Wallace is better known as "the other man" in the history of the discovery of the natural selection concept, and for his early studies on biogeography and tropical nature. But--and this is one of the things that makes him a fascinating figure for study--he was also an avid supporter of spiritualism. This book collects five of his essays on spiritualism (the three that went into the original edition of 1875, plus two added to a new edition published twenty years later). Wallace was a thoughtful and excellent writer, and the three main essays, at least, provide some very interesting fodder for thought--especially the one on David Hume and miracles. Unfortunately, nowhere in this collection can one find any indication of why and how Wallace's adoption of spiritualism fit into his overall worldview, natural selection and all, and why this over 100 year old work is still relevant to today's concerns.... Instead, one ends up scratching one's head and wondering, "Can any of this be true...?" Still, this is just about as good a treatment of why one should be interested in the subject as can be obtained, even now.