has interviewed, is quite sympathetic with the girls. Some little time ago, Elsie said she wanted to photograph them, and begged her father to lend his camera. For long he refused, but at last she managed to get the loan of it and one plate. Off she and Frances went into the woods near a water-fall. Frances "ticed' them, as they call it, and Elsie stood ready with the camera. Soon the three fairies appeared, and one pixie dancing in Frances' aura. Elsie snapped and hoped for the best. It was a long time before the father would develop the photo, but at last he did, and to his utter amazement the four sweet little figures came out beautifully I. He pronounced it absolutely genuine and a perfectly remarkable photograph. Edward has it enlarged and hanging in his hall. He is very interested in it and as soon as possible he is going to Bradford to see the children. What do you think of this? Edward says the fairies are on the same line of The Coming of the Fairies as the winged insects, etc. I fear I cannot follow all his reasonings, but I knew you would be keenly interested. I wish you could see that photo and another one of the girls playing with the quaintest goblin imaginable! This letter filled me with hopes, and I renewed my pursuit of the photographs. I learned that they were two in number and that they had been sent for inspection to Miss Blomfield, a friend of the family. This letter enclosed the two very remarkable photographs which are reproduced in this volume, that which depicted the dancing goblin, and the other of wood elves in a ring. An explanatory note setting forth the main points of each is appended to the reproductions. I was naturally delighted at the wonderful pictures, and wrote back thanking Miss Blomfield for her courtesy, and suggesting that an inquiry should be set on foot which would satisfy me as to the genuine nature of the photographs. If this were clearly established I hoped that I might The Coming of the Fairies privileged to help Mr. Gardner in giving publicity to the discovery. At about the same time I received a letter from another lady who had some knowledge of the matter. I was now in a stronger position, since I had actually seen the photographs and learned that Mr. Gardner was a solid person with a reputation for The Coming of the Fairies and character. I therefore wrote to him stating the links by which I had reached him, and saying how interested I was in the whole matter, and how essential it seemed that the facts should be given to the public, so that free' investigation might be possible before it was too late. This letter led to my going to London and seeing Mr. Gardner, whom I found to be quiet, well-balanced, and reserved — not in the least of a The Coming of the Fairies or visionary type. He showed me beautiful enlargements of these two wonderful pictures, and The Coming of the Fairies gave me much information which is embodied in my subsequent The Coming of the Fairies. Neither he nor I had actually seen the girls, and it was arranged that he should handle the personal side of the matter, while I should examine the results and throw them into literary shape. It was arranged between us that he should visit the village as soon as convenient, and make the acquaintance of everyone concerned. In the meantime, I showed the positives, and sometimes the negatives, to several friends whose opinion upon psychic matters I respected. Of these Sir holds a premier place. I The Coming of the Fairies still see his astonished and interested face as he gazed at the pictures, which I placed before him in the hall of the Athenaeum Club. With his usual caution he refused to accept them at their face value, and suggested the theory that the Californian Classical dancers had been taken and their picture superimposed upon a rural British background. I argued that we had certainly traced the pictures to two children of the artisan class, and that such photographic tricks would be entirely beyond them, but I failed to convince him, nor am I sure that even now he is whole-hearted in the matter. My most earnest critics came from among the spiritualists, to whom a new order of being as remote from spirits as they are from human beings was an unfamiliar idea, and who feared, not unnaturally, that their intrusion would complicate that spiritual controversy which is vital to so many of us. One of these was a gentleman whom I will call Mr. Lancaster, who, by a not unusual paradox, combined considerable psychic powers, including both clairvoyance and clairaudience, with great proficiency in the practice of his very prosaic profession. He had claimed that he had frequently seen these little people with his own eyes, and I, therefore, attached importance to his opinion. This gentleman had a spirit guide I have no objection to the smile of the scepticand to him he referred the question. The answer showed both the strength and the weakness of such psychic The Coming of the Fairies. He is not a Spiritualist, but would laugh very much if anyone was taken in by it. He does not live near where we were, and the place is all different, i. Apparently he was not English. I should think it was either Denmark or Los Angeles by the description, which I give you for what it is worth. And yet with the speed with which it The Coming of the Fairies taken the waterfall in the background is blurred sufficiently to justify a one second's exposure The Coming of the Fairies least. What a doubting Thomas! I was told the other day that, in the unlikely event of my ever reaching heaven, I should a Insist on starting a card file index of the angels, and b Starting a rifle range to guard against the possibility of invasion from Hell. This being my unfortunate reputation at the hands of the people who claim to know me must discount my criticisms as carping — to a certain extent, at all events. These psychic impressions and messages are often as from one who sees in a glass darkly and contain a curious mixture of truth and error. Upon my submitting this message to Mr. Gardner he was able to assure me that the description was, on the whole, a very accurate one of Mr. Snelling and his The Coming of the Fairies, the gentleman who had actually handled the negatives, subjected them to various tests and made enlarged positives. It was, therefore, this intermediate incident, and not the original inception of the affair, which had impressed itself upon Mr. Lancaster's guide. All this is, of course, quite The Coming of the Fairies to the ordinary reader, but I am laying all the documents upon the table. After receiving this message and getting possession of the negatives I took them myself to the Kodak Company's Offices in Kingsway, where I saw Mr. West and another expert of the Company. They examined the plates carefully, and neither of them could find any evidence of superposition, or other trick. On the other hand, they were of opinion that if they set to work with all their knowledge and resources they could produce such pictures by natural means, and therefore they would not undertake to say that these were preternatural. This, of course, was quite reasonable if the pictures are judged only as technical productions, but it rather savours of the old discredited anti- spiritualistic argument that because a trained conjurer can produce certain effects under his own conditions, therefore some woman or child who gets similar effects must get them by conjuring. It was clear that at the last it was the character and surroundings of the children upon which the inquiry must turn, rather than upon the photos themselves. It was evident, however, that we must get into more personal touch, and with this object Mr. Gardner went North and interviewed the whole family, making a thorough investigation of the circumstances at the spot. The result of his journey The Coming of the Fairies given in the article which I published in the Strand Magazine, which covers all the ground. I trust that the reader will agree that up to this point we had not proceeded with any undue rashness or credulity, and that we had taken all common-sense steps to test the case, and had no alternative, if we were unprejudiced seekers for truth, but to go ahead with it, and place our results before the public, so that others might discover the fallacy which we had failed to find. I must apologize if The Coming of the Fairies of the ground in the Strand article which follows has already been covered in this introductory chapter. Cottingley Fairies - Wikipedia

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. John M. Lynch Introduction. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, best known as the creator of but also a devout spiritualist, was entirely convinced by a set of photographs seemingly showing two young girls playing with a group of tiny, translucent fairies. To demonstrate his unshakable belief in the spirit world, the celebrated writer published, inThe 'Coming of the Fairies'. It recounts t Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes but also a devout spiritualist, was entirely convinced by a The Coming of the Fairies of photographs seemingly showing two young girls playing with a group of tiny, translucent fairies. It recounts the story of the photos, their supposed provenance, and the startling implications of their existence. One of the great hoaxes of all time, the Cottingley Fairy photographs are proof of mankind s willingness to believe. Conan Doyle s book, reprinted here with the original photographs, offers a unique insight into the mind of an intelligent, highly respected figure, who just happened to believe in fairies. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published October 1st by Bison Books first published More Details The Coming of the Fairies Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Coming of the Fairiesplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Coming of the Fairies. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of The Coming of the Fairies. Oct 14, Manybooks rated it it was ok Shelves: fairy-tales-fantasymagical-creaturesbook-reviewsgullible. While the presented and included "fairy" photographs of The Coming of the Fairies I do consider even now as The Coming of the Fairies visually and aesthetically quite interesting if not even rather The Coming of the Fairies from an artistic point of departure the entire premise of The Coming of the Fairies namely that according to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, fairies do truly exist is actually and in my humble opinion mostly rather massively saddening and even pity-producing. Also and furthermore the narratives, the texts included which obviously are meant to both justify and prove The Coming of the Fairies of the shown photographs the bona fide, the supposed reality of the existence of fairies upon just having now reread The Coming of the FairiesI have definitely and personally found Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's written, his printed words as well as his inclusions from other supposed "fairy" experts neither all that readable nor in any way of much narrational interest and truth be told, I now also do tend to believe that my textual problems with The Coming of the Fairies in were indeed NOT ONLY due to my at that time still prevalent English language learning issues but also simply the fact that the presented and featured narrative of The Coming of the Fairies just is not and cannot be described as being all that engaging and interesting in and of itself. View all 13 comments. Aug 25, Lucas rated it really liked it. When The Coming of the Fairies cracked open this book I expected to have a nice, tongue-in-cheek read of one man's defense of a few fake photogr "The series of incidents set forth in this little volume represent either the most elaborate and ingenious hoax ever played upon the public, or else they constitute an event in human history which may in the future appear to have been epoch-making in its character. When I cracked open this book I expected to have a nice, tongue-in-cheek read of one man's defense of a few fake photographs taken by some little girls. What I got instead was an earnest parade of craziness so large that, if this were fiction, people would say that none of these characters could possibly exist in the real world. The tapestry of delusion that these people weave around themselves in order to believe the photographs are evidence of the existence of fairies grows with every The Coming of the Fairies. Conan Doyle poo-poos the photographic experts from Kodak, no less who refuse to declare the photos legitimate, accusing them of falling back on "old discredited anti-spiritualistic" arguments. Another person hypothesizes that fairies don't cast shadows due to their ethereal nature and that is why they look so flat! To top it all off, there is an entire chapter dedicated to the notes of a World War I veteran -- The Coming of the Fairies ex-tank brigade commander and self-described clairvoyant -- who spends several days traipsing about the meadows of Cottingley with the two girls, Elsie and Frances, relating all of the psychic creatures that they see. But the cream of the crop is a medium who, with the help of his spirit guide, describes the circumstances surrounding the taking of the photographs and their development all in generalities, of course before ending the session by saying that, should he the medium ever be lucky enough to get into Heaven, he would be well-suited to stocking God's arsenal with rifles to fend off any invasions from Hell. Why that is relevant to photographs of fairies, I have no idea. The entire situation, at times, seems to be even too much for Conan Doyle to process. He occasionally expresses doubt in the validity of the pictures, though never for long, as he just as quickly shakes it off by extolling the good, middle-class background of the girls and the virtue of the other characters in this "story," commonly introducing each person as "having nothing to gain by lying. It is my belief that many of the people involved don't think they are lying; or they want so badly to validate their beliefs that overlooking an inconvenient fact or two, or "tweaking" the truth just a little bit, isn't much of a bad thing in their minds. For instance, there is a lot of wonder that the photographs show the fairies "moving" they're in poses that look like they're dancing, or walking, etc. Yet these "dancing" fairies come out looking crystal clear. Conan Doyle is himself part of the problem. Being, of course, the author of Sherlock Holmes, I got the feeling that he believed he had a little bit of Holmes inside of him. After all, the man who created the logical genius who could solve any crime, no matter how perplexing, surely must be a very good sleuth himself, right? Consistently he states how very logical and careful he is being in his investigations, but should a critic come along to rain on his parade, he spouts off some quip and immediately dismisses them. Or he'll counteract The Coming of the Fairies such as "these look like they could have been done in a studio" by showing a picture of the area where the photographs were taken and claim victory simply because, see, the area itself really exists! In the end, Conan Doyle is undone by his prejudices. Not just his deep-seated belief in spiritualism and the validity of these photos, but in his Victorian-era ideas that middle-class children couldn't possibly have the desire to lie, and if they somehow did then they'd be so bad at it that the man who created Sherlock Holmes would surely see through such a ruse. I couldn't help but find myself feeling a little sad for Conan Doyle. When his son was killed in World War 1 he threw himself into the world of seances and ghostly rappings wholeheartedly in an effort to maintain a connection with his son. It's a lesson to all skeptics out there in just how easily the human mind is able to overcome any obstacle, large or small, that stands in the way of whatever it is that the believer wants to believe, with the truth itself often being the easiest blockade of all to cross. It is also a lesson to the believer that just because you believe strongly that something is so, that doesn't necessarily make it so. On the whole, this was an enjoyable, well-written, if not well thought out, book that I was very close to giving five stars simply for the first chapter alone, but it does drag a bit The Coming of the Fairies the end when Conan Doyle dedicates an entire chapter to other people's experiences with fairies; as if these stories bring more weight to the case for the photographs. If you eat that type of stuff up with a spoon, however, then go ahead and add an extra star. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go set up a webcam in my backyard. If you're interested in hunting for "wee folk" from the safety of your living room, you can do so for the low, The Coming of the Fairies price of five dollars a month! In the days before Photoshop, the young ladies took pictures of fairies. They posed with the fairies. They claimed to see the fairies quite often. Of course, the fairies were pasted pictures. You look at this photographs today, and part of you wonders how people could be so gullible. Yet, we have famous fake The Coming of the Fairies today as well. Do you really think the reporter is always in front of the White House? It can be rather dull reading, but it does include reporters various reactions as well as other accounts from elsewhere. These other accounts show why people were willing to believe, even those who should have known better. For me, the biggest surprise was the fact that one of the girls was 16, which does present a slightly different take on the story. Still worth reading for a Doyle fan or fairy tale fan. Crossposted at Booklikes. View all 7 comments. Oct 25, Timothy Ferguson rated it liked it Shelves: librivox. This is, in some ways, a terribly sad book. Conan Doyle turned to spiritualism to help him deal with the vast wave of senseless death which had ravaged his family. His views made him, and I hope not to offend any spiritualists reading, terribly gullible, because the way spiritualists demonstrated the veracity of The Coming of the Fairies claims was so poor. Conan Doyle does not realise how credulous he is. At one point, toward the end of Chapter One, he explains how the investigation of the Cottingley fairy photogra This is, in some ways, a terribly sad book. At one point, toward the end of Chapter One, he explains how the investigation of the Cottingley fairy photographs occured, and says he puts the technique before the public so any error on his part can be indentified. Therefore, you cannot prove that all of your dead realtives are still, in some sense, alive. His advocacy for fairies comes from a place of terrible pain, which opens him up to humiliation. Originally reviewed on book coasters Nov 12, Rose rated The Coming of the Fairies liked it Shelves: read-in-english The Coming of the Fairies, owned-books, classicsreading-challengenon-fiction. The first half was interesting but the second one was like a constant The Coming of the Fairies Blah Blah. I read The Coming of the Fairies to The Coming of the Fairies to answer for myself the question of how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could bring himself to believe in fairies. Though the book is I read The Coming of the Fairies to try to answer for myself the question of how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could bring himself to believe in fairies. Though the book is by Doyle he quotes extensively from the letters and notes of others, so I would say that his actual writing makes up no more than half the text.