William Rounseville Alger

William Rounseville Alger
William Rounseville Alger (1822–1905) was an American author, clergyman, and scholar known for his philosophical and religious writings. His most famous work is "The History of the Doctrine of a Future Life" (1864), which explores beliefs about the afterlife across various cultures and religions. Alger was also a prominent Unitarian minister, serving in churches in Boston and New York. Additionally, he wrote "The Poetry of the Orient" and "The Solitudes of Nature and of Man," reflecting his interest in spirituality and human introspection.

Author's Books:


PREFACE TO THE TENTH EDITION. THIS work has passed through nine editions, and has been out of print now for nearly a year. During the twenty years which have elapsed since it was written, the question of immortality, the faith and opinions of men and the drift of criticism and doubt concerning it, have been a subject of dominant interest to me, and have occupied a large space in my reading and... more...

A STATEMENT of the facts in which this book began may gratify the curiosity of some of its readers. While gathering materials for a History of Friendship, I was often struck both by the small number of recorded examples of the sentiment among women, which were discovered in my researches, and by the commonness of the expressed belief, that strong natural obstacles make friendship a comparatively feeble... more...