Allan Kardec handwritten letter (1860)

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For the founder of Spiritism Allan Kardec, people who work at tables are rarer than those who write directly.

• Handwritten letter from Allan Kardec to an unknown recipient.
• One page.
• In French.
• 13.3 cm x 20.7 cm.
• Paris, May 11, 1860.
• Excellent condition.
• Unique piece.

Paris, May 11, 1860

Sir,

Not being able to give you a written response as explicit and detailed as the request in your letter, I will be pleased to give you verbally whatever explanations you desire, if you will make the effort to come and see me.

I will only tell you, however, that, according to your letter, it seems to me that you are not doing it properly to obtain a result, because people who work at the tables are rarer than those who write directly.

I am always at home on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 3 to 5 pm, except holidays.

I have the honor to greet you,

Allan Kardec.

59 rue et passage Saint Anne

Léon Rivail (1804 - 1869) discovered turning table sessions in 1855 and joined spiritist circles, quickly becoming one of the most eminent members. He then took the name Allan Kardec, a name he used in one of his previous lives as a druid. He published under this pseudonym the five fundamental books of spiritualism, including the Book of Spirits (1857) and the Book of Media (1861). Spiritism grew rapidly until it constituted a true social and philosophical movement with many followers, under the Second Empire in France and still today in Latin America, especially in Brazil.

Kardec's tomb in the Père-Lachaise cemetery remains one of the most flowery and most visited in the cemetery and a place of meditation. Many personalities were seduced by spiritualism - such as Victor Hugo, Arthur Conan Doyle or Chico Xavier - convinced that spiritualism could provide scientific proof of life after death.

To this day, Allan Kardec is one of the most read French authors in Brazil, with more than thirty million books sold. More than six million Brazilians declared themselves spiritists and implemented Kardec's doctrine in thousands of spiritist centers. The main Brazilian cities have one Allan Kardec street and often several, such as São Paulo, which has six, as well as an Allan Kardec college. Several Brazilian primary schools are also named after the founder of the spiritist doctrine. Brazilian deputies dedicated National Assembly meetings to Allan Kardec and his work.

Kardec's handwritten letters are very rare and, even more, sought after. This is particularly valuable because the author talks about his main authority, Spiritism, with this singular phrase: "people who work at tables are rarer than those who write directly" . Furthermore, it was written in 1860, in the years in which he wrote his main books. Anyway, the letter was written in his most famous residence, in Paris, 59 rue Saint Anne and reached us in perfect condition.