Anacalypsis. An attempt to draw aside the veil of the Saitic Isis; or an Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations, and Religions ( Two volumes ).
New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1965. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Large thick quartos. Two volumes (complete). xxxiv + 867 & xi i+ 519, VI plates. Green cloth with gilt lettering to spines and upper boards. Edition limited to 500 US copies and 50 UK copies, this set not numbered (as common). A complete facsmile reprint of "Anacalypsis" which includes an essay "The Life and Work of Godfrey Higgins" by University Books editor Leslie Shepard. This is a massive two-volume work - the fruits of more than 20 years research by religious historian, archaeologist, and Freemason Godfrey Higgins (1722-1833). In it Higgins hypothesized that all religions had sprung from one common origin, which he sought to trace, and he further suggested the existence of a secret religious order, that he termed Pandeism, that once held sway across much of the globe. Despite a limited distribution the book was immensely influential, and a sound case has been made that Mme. Blavatsky - consciously or otherwise - drew heavily from it when writing 'Isis Unveiled.' W. Wynn Westcott, of S.R.I.A. and Golden Dawn fame, was familiar with "Anacalypsis", apparently being of the opinion that some of the references in it were to a Rosicrucian society (they weren't). A few light bumps to extremities, all edges and points a bit chafed, page edges and endpapers a bit darkened and foxed, tiny tears to a few pages, pages lightly toned. Still a solid and unmarked VG set in Good dust jackets. (Dust jackets chafed, chipped and creased at edges and folds, clear tape round top and bottom edges of wrapper of Vol. I., price clipped), Very large heavy set will require additional shipping to most destinations. Item #58292
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