New English translation of "Le Livre des Esprits", the foundational work of the Spiritist Doctrine, written by Allan Kardec, and first published in 1857 in Paris.

This is the first Chinese translation of "The Spirits' Book," the foundational work of Spiritism, originally published by Allan Kardec in 1857, in Paris (original title "Le Livre des Esprits"). Spiritism includes over 15 million adherents worldwide, ahead of more historically traditional religions such as Judaism and Jainism. Anyone interested in knowing about Spiritism should start by reading this book.

"The Spirits' Book" is the foundational work of Spiritism, a school of thought first established in France in the mid-nineteenth century by the French educator Allan Kardec. Currently, Spiritism includes over fifteen million adherents, the eleventh largest spiritual following worldwide, ahead of more historically traditional religions such as Judaism (twelfth) and Jainism (fourteenth).This new translation is based on painstaking research of the French text, so as to provide the most faithful rendering in English of Kardec's seminal work. By analyzing the nuances in meaning and usage of vocabulary (in both French and English), as well as different stylistic choices that must be made in English, this new translation strikes a balance between literal accuracy and readability. "The Spirits' Book" represents a philosophical guide for real people, encompassing the analysis of all the fundamental questions underpinning human existence.

"For new ideas new words are needed, in order to secure clearness of language by avoiding the confusion inseparable from the employment of the same term for expressing different meanings. The words spiritual, spiritualist, spiritualism, have a definite acceptation; to give them a new one, in order to apply them to the doctrine set forth by spirits, would be to multiply the causes of amphibology, already so numerous."...

When two "grave and serious" spirits began speaking to a French academic through two young mediums and "completely revolutionized [his] ideas and convictions," Allan Kardec decided to set down these spiritualistic revelations. The result electrified the high society of the mid 19th century, which was already fascinated by "spirit tapping" and other paranormalities, and earned Kardec-a pseudonym his spirits commanded him to use-a place in this history of the paranormal as the father of spiritism. Kardec "interviews" the spirits, asking more than 1000 questions about morality, the nature of the soul, the history of humanity, and more, including: . "Is the soul reincarnated immediately after its separation from the body?" . "Does the spirit remember his corporeal existence?" . "Could two beings, who have already known and loved each other, meet again and recognise one another, in another corporeal existence?" . "What is to be thought of the signification attributed to dreams?" . "Are good and evil absolute for all men?" . "What is the aim of God in visiting mankind with destructive calamities?" . "Is it possible for man to enjoy perfect happiness upon the earth?" Promising nothing less than the secret of the destiny of the human race, this extraordinary book, first published in 1856, is as curious today as it was a century and a half ago. French scholar HIPPOLYTE LEON DENIZARD RIVAIL (1804-1869), aka Allan Kardec, was a longtime teacher of mathematics, astronomy, and other scientific disciplines before turning to the paranormal.

New English translation of "L'Evangile selon le Spiritisme", the most widely read work of the Spiritist Doctrine, written by Allan Kardec, and first published in 1866 in Paris.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1898 Edition.