Explaining Note

Perhaps many people ask 'why one more translation?', to the vernacular, from The Spirits Book.

Undoubtedly, there is excellent works in this direction, such as that of Guillon Ribeiro, used by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation, and of J. Herculano Pires, which serves to multiple publishers. We felt, because of that, necessity to explain our reasons to our readers.

The initiative of this translation was based on two main relevant factors, that fully justify that.

At First, the Institute of Spirit Spreading, which is editing this workmanship, had needs for its own translation, in order to meet its goal of bringing the basics books from Kardec's coding at affordable prices to people with small resources.

At Second, due to adopting the literal translation method to the texts, is possible to espy the opportunity to give them more authenticity, approaching them as much as possible, in the exactly spirits' words and elucidations from Allan Kardec.

We had none worry to do literature, and will be noticed, maybe, that many sentences remained extremely literary poor in terms of clarity and literalness of the texts.

It so happens that the spirit message is neither directed to academies, nor the literati, even though also should to achieve them, but to the community due to the spirits are a huge family of hearts.

Not the Spiritism a vulgar doctrine, but due to found ourselves exposed to proofs and vicissitudes of life, all experienced in our time, the pressing need to raise the thought in search of solutions to those afflictive whys in which we are tangled in tribulations of day-by-day, and the force what respond us and clarify is precisely the Spiritism with consolation and hope messages, reality and eternal life, that is the lordly bearer.

But in truth, we need simple texts for following and understand our own thoughts, especially when it comes to philosophical ideas involving evolutionary processes and targets to achieve, in which, many times, fleeing from us the possibilities of analysis with our own reasoning.

With this explanation, we give our work to the huge family of brazilian spiritism, not before implore forgiveness for our mistakes.

SALVADOR GENTILE, Translator.
ELIAS BARBOSA, Reviewer.

Araras, April 18th, 1974.