E. and H. Heron, "Flaxman Low: Occult Detective" (MIT Press, 2026)

About this episode

The episode discusses Flaxman Low, the first professional occult detective, and his adventures as introduced by Dr. Alexander B. Joy.

Flaxman Low, literature’s first professional, full-time “occult detective”—that is, an intrepid investigator who deploys the scientific method when tackling paranormal phenomena—appeared in a dozen stories first published from 1898–1899. Flaxman Low: Occult Detective (MIT Press, 2026), the latest edition to the Radium Age series from MIT Press, is introduced and discussed by Dr. Alexander B. Joy. Flaxman Low’s creators, the mother-and-son team Kate O’Brien Ryall Prichard and Hesketh “Hex” Prichard (who published as “E. and H. Heron”), endowed the Oxford-trained psychologist with the bravery and acumen to tackle every sort of adversary from ghosts, mummies, and vampires to a mushroom mannequin. Both less credulous and less cynical than earlier fictional investigators of the spirit world, Low always triumphs in the end . . . but not before scientifically demonstrating that even the most outré incidents and situations can’t hold a candle to the bizarre capacities of the human mind. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher

Guest: Dr. Alexander B. Joy

Topics covered

• occult detective
• literature
• paranormal phenomena
• scientific method
• interview
• psychology
• Radium Age series

Keywords

• Flaxman Low
• occult detective
• E. and H. Heron
• paranormal
• scientific method
• literature
• MIT Press

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MIT Press

Books & works: Flaxman Low: Occult Detective, New Books with Miranda Melcher

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