Arthur Conan DOYLE (1859–1930). Signed autograph manuscript, - Lot 343

Lot n° 343
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Result : 5 275EUR
Arthur Conan DOYLE (1859–1930). Signed autograph manuscript, - Lot 343
Arthur Conan DOYLE (1859–1930). Signed autograph manuscript, *Communications with the Next World*, [1922], with a signed letter of dispatch, Atlantic City, June 8, [1922]; 3 pages in-4 filled with small handwriting, including 2 with letterhead and vignettes from The Ambassador hotels, and 1 small in-4 page with 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 journalist William T. Stead (1849–1912), who perished in the sinking of the Titanic and subsequently manifested himself in spiritualist séances. His daughter Estelle oversaw the publication of the book, inspired by the medium Mrs. Hyver, whose full title 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 June 18, 1922. “Experienced spiritualists view with deep suspicion all posthumous works bearing the names of great authors”… Conan Doyle first notes the distrust of seasoned spiritualists toward all posthumous works attributed to great authors—such as Shakespeare, Shelley, or Coleridge—that are stylistically poor; however, a few cases caught his attention, such as a beautiful text 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 come through a French medium—something highly unlikely to have been imagined or invented—and, on the other hand, the actual fulfillment of this prediction. The work constitutes the clearest and most reliable revelation 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 first encompasses all physical phenomena (lights, movements, levitations, and other manifestations of power) that 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 in a trance, possession, automatic writing, and all other intellectual manifestations of a power external to ourselves. The book clearly highlights the considerable difficulties a discarnate entity faces 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—though sometimes lacking precision regarding names and dates—clearly originates from a source outside his own body. The book is imbued with common sense, moderation, and a caution that some spiritualists would deem excessive. It attests to deep reflection and mature wisdom. Nothing more convincing has ever been published on the subject, though only the seasoned student of psychic phenomena can fully appreciate the significance of the judgments expressed therein: “The book is sane, moderate, and conservative to a degree that 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 judgments expressed are.” In his introductory letter, Conan Doyle notes that this text took him an entire day to write, even though he could not 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”…
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