Ancient Faiths and Modern: a Dissertation Upon Worships, Legends and Divinities in Central and Western Asia, Europe, and Elsewhere, before the Christian Era. Showing Their Relations to Religious Customs as the Now Exist.
New York: J. W. Bouton, 1876. First Edition. Hardcover. Large Octavo. xx + 478, xlvipp (index). Original brown cloth with blind stamped borders to boards and spine and gilt titling to spine. Brown endpapers. INSCRIBED at the top of the title-page: "David Marples Esq. / with the author's compliments." Thomas Inman (1820-1876), British doctor and mythologist who also wrote "Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism" and several other works. Inman was strongly influenced by the work of Godfrey Higgins, in particular his theories on the phallic elements of religion, and an interest in phallicism pervades his works, including this detailed exploration of the certain aspects of the religions of antiquity, and their survival and influence in the modern world. Not surprisingly his works were considered quite controversial in some quarters. Covers bruised at corners and with a few light bumps and some rubbing to the edges, moreso at the head and tail of spine and points. Typical modest shelf-war for a book of this vintage, endpaper hinges starting to show some splits, but boards held securely by the cloth. Edges of text block dusty and flecked, armorial bookplate on front paste-down, moderate pale foxing to first and last leaves, heaviest at the final leaves of the volume. Overall a solid, clean, better-than VG copy of an uncommon work - especially when inscribed. Item #70304
Sold