The Natural Genesis. Or Second Part of a Book of the Beginnings. Concerning an attempt to recover and reconstitute the Lost Origines of the Myths and Mysteries, Types and Symbols, Religion and Language, with Egypt for the Mouthpiece and Africa as the birthplace ( Two Volume Set ).
London: Williams and Norgate, 1883. First Edition. Hardcovers. Two volumes. Thick Quartos. xvi + 552 pp & viii + 536 pp. Original rust cloth with gilt decorated spine, gilt titling to spines, comparative vocabulary, index. Along with "A Book of the Beginnings" (1882) and "Ancient Egypt: The Light of the Ancient World" (1907), "The Natural Genesis" (1883) is one of the major works of self-taught Egyptologist, prolific poet, antiquarian and mythographer Gerald Massey (1828 - 1907). Massey was particularly focussed on the symbolism and myth of ancient Egypt and later civilizations. An evolutionist, who believed that human beings had evolved from apes in Africa, before spreading to Egypt, where true civilization developed, he described his works "A Book of the Beginnings" and "The Natural Genesis" as " ...an attempt to recover and reconstitute the lost origins of the myths and mysteries, types and symbols, religion and language, with Egypt for the mouthpiece and Africa as the birthplace." In "The Natural Genesis" he went on expand the ideas that he had already presented in "A Book of the Beginnings" and sought to establish a typology of world cultures, and to discover and explore the links between myths, religion, symbolism, customs, etc. of other cultures, and those of ancient Egypt, which he deemed to be their source. Massey's ideas, were largely rejected by the scientific community, but embraced by many occultists and Masons, including Albert Churchward, with whom Massey collaborated, and Mme. Blavatsky, who cited Massey on numerous occasions in "The Secret Doctrine." Kenneth Grant also draws heavily on Massey, and cites him frequently in the first series of the Typhonian trilogies, noting specifically in "Nightside of Eden," " ... Yet, despite the limitation imposed upon Massey in respect of the lack of initiated texts available in his time, his work remains of the utmost value in that it traces more accurately than does that of any other writer, before or since, the line of emergence, the evolution and history of the symbolic vehicles of the Typhonian Current which the present writer has sought to explain in all his works. With the exception of Sir John Woodroffe and Aleister Crowley, no western writer, other than Massey, has touched upon the vital content of the genuine gnosis, the true magical tradition" (Grant: "Nightside of Eden," p. 110). Cloth shows overall modest shelf-wear, corners bumped and chafed. Vol. I lightly canted. Endpaper hinges splitting but boards held firm by cloth hinges. Previous owner's name on half-title pages. First and last couple of pages of each volume darkened and a little flecked. Remaining pages evenly toned. A solid, tight, better-than VG set. Due to the size and weight of the volumes additional shipping to that automatically quote will be required, exact price varying according to destination. Item #70321
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