John Ballou Newbrough is an interesting character who started his own Spiritualist-based religion (although if it had been 50 years later it would almost certainly have been some kind of alien religion) and the means he did this is itself worthy of a mention. As we recently looked at radio-based contact with "entities," what caught my eye was that he goes one better than automatic writing - automatic typewriting. He made some remarkable claims about his abilities:

His own psychic gifts were remarkable. He could paint in total darkness with both hands at once. It was claimed that, by closing his eyes, he could read printed pages of any book in any library, that he could bring back recollections of astral travels (or astral projections), and that under control he could lift enormous weight, even a ton, without apparent effort.

Which would be enough to make him a Superman of the age, pity none of this was apparently properly documented. It also appears this wasn't enough for him:

However, bored with the commonplace messages that dominated Spiritualist spirit contact, he was anxious to utilize the spirits' time for more metaphysical information.

Thus he initiated the events that culminated in his production of Oahspe: A Kosmon Bible in the Words of Jehovah and his Angel Ambassadors. He described these events in a letter dated January 21, 1883, to the editor of the Banner of Light:

"I was crying for the light of Heaven. I did not desire communication for friends or relatives or information about earthly things; I wished to learn something about the spirit world; what the angels did, how they travelled, and the general plan of the universe…. I was directed to get a typewriter which writes by keys, like a piano. This I did and I applied myself industriously to learn it, but with only indifferent success. For two years more the angels propounded to me questions relative to heaven and earth, which no mortal could answer very intelligently….

"One morning the light struck both hands on the back, and they went for the typewriter for some fifteen minutes very vigorously. I was told not to read what was printed, and I have worked myself into such a religious fear of losing this new power that I obeyed reverently. The next morning, also before sunrise the same power came and wrote (or printed rather) again. Again I laid the matter away very religiously, saying little about it to anybody. One morning I accidentally (seemed accidental to me) looked out of the window and beheld the line of light that rested on my hands extending heavenward like a telegraph wire towards the sky. Over my head were three pairs of hands, fully materialised; behind me stood another angel with her hands on my shoulders. My looking did not disturb the scene, my hands kept right on printing … printing. For 50 weeks this continued, every morning, half an hour or so before sunrise, and then it ceased, and I was told to read and publish the book 'Oahspe.' The peculiar drawings in Oahspe were made with pencil in the same way."

Source

The reason this has all cropped up again is because the book has been reprinted and partially reviewed:

the most recent republication of note is the new Raymond A. Palmer Tribute Edition from Inner Light Publications, a massive effort spearheaded by publisher Timothy Green Beckley. Not only is the original text of "OAHSPE" beautifully rendered (it is more than 1,200 pages long!) but also included are the complete pencil drawings that Newbourgh did as well as the original color paintings of the Prophets that Newbrough channeled in his darkened office. Some editions may boast of leather book jackets and fancier binding, but there is no other edition in the world that has all the color paintings reproduced in their Technicolor glory.

Palmer being a Trickster figure, popping up in all sorts of stories that I have looked at before, most recently in Darklore 4, and the reason for his involvement is that:

"He also issued reprints of hard to find works," Beckley continued. "For a while, he possessed the only copy of a first edition of "OAHSPE" and issued 2000 copies in a private edition even at a financial loss just to get the word out about this amazing book, which was one of his all time favorites."

Palmer had a lot to say on this:

Palmer was an early mentor to Beckley, helping the young fledgling paranormal journalist establish his first toeholds in the publishing business, so it is with much affection that Beckley next presents Palmer’s own short essay on "OAHSPE," and why the late editor and publisher thought it was such a significant piece of work. Palmer waxes ecstatic over Newbrough’s melding of science with religious mythology and the profound use of new words and spiritual languages employed to express the history and meaning of Creation and the gods and angels who inhabit it.

It should be no real surprise that Palmer enjoyed it, as it has more than a flavour of the kind of "outsider sci-fi" that he also saw in the work of Richard Shaver.

It fleshes out ideas and events only briefly touched on in the Bible. For example, Revelation 12:7 says, "Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought." "OAHSPE" does more than briefly mention that heavenly war, it gives a blow by blow account of it. It’s the kind of passages that Ray Palmer said had science fiction overtones, with the various gods of the earth fighting it out in the skies above us mere mortals. It should also be noted that "OAHSPE" includes the first known reference to a "starship,"

There are actually quite a few such science fictional, received books - I have previously mentioned A Dweller on Two Planets, which helped inspire all the craziness at Mount Shasta.

Source

Hat tip

And finally, this does raise some fascinating questions about creativity. I've written things in my head, with such little effort they may as well be being dictated too me and all I had to do was type it all up. However, I suppose one could mistake this for an external influence, but it could equally be a simple literary conceit - found accounts of wild adventures or a tale having been dictated by the hero before being beamed back to a distant planet, are pretty common in science-fiction (especially in the earlier parts of the last century). Of course, it could be real... the problem is there seems little evidence that can be used to test this. As always.