The Night of the Gods. An Inquiry into Cosmic and Cosmogonic Mythology and Symbolism ( Two Volume Set ).
London: Bernard Quaritch, David Nutt, 1893, 1897. First editions. Hardcover. Small quartos. Two volumes (complete). 581pp. + xii + 496pp. Original navy blue cloth with gilt lettering to front cover and spine, top edges red, frontispiece in each volume, b/w illustrations throughout. One of the more interesting texts to emerge from the many nineteenth century attempts to develop a universal theory of comparative religion. O'Neill posited that the great majority of religious myths and symbols were rooted in man's fascination with the movements of the celestial constellations, in particular their apparent revolution around a fixed point: the north pole, and cited a wide variety of religious myths and beliefs, from ancient Egypt and China, to Celtic Britain, to make his point. The book was certainly influential, particularly in esoteric circles. A curious internet myth seems to have arisen that "The Night of the Gods" was co-authored by the eminent Egyptologist Sir E.A. Wallis Budge, but this is not the case; he merely did the author the service of correcting the Egyptian hieroglyphic passages included in it. Despite being published in 1893 & 1897 respectively both volumes are first editions: it simply took a long time for the second volume to be finished and go to press. The volumes appear to have been in a private (?) library at some stage, but have minimal markings: call numbers "E4" hand lettered at the bottom of the spines, but these are barely visible, some pencilled numerals and the number "131" ink-stamped on the title-page. No other markings aside from each volume having a modern bookplate affixed to its front pastedown and Volume Two having an additional bookplate on the reverse of the front blank which glue may have bled through the blank causing it to partially affix to the front pastedown. Cloth a little darkened and rubbed with a few faint marks, all edges and extremities lightly rubbed with a few light bumps, corners and spine ends lightly bumped and chafed. Page edges a little darkened, pages lightly toned but unmarked, gutter between frontispiece and title-page of Vol. II a little strained and quite discolored. Overall a tight, clean about VG set. Scarce. Large heavy set, may require additional shipping. Item #64305
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