author
Allen Putnam
1802–1887
A 19th-century American spiritualist writer, he is best remembered for linking mesmerism, witchcraft, and spirit communication in works that challenged conventional explanations of the supernatural. His books offer a vivid window into the religious and intellectual debates of his time.
1 Audiobook
Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism
by Allen Putnam
About the author
Born in 1802 and died in 1887, Allen Putnam was an American author associated with the spiritualist movement. Sources describe him as a former Unitarian minister, as well as a merchant and an editor of the New England Farmer, before he became known for his writing on mesmerism and spiritualism.
Putnam wrote several books that explored spirit communication and unusual religious experience. Among the best known are Mesmerism, Spiritualism, Witchcraft, and Miracle, Witchcraft of New England Explained by Modern Spiritualism, and Post-Mortem Confessions. His work often argued that events many people dismissed as fraud or superstition deserved a more serious spiritual explanation.
Today, he is mainly remembered by readers interested in American spiritualism, occult history, and alternative interpretations of the Salem witch trials. His writings capture a period when many Americans were rethinking the boundaries between religion, science, and the unseen world.