ALS signed “A. Conan Doyle,” one page both sides, 5 x 3.5, personal letterhead, no date. Letter to a gentleman concerning his spiritualist beliefs, in part: "I was—as you may think—very pleased to get your note and to learn that this great truth has impressed itself upon you. I am sure that a man is happier when once he sees clearly that Death has no terrors and is really a door into a life which is perfectly natural as well as happy—a life where one works & plays & loves and feels even as we do now. It is the first reasonable theology that the world has ever had, for if we are to change in all our desires and tastes then it is mere quibbling to pretend that we are the same person. It is just these tastes which make up an individuality. Your assertion will convince many and undo some of the harm to truth which Houdini has done—tho' I am glad to have your assurance that this is not serious. I have established a propaganda centre & can always supply books." In very good to fine condition, with a vertical crease which passes through the signature.
For many of his later years, Doyle intensely pursued his interest in paranormal phenomena, and by the end of World War I he identified himself as a spiritualist, believing in a spirit world and the ability to communicate with those beyond the grave. He established the specialized Psychic Bookshop in 1925, devoted entirely to the sale of spiritualistic and psychic books; he later formed a small museum in the basement, showcasing various objects relevant to ghosts and the spirit world. Harry Houdini, mentioned here, was a famously outspoken opponent of the spiritualists. An intriguing letter associated with Doyle's paranormal pursuits.
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