FR EN
an old letter with a picture of a castle on it next to a piece of paper
Ader

343 - Arthur Conan DOYLE (1859–1930).
See original version (French)

Estimate €4,000 - €5,000
Sale commission
Description
Arthur Conan DOYLE (1859–1930). Signed autograph manuscript, *Communications with the Next World*, [1922], with a signed letter of dispatch, Atlantic City, 8 June [1922]; 3 pages in-4 filled with small handwriting, including 2 on letterhead with vignettes of The Ambassador hotels, and 1 small in-4 page on The Ambassador Atlantic City letterhead; in English. An interesting account of Sherlock Holmes’s father’s interest in spiritualism. Article on the posthumous work by the journalist William T. Stead (1849–1912), who perished in the sinking of the Titanic and subsequently made contact during spiritualist séances. It was his daughter Estelle who took charge of publishing the book, inspired by the medium Mrs Hyver, the full title of which is: *Communications with the Next World. The Right and the Wrong Methods*. A Textbook given by William T. Stead from “Beyond the Veil” through Mrs Hyver. Edited by Estelle W. Stead (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1921). Conan Doyle’s article appeared in the *New York Times* on 18 June 1922. ‘Experienced spiritualists view with deep suspicion all posthumous works bearing the names of great authors’… Conan Doyle begins by recalling the mistrust of seasoned spiritualists towards all posthumous works attributed to great authors, such as Shakespeare, Shelley or Coleridge, which are of poor style; however, a few cases caught his attention, such as a fine piece of writing attributed to Oscar Wilde describing the Arctic Sea. As for Stead’s book, the evidence could not be clearer: on the one hand, the fact that Miss Stead was informed that the information would be conveyed via a French medium – something highly unlikely to have been imagined or invented – and, on the other hand, the actual fulfilment of this prediction. The work constitutes the clearest and most reliable insight available regarding the nature and difficulties of mediumship as perceived from the beyond. There are two aspects to this strange and sacred power: the external aspect and the internal aspect. The former encompasses all physical phenomena (lights, movements, levitations and other manifestations of power) which constitute signs and wonders intended to attract humanity’s attention and prompt it to consider the spiritual forces underlying them. Internal mediumship, on the other hand, includes the gift of hearing, the discernment of spirits, speaking whilst in a trance, possession, automatic writing and all other intellectual manifestations of a power external to ourselves. The book clearly highlights the considerable difficulties faced by a discarnate entity in reaching us and manifesting itself in the material world… Of all forms of mediumship, intuitive — or indirect — mediumship is the one most familiar to Doyle, as he has a perfect example of it within his own family. In this case, the writer remains perfectly normal at all times; his mind can anticipate the word to be written by about a second, and yet the message as a whole, although sometimes lacking in precision regarding names and dates, clearly originates from a source outside his own body. The book is characterised by common sense, moderation and a caution that some spiritualists might deem excessive. It bears witness to deep reflection and mature wisdom. Nothing more convincing has ever been published on the subject, although only the discerning student of psychic phenomena can fully appreciate the significance of the judgements expressed therein: ‘The book is sane, moderate and conservative to a degree which some spiritualists would consider excessive. It bears the mark of deep thought and mellow wisdom. Nothing of greater authority has ever appeared on the subject, though it is only the advanced student of psychic phenomena who will appreciate how weighty the judgements expressed are.” In his introductory letter, Conan Doyle states that this text took him a whole day of his time, at a time when he could ill afford to lose a day: ‘This has taken a whole day of my time when a day could very ill be spared. However, here it is – the best I could do’…
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Letters and Autograph Manuscripts – Part II
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like