Entranced by Eyes of Evil: Tales of Mesmerism and Mystery

Animal Magnetism — Mesmerism — Hypnosis

More than one name has been applied to the phenomenon of one person putting another into a deep trance–and into a deep state of submission. But how far does this power truly go? Can a devious hypnotist entrance an unknowing subject from across a room? Can a mesmerized person be compelled to commit murder? Can a hypnotic spell extend beyond death? In the 1800s, such questions had no certain answers, and the extreme possibilities were explored by fiction writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Louisa May Alcott, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ambrose Bierce. These and fourteen more authors spin tales about unbounded hypnotism in Entranced by Eyes of Evil: Tales of Mesmerism and Mystery. 

Listen to Sample Stories

You can listen to these stories here — or right-click on the title to download the .mp3 for offline listening. Visit the Tales Told When the Windows Rattle page for more readings!

“The Facts of M. Valdemar’s Case,” by Edgar Allan Poe

“Curious Mesmeric Experiences in California,” Anonymous

“Selenitha,” by Arthur Lucas

Phantom Traditions Library

Entranced by Eyes of Evil is the first volume in the Phantom Traditions Library, a series of anthologies featuring unusual and forgotten genres of fiction that flourished in the 1800s.

The other volumes are:

• Echoing Ghost Stories: Literary Reflections of Oral Tradition
• Ghostly Clients & Demonic Culprits: The Roots of Occult Detective Fiction
• Imagining Life on the Moon During the Rise of the Telescope

Future anthologies will feature tales about haunted railroads, polar journeys, and more!