Description

Published by Harper & Brothers, London & New York, 1909. (First English Edition)
Hardback, bound in red book-cloth with gelt to spine and blind-stamped to front cover, pp. 134.

Condition, Very Good, previous owners stamp to title-page, otherwise, unmarked.

The Transmigration of Souls, written by Prof. Alfred Bertholet, is an examination of the concept of transmigration, also known as reincarnation. First written in German, this work was translated into English by Reverend H.J. Chaytor.

This brief work argues for the existence of transmigration by tracing the concept across different religions and through various societies and cultures. The author begins by laying out three preliminary suppositions that form the foundation for the book’s discussions: the existence of a soul separate from the body, the belief that non-humans possess souls, and the acceptance that souls can be transferred between organisms.

The book begins with a discussion of the souls of various living beings: plants, animals, and humans. The latter part of Bertholet’s work traces the concept of reincarnation through various religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Space is also devoted to a discussion of metempsychosis in ancient Greece and amongst the Celts.