Allan Kardec wrote only five Spiritist books – but these five books serve as the foundation to Spiritism, a progressive body of knowledge that has continued to grow to near 1,000 books since Kardec first published “The Spirits’ Book” in 1857. Because they served as the starting point to Spiritism, and because they were the result of a collaboration between hundreds of intelligences in both planes of life, Spiritists often refer to Kardec’s five books as the “Spiritist Codification”. That is: as the set of works that helped organize and shape (codify) the specific spirit teachings that came to be known as Spiritism. The same rationale applies to why he used the name “Kardec” when publishing these books and why this body of knowledge was aptly named “Spiritism” and not “Kardecism” – because it is the direct result of the wisdom and kindness of enlightened spirits and not the result of the work of one sole man.

Thus, the 5 books that comprise the Spiritist Codification are:

▪ The Spirits’ Book (1857);
▪ The Mediums’ Book (1861);
▪ The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864);
▪ Heaven and Hell (1865); and
▪ Genesis – Miracles and Predictions According to Spiritism (1868).