One of the greatest proponents of spiritualism was Arthur Conan Doyle, best known as the creator of Sherlock Holms. Spiritualists believe in the continuation of life after death and that we can communicate with those on the other side in ways that can be helpful. In the early 1900's there was a large Spiritualist movement taking place in the world and Doyle chose to document its entire history in this two volume set. Chapters include The Story of Swedenborg, Edward Irving: The Shakers, The Career of the Fox Sisters, First Developments in America, The Dawn in England, The Career of D. D. Home, The Davenport Brothers, The Researches of Sir William Crookes, Collective Investigations of Spiritualism, and much more. To this day the movement has continued to grow, with Spiritualist churches existing around the world. Many people believe in their principles or have experienced them first-hand, making this work important to those who wish to investigate further.

The 40-year-old novelist Conan Doyle wanted to see the war first hand as a soldier, but the Victorian army balked at having a popular author wielding a pen in its ranks. The army did accept him as a doctor and Doyle was knighted in 1902 for his work with a field hospital in Bloemfontein. Doyle's vivid account of the battles is in part thanks to the eye-witness accounts he got from his patients. Doyle has thoroughly mastered the details of the campaign, and presents them in a form that can be easily understood. Furthermore, his descriptions of the various engagements are masterpieces of graphic writing.