The New Revelation

by Arthur Conan Doyle

The (dis)connection between psychological (or scientific) and psychic mind is a subject that has baffled man for centuries. The phenomenon captured in a very particular way the attention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a man in whom the analytic and artistic struggled for dominance, and inspired The New Revelation, originally published in 1918. The treatise deals not only with the issue of physical versus metaphysical, but also considers the problem of death (and afterlife) and the question of communication with the spirit world. Conan Doyle's captivating prose and pragmatic, yet human, voice makes for an enlightening exploration of some eternally relevant questions-and possible answers. Scottish surgeon and political activist SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930) turned his passions into stories and novels, producing fiction and nonfiction works sometimes controversial (The Great Boer War, 1900), sometimes fanciful (The Coming of the Fairies, 1922), and sometimes legendary (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1892).

Genres: Nonfiction, Classics, Religion, Paranormal, Philosophy, Spirituality, Spiritualism

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Marianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho trovato il libro molto ben organizzato e davvero interessante, ma sfortunatamente troppo breve e con poche testimonianze per essere veramente completo.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit difficult to review, it's a collection of A.C Doyle's experience with spiritism, a subject on which I have "des opinions reservées" and that needs more digging.

[Oskar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah it was pretty litty ngl

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of life's great ironies is that the man who created Sherlock Holmes was also a rabid Spiritualist and regular attendee at séances. THE NEW REVELATION is a collection of his musings on such topics as ghosts, mediums, religion, and the afterlife. Unfortunately, it is only as a historical curiosity that the book has any real value.
In the opening chapter, Doyle begins with a well-reasoned appeal for the existence of life after death. If anything good can be said of this book, it is that Doyle does a pretty convincing job of explaining why skeptics should not dismiss psychic phenomena out of hand. It isn't long, however, before the book flies off the rails of logic and becomes a pseudo-intellectual muddle, little better than the ravings of a street corner madman. (For example, Doyle, based on no evidence, claims that Jesus and his disciples were mediums and that by praying together in close proximity they somehow managed to boost each other's natural psychic powers.) Let's just say that, when it comes to investigating the spirit world, Conan Doyle is more Inspector Clouseau than Sherlock Holmes.
For one thing, Doyle takes it on faith that certain "spirits" can be trusted, despite confessing to a massive amount of evidence and experience to the contrary. His is the "glass half full" approach--meaning that, on the rare occasion when a spirit (whether through a medium or via automatic writing) says something demonstrably true, he takes it as proof positive that the spirit can then be trusted to give us an accurate depiction of the afterlife. (Personally, I believe their collective misinformation only proves these spirits can't be trusted at all, even when seemly in agreement on certain things.)
Doyle goes on to pooh-pooh the Christian notion that messages received from the great beyond might actually be from demons or other sinister forces intent on keeping their real identity a secret. He simply doesn't accept this as a possibility, seeing as how beings from "the other side" generally acknowledge the existence of God and seem very accepting of religion. That certainly doesn't sound like a demon...or does it?
Interestingly, despite acknowledging God's existence, these beings are quick to take issue with the Bible's claims regarding Jesus as Savior, the significance of Christ's death on the cross, God's penalty for sin, etc.--in other words, everything that makes Christianity essential and sets it apart from other religions. As a result, these "spirits" are not supporting real Christianity, but rather a watered-down, impotent version of it. A version that Conan Doyle would like to see all churches adopt.
Like many people, Doyle sees no contradiction in saying he supports Christianity, while simultaneously arguing that the majority of Christian tenets be gotten rid of. Doyle's "new revelation" (the culmination of his many years of research as a Spiritualist) is that there is no such thing as sin, no such thing as hell. No need for a personal savior, no need for church, and no need to prefer one religion over another.
From my point of view, that sounds EXACTLY like something a lying demon would say.

[Anu Korpinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmesin luoja esittelee kirjassaan elämänsä vähemmän tunnettua puolta. The New Revelation, (suomennettu nimellä Haudantakainen elämä) kuvaa monia spiritistisiä istuntoja, vainajien yhteydenottoja sekä poltergeist-ilmiöitä, joista usemmat ovat kirjoittajan itsensä todistamia. Myöhäisellä iällä kirjoitettu teos osoittaa selvästi Doylen ajattelutapojen muutosta suhteessa okkulttiseen, aina nuoruuden kriittisestä suhtautumisesta vanhuusiän uskonnollisväritteiseen todistukseen. Hänen uskonsa spiritismiin on pitkän kehityksen tulos, eikä Doyle jätä mainitsematta kaikkea sitä huijausta ja huuhaata jonka itse henkilökohtaisesti joutui kohtaamaan etsiessään pitäviä todisteita hengen säilymisestä kuoleman yli.

Vaikkakin ensimmäiset kokemuksensa spiritismin alata Doyle hankki harrastelijapiireissä, eli esimmäiset istunnot olivat lähinnä pöydän heiluttelua ystävien kesken, hänen myöhemmät kanavoijansa olivat jo ammattilaisia.

Doylen mukaan kristitty maailma suhtautuu spiritismiin liian kriittisesti. Uskovaisten pitäisi kuunnella henkien todistuksia nimenomaan uskonsa vahvistamiseksi. Doyle viittaa Raamattuun ja etenkin Uuteen Testamenttiin ja löytää mielestään todisteita siitä että alkukristityt eivät pitäneet yhteyttä henkimaailmaan mitenkään epätavallisena, puhumattakaan synnillisenä. Kielillä puhuminen, parantaminen, sekä muut ihmeet ovat hänen mukaansa puhtaasti spiritistisiä ilmiöitä ja yhdenmukaisia hänen henkilökohtaisten kokemustensa kanssa. Apostolit olivat kaikki suuria Meedioita, ja heidän ilmestyksensä todistavat yhteyttä henkimaailmaan.

Helvetin Doyle hylkää kokonaan. Sen tarkoitus on vanhentunut meidän sivistyneessä maailmassamme, eikä ihmisiä pitäisi pelotella uskoon tulikiven ja pikkupirujen avulla. Kanavoidut henget kuvailevat olotilaansa sangen miellyttäväksi, tosin ne jotka elämänsä aikana ovat rukoilleet ja kääntäneet katseensa muutenkin kuolemanjälkeiseen, ovat päässeet parempiin oloihin. Jonkinlaisen kiirastulen vastineen Doyle tästä henkien maailmasta kuitenkin löytää.

[Sverre · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are meandering ramblings of Arthur Conan Doyle from the 1910s on the subject of psychic phenomena, spirit communication and life after death. Their main worth is mainly as an historical curiosity. At this stage of research he seemed only sure of one thing: personalities do continue their existence in another dimension and can communicate. He had made numerous acquaintances with psychics and recipients of such communications from ‘beyond the veil.’ He had also read a quantity of literature on the subject and recommends a number of books (most of which are now unavailable). He had arrived at some beliefs based on accumulated ‘evidence’ but leaves the door open for his readers to their own research. The title of the book is pretentious as its contents can hardly be called a “new revelation.” Being a famous author, Doyle used his writings and public appearances as a catalyst to create curiosity and lend some legitimacy to communication with the dead. (The field was awash with fraudsters.) He never pretended to be an authority on the subject.

For those who have an interest in the subject and in Doyle, I recommend the book “Arthur Conan Doyle’s Book of the Beyond” by Ivan Cooke ISBN 13: 9780854870936 which purports to contain communications from Doyle after his death. It is a very interesting read covering the subject in some depth.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a discussion about spiritualism, religion, men, faith, and the afterlife, topics about which Doyle wanted his writing to be remembered for. It doesn’t read preachy, rather it comes off like a conversation with an open minded friend.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different listening

A interesting different novella by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for something different. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening 2021 🏰

[Cooper Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doyle applies the logic that characterizes Holmes to the issue of "spiritualism"--the existence of spirit apart from matter.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another highly enjoyable piece of non-fiction from Conan Doyle. As before his manner is one of an educated friend, sitting you down comfortably beside a burning fireplace, and discussing metaphysical concepts with you. My only complaint is with this book's short length as I finished it in a single sitting. I don't really review these kinds of books as to how believable or convincing they are; what the reader believes is up to the reader. But I found myself thoroughly enjoying his turn of phrase, his arguments and persuasions, and his many references to figures in spiritualism during the era. I look forward to reading more from him on the same subject.

[Stephen Hoag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting content but almost impossible to read. I am familiar with most of the ideas described

from other books and articles but found I could only skim quickly to get through this book. It seems to have been auto corrected beyond recognition of the original archaic style of writing.

[Steph Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting insight into the Spiritualist beliefs held by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As you read it is clear how passionate he was about Spiritualism, something that I wouldn't have previously associated with him.

[David Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much more than a pamphlet, a sort of testimony to Conan Doyle's belief and experiences in Spiritualism. Some interesting thoughts but better represented in some of his longer publications in the field.

[Ashley Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew the famous Sherlock Holmes writer was also a keen student of the seance?

The New Revolution is an intriguing, turn-of-the-century read on spiritualism and the movement that dominated cardroom games in the roaring 20s.

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I say something it must be true, seems to have been his method of writing this. Not a scrap of intellectual rigour.

[Joseph Dodds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Introduction to Spiritualism

The book is broken into 4 main chapters which cover the topics:
1. The Search
2. The Revelation
3. The Coming Life
4. Problems and Limitations

Each chapter offers thoughtful opinions on the subject from the perspective of a person convinced of the reality of life after death. Each chapter flows well from the previous to come to a suggested but not forced conclusion.

I thought the writing style would be overly intellectual due to bring written by a Victorian but it was fairly easy to read throughout. I found it offered plenty of food for thought which is what I was looking for so it served its purpose well.

I found the fact that the author of Sherlock Holmes, a character who is renowned for his shrewd analytical and logical skills to have been written by a person interested in a subject which is typically considered unscientific.

Overall I enjoyed the book and plan on reading it again.

[Nani Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very eloquently and clearly written. It offers blatant evidence as to his beliefs, but at the same time offers evidence that may contradict it including physical evidence, other opinions, and literary works by previous proclaimed authors. This book about what may happen after death captures my interest but feels as if I am missing something at the end. This would be a good project that would help with critical thinking skills or building an argument to contradict what is said.

[James Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this one extra star than it deserved because it was fairly well written. Also, the author was so clear and precise in his logical fallacies that they were blatantly obvious. I thought this book would be a good project in critical thinking. Someone should go through and annotate it as a kind of skeptical commentary on how smart people delude themselves.

[Therese Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it fascinating to learn of this whole other side of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm grateful that he allowed us the opportunity to witness his thought process as he evaluated spiritualism.