In March 2021, the Society for Psychical Research’s Paranormal Review changed its name to The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research. This is the latest in a succession of titles the SPR’s magazine has had over the course of the last four decades, the production values improving with each iteration. Unfortunately, the first attempt at a more accessible publication to supplement the often rather technical articles in the SPR’s Journal and Proceedings became mired in controversy.
In 1980 a report
appeared in the SPR’s Journal ominously headed ‘Activities of the
Publications Committee (now suspended)’.
This detailed how said committee had embarked on a publishing programme
without consulting the SPR’s Council, incurring significant expenditure at a
time when the Society was facing financial difficulties, and producing items of
poor quality. These items, not actually
of poor quality, were a number of introductory booklets, the costs of which
went wildly over budget (the committee was also responsible for beginning the
project to produce a series of centenary publications, edited by Brian Inglis and
released in 1982, which were extremely successful).
A Council working
party was set up to examine the Publications Committee’s activities, and the
fall-out was in part an impetus for the decision by some members to set up the
rival Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP),
founded in 1981. In the Journal
report is a reference to ‘a Newsletter (which was withdrawn as unsuitable
before distribution).’ This was the SPR
Bulletin, dated Spring 1980.
Described in an editorial as ‘something of an experiment,’ it is not
difficult to see why the conservative SPR old guard were unhappy.
The Bulletin’s
editorial was unsigned but was written by Hugh Pincott, the SPR’s Hon.
Secretary, who was to become a founder of ASSAP. It noted that communication within the
Society was a concern, and the Bulletin was designed as a
‘meeting-place’ both for members and for a proposed network of regional research
groups (it was to assist the anticipated influx of new members resulting from
this effort that the publishing programme had been undertaken).
The idea of
regional affiliated groups has always been treated with ambivalence by the SPR
Council, partly because of potential image damage if a local group generated
negative press, and partly because of discomfort with the loss of centralised
control. It is not difficult to see why
there was unease among some on Council at the prospect of an autonomous national
network affiliated to the London organisation but with no regulatory mechanism
in place.
The general tone
of the four-page newsletter was chatty and approachable. Alongside the editorial was a photograph from
a 1927 psychical research congress, with a rather sexist text, and an
announcement by the London & Home Counties Poltergeist Group that it
welcomed new members. Page two would
have caused further discomfort to some of the more staid Council members. Written by Hilary Evans and Kevin McClure,
again to be ASSAP stalwarts though Evans continued to serve on the Council, it
announced the arrival of ‘The SPR UFO Study Group’. The first paragraph refers to ‘the first
formal contact between the SPR and ufology, in the shape of a joint symposium
with BUFORA’ held on 3 November 1979.
The study group
was established following the circulation of an internal report, The UFO
Phenomenon: An Assessment, in January 1979.
This was prepared as the result of a conclusion reached by Council at
the end of 1978 that, as the opening of The UFO Phenomenon’s
introduction states, ‘there was at least a prima facie case for regarding the
problem of Unidentified Flying Objects, as least in some of its aspects, as a
legitimate area for the Society’s interest.’
In the event interest quickly petered out, the UFO Study Group was never
again referred to in SPR literature, and some years later the SPR’s collection
of UFO literature was donated to ASSAP as being outside the SPR’s field of
interest.
The other two
pages of the Bulletin show the type of material it was expected to
carry. A proposed ‘true experiences’
column was kicked off by Brian C Nisbet describing ‘an auditory hypnopompic
hallucination,’ an experience involving a Goblin Teasmade. ‘Home and Abroad’ recounted the activities of
three members, including ghosthunter Andrew Green, who probably needed no
introduction to readers, and one in Papua New Guinea.
The final page had
columns on a group in Essex; veteran member Zőe Richmond; and the role of the
new Research Coordinating Committee, which had consolidated previous research
committees, in relation to the regional groups.
The emphasis of the new committee was on decentralising the Society’s
research activities, and it stated that 18 local groups were in the process of
being formed, half of them in London, as well as a number of special interest
groups focusing on particular topics, with more in the pipeline.
Sadly, the Bulletin,
with its grand aspirations to increase member involvement, never saw the light
of day, as indicated by the rough-and-ready banner. Instead, after a gap of nearly a year, the
first issue of the SPR Newsletter, dated February 1981, was distributed
to members. Edited by Anita Gregory, the
style was very different to the Bulletin. Gone was enthusiastic talk about affiliated
groups and UFOs. Instead, the focus was
top-down, the reader being assured that ‘you will be kept informed about future
activities and developments,’ with no suggestion that the readers might be
generating those activities themselves.
Still only four pages long, it was divided neatly into topics. Page one contained Gregory’s brief introduction, and reports on a one-day SPR conference in Manchester and a study day in London. Page two was devoted to forthcoming events, including the 1982 centenary conference in Cambridge, and courses offered by Susan Blackmore, Gregory and Archie Roy.
Page three dealt
with research being conducted by Arthur Ellison, Blackmore, Carl Sargent, John
Beloff, and Julian Isaacs. The final
page included a tribute to Ellison’s outreach efforts in lecturing around the
country, an extra lecture in the programme, an appeal for information, and a
list of some recent scholarly papers by academic members. The difference between this as an information
sheet and the concept of the Bulletin as a vehicle for stimulating a
more democratic ethos in the Society is clear.
Gregory only
intended to edit the first issue. The
editor for the second and most of the 35 issues of the Newsletter was Sue
Blackmore. She adopted a less patrician manner
than Gregory’s, abandoned the neat divisions of activities Gregory had managed,
and solicited news about activities being undertaken by members. The pages covered events, research and
publications as before, but also had information on spontaneous cases and a
visit Blackmore had made to Poland.
Groups were not
entirely ignored, even if not unduly emphasised. There were a couple of paragraphs on a ‘Kent
SPR’ which had recently been founded, but Blackmore admitted she had not heard
from any other groups (this despite the substantial numbers mentioned in the Bulletin)
and invited them to get in touch with their news. Peter Hallson took on the role of Regional
Groups Administrator, but his was very much a passive role, restricted to
phoning local organisations once a year to see if they were still active. ‘Regional groups’ referred to independent groups
out in the regions, not regional subsidiaries of the SPR.
Subsequent issues
under Blackmore’s editorship maintained the mix of news items, announcements,
requests, and reports of events. Julie
Milton took over the editorship for two years, improving the production values
and increasing the four A4 pages to eight, before handing it back to Blackmore
in 1988. A portion of the Newsletter
was given over to a Supplement edited by Renée Haynes which was devoted
to experiences sent in by readers. This
proved a useful feature to help fill space when Milton experienced a period of
illness and the length of the Newsletter had to be temporarily reduced.
The SPR Newsletter
proved popular with members, and moved from an initial publication schedule of
every four months to quarterly, in line with the SPR’s Journal. Eventually Council decided it was time to
move to an improved version, with a title that gave a better idea of the
contents, that might even sell to the public. After 36 issues of the Newsletter, and 23 of the Supplement, the final one appeared in January 1991. In the preceding issue Blackmore stated that Council
had been debating whether to expand the publication or replace it with a glossy
magazine, and the final issue announced that an expanded Newsletter would replace it. The
replacement was The Psi
Researcher, edited by Jane Henry.
Apart from a new banner and a change from two columns per page to four, the first issue of The Psi Researcher, dated April 1991 looked much like its predecessor, with the same number of pages – eight – so hardly an expansion. Henry even assured readers they would find ‘many familiar items’ within. She noted that the new beginning for the publication coincided with a new beginning for the Society, as it was about to move from its secluded premises in Adam and Eve Mews to Marloes Road, a short distance away. This was for financial reasons, so it was not a particularly auspicious time to be starting a new publishing venture. A cover price for non-members was included from issue 2 (£1), but efforts to secure newsstand distribution proved unsuccessful. From issue 3 the number of columns per page settled down to two.
As Henry had said, the mix was indeed much as before, though with less
space devoted to event reports and more to features, and the addition of recent
research abstracts compiled by Carl Williams.
It was well received, and the second fulfilled the promise of an
increase in size, moving to 16 pages. In
addition to features, news, experiences, abstracts, reports and reviews, there
was an account of an interview James Randi had given to Williams. Haynes retained her section, retitled
‘Paranormal Experiences’, editing it for the first three issues until forced to
give up through ill health, after which it was consolidated into the magazine,
with John Crabbe eventually taking charge.
Blackmore did not disappear entirely, with a ‘Skeptics’ Corner’ in
issue 2 (swiftly retitled ‘Sceptics’ Corner in issue 3), thereafter largely fading
from view but making the occasional appearance, notably promoting her ‘dying
brain’ hypothesis to explain NDEs in issue 6.
Mary Rose Barrington began her long-running ‘Archives’ column in issue
4, in which she summarised and discussed a case from the early literature of
psychical research (not only the SPR’s; she also covered the Institut
Métapsychique International’s Revue Métapsychique).
Production values improved, with colour introduced to the banner with
issue 7, and a lavender cover from issue 9, a style it retained for the rest of
its life. Cover illustrations were
introduced, drawn from the Mary Evans Picture Library with which, through
Hilary Evans, the SPR had set up a licencing deal to carry images from its
archives. With issue 8 the contents list,
hitherto on the cover, moved inside, creating a much cleaner presentation. The magazine initially retained the schedule
for the SPR Journal – April, July and October 1991 – but issue 4 was dated Winter 1992,
and the seasonal dating (a standard ploy when schedules drift) was used until
issue 16.
Henry remained editor for all 23 issues of The
Psi researcher, the last dated November 1996, and she greatly
improved its look and quality. The
development of a lively letters section indicated that the membership was duly
appreciative, though a congratulatory letter in issue 3 suggested the title was
‘a bit misleading’ (during Council discussions on what to call the new
publication I had argued that The Psi Researcher was too obscure for a magazine Council hoped would reach an audience
outside the Society, but the consensus was in favour).
After a run of almost six years, however, the general feeling on
Council was that the title was too obscure for a general readership interested
in the subject but not necessarily au fait with the technical terminology.
Thus it was decided to rename the magazine The
Paranormal Review as a more accessible indication of the contents. The cover price for non-members, by now
£1.95, remained unchanged but the number of pages was reduced from 28 to 24.
The first issue of the new magazine was dated February 1997, and the guest editor for the first three was Richard Wiseman. The lavender cover was replaced with a blue one, but the Mary Evans Picture Library continued to supply the cover photographs, ensuring continuity of presentation. Inside were the familiar elements: reports, experiences, Mary Rose Barrington’s archive section, and notices. David Fontana instituted a president’s column, a feature which has appeared off and on, depending on the motivation of the president, ever since. Issue 2 saw the first of Guy Lyon Playfair’s ‘Mediawatch’ columns.
Wiseman duly edited the first three issues before handing the reins to
Chris Roe. Roe’s first, November 1997
saw the page count return to 28 but there was no significant change in the
contents, though issue 7 saw the first of ten crossword competitions, perhaps
not the best use of the space. Cover
illustrations were drawn from sources other than the Mary Evans Picture Library
from issue 6.
The popularity of the new magazine was confirmed with issue 9. The pages increased to 36 (though
occasionally dropping to 32, and even 28, when economics dictated), and the
paper cover was replaced with a heavier glossy one, printed in three colours; the
result was eye-catching if not subtle.
The first of these had a question mark, but subsequent issues carried
the SPR logo in the middle, with the notable exception of the January 2000
issue, showing a cartoon millennial cracker.
The title was shortened to Paranormal Review on the banner, and the number of illustrations gradually increased.
Roe moved on to edit the SPR’s Journal, issue 27 being his last, and he was succeeded by Nicola Holt. In a farewell editorial he revealed that he
had agreed to edit two issues but had stayed for 24. There were no significant changes under his
successor, though Holt was liberal in her interpretation of ‘psychical’,
occasionally including articles of a more fortean nature. Crabbe gave up editing the experiences
section after issue 50 in 2009, and John Randall took over, but its appearance
became patchy and when Randall died in 2011 it was dropped. In issue 70 Holt announced her departure
after a tenure of ten years.
Under its new editor, Leo Ruickbie, issue 71 (July 2014) heralded a
radical departure from Paranormal Review’s standardised plain cover.
There was also a departure in the editorial style. Ruickbie announced his arrival with a bang: his
inaugural issue concentrated on the centenary of the First World War, the list
of articles down the side of the cover printed over a detail from C R W
Nevinson’s Bursting Shell.
The page layout moved from two columns per page to three, and apart
from the ‘Diary’ section compiled by the Secretary the editor took complete
control, with no separately-edited sections.
Notable among the casualties was the ‘Archive’ section conducted by
Barrington; after 90 columns she was happy to retire. Ruickbie took responsibility for the
magazine’s design, and not only did the covers continue to be attractive, he
introduced colour inside, completing the transition to a modern magazine.
Issues were often themed, and practical aspects of psychical research
became more prominent, helping the SPR to appeal to a broader constituency. Ruickbie penned a regular editorial, and his
talent as a photographer was frequently on display. The range of contributors increased, and
these were often drawn from outside the UK, thereby emphasising psychical
research as an international activity.
Altogether, Paranormal Review became an attractive package, and a worthy showcase for the Society in
the effort to expand its membership.
Other minor changes were a switch from dating by month to using seasons, starting with issue 73, which was called Winter 2015 rather than January (not a universally popular move), and with issue 89, at the beginning of 2019, all dating other than the year was jettisoned. A major change followed issue 96, the final one of 2020. It marked the last appearance of Paranormal Review, as the first issue of 2021 was retitled The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research.
There were several
reasons for this, as Ruickbie explained in issue 2’s editorial. One was to bring it into line with the SPR’s Journal
and Proceedings, so they would have uniform titles. More importantly, though, he felt the word
paranormal was a loaded term, and the magazine did not particularly review
things (though the original justification for the title was the intention to
review the field, signalling the breadth of the publication’s scope). He pointed out that as one always had to add
‘the magazine of the Society for Psychical Research’ after Paranormal Review,
the latter was redundant anyway. The
title was the only thing to change, and the publication continues to be a
pleasure to read.
Concluding remarks
The various
publications produced by the SPR over the last 40 years – aimed at an audience
that might consider the Journal and Proceedings rather dry, but
without sacrificing the values which characterise the SPR – have undergone a
remarkable evolution, from a basic utilitarian approach to a glossy magazine,
and never relying on paid advertising to subsidise them. Tribute
must be paid to the editors who have steered the magazine’s various
incarnations for the past 40 years, and also to David Ellis, who has provided
proofreading services since the Newsletter days, and acted as production manager for
many years.
Combined, the magazines
contain a huge quantity of material reflecting on the entire scope of psychical
research and parapsychology, always presented in an accessible manner, and they
repay study. For older members they also
evoke times and people past, and the evolving outlook of the SPR as it adapted
to a changing world.
The Psi Researcher, The
Paranormal Review and The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research
are available in the Lexscien online library, but not the SPR Newsletter. It would be nice to see these added to the
database and made available to a wider audience.
