A psychologist is putting on a new show inspired by the darker side of Sir Walter Scott, culminating in a seance in which the spirit of the author will be summoned.

The shows will be held next month by Professor Richard Wiseman, who discovered the famed Scots writer had held a little-known fascination for the supernatural after moving to one of his old homes.

Props that will be used in the "mystery and magic" events in Edinburgh include a relatively unknown book by Sir Walter on witchcraft and demonology, his death mask and the seal used for his will.

Professor Wiseman said: "I started to read about Scott when I moved into his old house on North Castle Street about four years ago.

"There's obviously the well-known main story about Scott and his involvement with the city.

"There is also a weird undertone with him in that he was really into ghosts and hauntings, which has kind of been whitewashed out of history.

The legendary author is said to have had a collection of more than 250 volumes at his home at Abbotsford in the Borders relating to the supernatural, folklore and the occult.

Professor Wiseman continued: "He wrote his own book on witchcraft and demonology, which is really interesting, as he is sceptical, as this is during the era of the Scottish Enlightenment.

"He also has a thing about there being a rational explanation for everything, but as a writer he obviously just loves ghosts."

The seances will be held in the Signet Library on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh after Professor Wiseman won permission from the historic legal society.

The society that runs the library will allow him to host tours and exhibit artefacts from Sir Walter's life.

He will use a chamber beneath the lower library where afternoon teas are currently served.

The shows will follow the life of Sir Walter and uncover details about his interest the strange and uncanny before Professor Wiseman "invites the spirit of Scott" to join them.

He has revealed plans for the new venture six years after launching a new "Edinburgh Secret Society" to stage one-off events and experiments "for those of a curious disposition" around the city.

The professor said: "The secret society grew, and our events would always sell out, but they were always one-offs. As we had set the bar fairly high each one of them involved an enormous amount of work.

"The thinking behind the new event is that it will hopefully grow into a whole new attraction that lives in the city."

He added: "When the Signet Library told me about it I thought it would be really interesting to do something to bring Scott and his interests in ghosts alive in there."

Sir Walter was born in August 1771 and is best known for his wide literary work in the form of the Waverley novels, including titles such as Waverley, Rob Roy, Ivanhoe and The Heart of Midlothian.

A collection of supernatural-themed short stories he wrote was published in 1977.