A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
James G. Matlock surveys rebirth beliefs and customs, historical and contemporary cases of apparent past-life memory, research methods, physical and behavioral signs, hypnosis, and competing interpretations before developing a theory of reincarnation.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
A broad synthesis places reported cases beside the cultures in which they arise and makes the author's explanatory argument available for scrutiny. It connects spontaneous reports, regression, and tradition without collapsing them into one method.
Good starting place if…
You want a detailed comparative map of the case literature and are ready to assess an explicit argument for reincarnation.
Know before you begin…
Matlock favors the reincarnation hypothesis and critiques materialist alternatives; the book is not a neutral consensus review. Its categories for diverse communities are an author's comparative framework, not those communities' final self-description. Hypnosis-derived accounts require separate assessment from spontaneous childhood reports.