Publisher's Synopsis
From the PREFACE.
The recent great wave of interest in Psychical Research has led me to believe that some account of my personal intimacy and psychic experiences with Mrs. Piper covering the past decade would be an acceptable contribution to the literature on that subject, and I have therefore prepared a brief account of experiences following those given in my previous book "Both Sides of the Veil." When the question of publication arose it was thought best to incorporate this new matter with that published earlier. My former book, however, is now some ten years old, and its contents, outside of the records of sittings, are very different from what is called for by the public's education in recent years. Therefore I have rewritten, with great abbreviation and some trifling expansion, the portion of it outside of the reports of sittings, presenting it and the later experiences in connected form and, so far as practicable, in chronological order.
While I wish always to preserve the attitude of an investigator, with eyes not blind to the difficulties of the spiritualistic belief, it has seemed advisable to present the facts as they appear, with some explanation as to their significance, but not to becloud them by much theorizing. Should such presentation imply earnestness of conviction on my part, I shall not regret it, but I shall be pleased if my simple narration offers to others a basis for theory.
Part II of this volume, comprising my experiences since my previous book was published, is of course entirely new.
I wish to express my deep appreciation of the interest taken in my original notes by Mr. Henry Holt, and his valuable advice as to what portions of those voluminous records could best be omitted.
April, 1920.
