Esoteric

A Reply to the Objections of Robert Nelson Esq and an Anonymous Author – Dr Samuel Clarke – 1714

Full title continues … “against Dr Clarke’s Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity. Being a Commentary upon Forty Select Texts of Scripture. To which is added, An Answer to the Remarks of the Author of, Some Considerations concerning the Trinity, and the Ways of Managing the Controversy”.

Original panelled calf binding, raised bands to spine with six compartments, red leather title label. Binding aged and hinges cracked but holding well on strong cords. Despite deficiencies a delightful antiquarian patina. Octavo, 311 pages after preliminaries plus book advertisements and “index of the texts explained in this book”. First page is title so likely missing front end paper. Internally some ageing and staining to pages but overall very good condition for its age.

Printed for James Knapton, at the Crown in St Paul’s Church Yard 1714.

A more important historical work than immediately apparent. Samuel Clarke (1675 – 1729) was the major British figure in philosophy between John Locke and George Berkley. Born in Norwich he went to Caius College, Cambridge where his tutor was John Ellis a personal friend of Isaac Newton. Clarke adopted the new physical system of Newton and in 1697 published a book on the superiority of the Newtonian system. Taking holy orders Clarke moved rapidly up the hierarchy and by 1709 he was Rector of St James, Westminster and Chaplain in Ordinary to Queen Anne. At this time, he became in personal contact with Isaac Newton. Just before this period he presented the Boyle Lectures where he presented examples of a physico-theological system. That is that God is self-existent, infinite, omnipresent, having existed from eternity …

In 1712 Clarke published his treatise “The Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity” it was controversial and he was cautioned not to publish … he ignored this advice. There were complaints from the Lower House of Convocation and the Blasphemy Act was threatened and those that published against him included Robert Nelson (1656 – 1715) mentioned strongly in the title to this work and Francis Gastrell who was the “Anonymous Author” also referred to in a robust defence.

Clarke a controversial intellectual with personal influence from Isaac Newton, Boyle Lecturer and Chaplain to Queen Anne – 1714

$170.00

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Ethnology of the Sixth Sense, Studies and Researches into its Abuses, Perversions, Follies, Anomolies, and Crimes – Dr Jacobus X – 1899

By Jacobus X [Louis Jacolliot] published by Charles Carrington, Paris based bookseller and publisher of erotica in 1899. A limited first edition of 1000. Original blue cloth binding, 422 pages all in fine condition.

The “Sixth Sense” not the psychic sense but the genital sense which is explored in its active phase.

Includes, among many topics, clinical accounts of deformities of the sexual organs, such as “profound despondency of the unfortunate persons who have lost their penis”, “penis found in stomach of dog” etc.

Interestingly the preamble says “this work, printed for a small number of Subscribers – Medical Men – Experts and Specialists in Nervous Diseases – Lawyers etc.” The limitation page suggests 1000 copies but is unnumbered as with other copies we have seen.

You need to be over 18 and eccentric to buy this book – proof required

$90.00

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The Great Pyramid Witness and Near Eastern Nations in the Light of Christ’s Second Coming – Rev Lamb (Sydney) 1928

A rather special soft covered second edition of Rev lamb’s book on the second coming and the link to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Self-published in Sydney in 1928.

Lamb a rather eccentric Reverend with a keen eye for Marketing. His list of five titles could be got at the discounted price of 7/6 if the money was sent directly. His first edition was sold out and given that the second coming would have severe personal consequences it was essential that this book was purchased if you missed the first printing!

His forward is direct “This book, over which I have earnestly prayed for many days, is now finished. Its message, as in everything else I have previously written, is to convince all who read it that the coming of God’s Son to this world is now right at hand. The intention all through its pages is to make its every reader feel that their chief business now should be that they “May be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” … I shall now pray every day that its mission may in this way be fully realised”

Lamb, not too keen on this modern theory of Evolution, correctly points out how clever the early Egyptian were any Greek civilisation having been founded on Egyptian intelligent. The destruction of the great library at Alexandria still stands as the worst act of vandalism against culture. The books kept the fires in the bakeries and hot baths etc. going for many months. His references to the Pyramids and the Great pyramid of Giza are a very special account. He recounts the scale, accuracy and quality of construction which is always bewildering to read, how was it really done? And the alignment with the stars. Early views of Sir John Herschel and then, Voyager favourite Piazzi Smyth who calculated the date of construction as 2,170 BC given the backward calculation of the position of Draconis, the Pole Star, being directly aligned with the extraordinary passage at midnight that year. This vent will happen 25,817 years later when the stars will be similarly aligned.

The book contains more than this of course and his view of the likely consequences of the rise in fascism throughout the world … well we all know what happened.

$30.00

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The Sense of Beauty – George Santayana

A period Modern Library edition a bit chipped in the dust jacket still very good.

The highpoint of American philosophy. Santayana’s work defines beauty … the great work on aesthetic theory

Beauty defined

$40.00

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Facts in Mesmerism – With Reasons for a dispassionate inquiry into it by Rev Chauncy Hare Townshend – Very Scarce First Edition 1840

An extremely rare First edition, published by Longman, London 1840

An extensive study and defence of mesmerism by Chancy Hare Townshend (1798-1868) and English priest, poet, collector of natural history and a man with a passionate interest in mesmerism. He was a good friend of Charles Dickens who dedicated “Great Expectations” to him [Townshend had the manuscript of Great Expectations at the time of his death].

Mesmerism (named after Franz Mesmer) a hypnosis based on the theory of animal magnetism. Due to its spiritual associations and uncanny effects it was controversial in the early 19th century. Towsnhend describes in detail the mental states mesmerism induces, which he defines as similar to a state of sleepwalking. Fascinating content including the accounts of experiments carried out by the author in which he hypnotised his subjects into feeling his own sensations and possessing knowledge that they could not have known.

Townshend has quite a Wikipedia write up and the hilarious meeting with poet John Clare is worth a read

Rare and valuable first edition of an early work on Mesmerism

$90.00

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The Unknown Guest [and Other Essays] – Maurice Maeterlinck

The Unknown Guest by Nobel Prize winning author, playwright and poet Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck. Published by Methuen, London in 1925 a fourth printing. Bound in original green cloth, 340 pages some flecking to soft paper page edges but generally a pretty good copy of a hard to get book.

An unusual group of essays including the title offering we have … Phantasms of the Living and the Dead; Psychometry; the Knowledge of the Future and The Elberfield Horses.

An intellectual potpourri if there ever was one.

$40.00

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A Reply to the Objections of Robert Nelson Esq and an Anonymous Author – Dr Samuel Clarke – 1714

Ethnology of the Sixth Sense, Studies and Researches into its Abuses, Perversions, Follies, Anomolies, and Crimes – Dr Jacobus X – 1899

The Great Pyramid Witness and Near Eastern Nations in the Light of Christ’s Second Coming – Rev Lamb (Sydney) 1928

The Sense of Beauty – George Santayana

Facts in Mesmerism – With Reasons for a dispassionate inquiry into it by Rev Chauncy Hare Townshend – Very Scarce First Edition 1840

The Unknown Guest [and Other Essays] – Maurice Maeterlinck

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