Death-Bed Visions

About the Book

First published in 1926, Death-Bed Visions: The Otherworldly Experiences of the Dying, constitutes the first known study of its kind. Written by Sir William Barrett and describing his experiences from nearly 50 years of psychical research, this book is an early collection of what are now known as “deathbed phenomena, which include visions of living friends and relatives seen at the moment of death, music heard by the dying and by those attending them, and visions of heaven.” Of particular interest to Barrett were instances when a dying person appears to see and recognize a deceased relative or friend, sometimes even occurring when the dying person is unaware that their acquaintance is deceased. Barrett observed this repeatedly throughout his years of research, and regarded it as compelling evidence for the existence of the spiritual world and survival after death. While modern readers may agree or disagree with Barrett’s conclusions, they will certainly find much to ponder in the extraordinary phenomena recounted in this classic work.