The Last Crossing

The Last Crossing is a book by Gladys Osborne Leonard, first published in 1939. In this reflective work Leonard draws on her decades as a noted trance medium to describe the moment of dying and the immediate transition—the “crossing”—into what she presents as the lived reality of the afterlife.

The text blends first-hand séance material, case examples, and interpretive observation, offering readers a detailed portrait of spirit communication, the nature of death, and the continuity of personality beyond physical death.

Written for readers interested in spiritualism, mediumship, and evidence for life after death, the book sits between memoir and investigative account. Leonard writes in a steady, descriptive style about trance phenomena, reported messages, and the practical methods used in sittings.

The tone is earnest rather than sensational, making the book useful both to sympathetic readers seeking reassurance about survival and to those studying psychical research, near-death experience narratives, or historical spiritualist literature.