Oliver Lodge, who lost his son Raymond in World War I, named his son in the title of this book. In the preface, the three parts of the entire book – letters from his son, records believed to be posthumous communications, and explanations about life and death – are briefly explained, along with the purpose of publishing it.

• Original work: Oliver Lodge, Raymond, or Life and Death: with examples of the evidence for survival of memory and affection after death (George H. Doran Company, New York, 1916).
• Included content: The full preface written by the author himself.
• Note: The views on postmortem communication and survival that appear in the text are intended to convey the claims and publication intentions of the original author, and do not represent an endorsement or affirmation of their factual accuracy by the translator.

Preface

This book is named in honor of my son, who lost his life in the war.

This book is divided into three parts. In the first part, it depicts how young people who were engaged in various jobs as citizens during peacetime volunteered to serve in the military when war broke out and went to the front lines, along with a glimpse of their lives and spirit, through excerpts from letters written by their sons. The purpose of this section is for readers to feel familiar with the writers of the letters. If they do so, then the subsequent sections will not be burdened by the unavoidable boredom that comes from details about people who are completely unknown. This part has only one purpose: to achieve that familiarity. The letters themselves are not particularly noteworthy. However, as a snapshot of life on the front lines during the war in 1915, they are interesting. There must have been many other similar letters.

In the second part, I will show examples of communication that many people today might consider unusual. However, these are also in many ways common types of messages, and others who have received similar messages would understand them as such. The quotes presented here certainly have some special features. This is because I received help from a group of my "other side" friends who have studied the same issues in detail. I decided to talk about this partly because of the sense of urgency that was expressed. However, I did not hesitate to bring up family matters in this way. If I had hesitated, then considering how many untimely and unnatural deaths are occurring these days, the pain from being ridiculed by people who expose their own sadness and how it has been alleviated would be almost insignificant. If doing so can provide comfort to those who are grieving, knowing that communication beyond boundaries is possible, then it is right to desire such a service. By the way, I must also express my gratitude here to friends, including those whom I have not met before, who have allowed me to include the names of their loved ones in this book out of the same feelings. Furthermore, I am grateful for the help provided by one or two of these friends. Moreover, perhaps a few more people will pay critical attention to any reliable news from the other side about those who are surviving, happy, and useful.

The third part has a more explanatory nature and is intended to help 일반 people understand this subject. Ignorance and prejudice have made this subject seem frightening, but in reality, it is not. There is a consistent system of thought filled with new facts, and research on those facts needs to continue. It also follows its own laws and order. And although it is still relatively in the early stages, it is a true field within psychology. The purpose is to have people understand these points. This third part is called "Life and Death" because life and death are two major, undeniable facts that everyone relates to, and if people realize that such interest is not useless and can learn something real from it, they will naturally become strongly interested in them. It is true that these chapters may be insufficient compared to the vastness of this subject. Nevertheless, I hope it serves as a useful introduction.

The first section, "Remembrance," will likely be of the greatest interest to family and friends. However, everyone is very familiar with these people, and under these circumstances, it should be acceptable.