JENNINGS, Hargrave.

Phallicism. Celestial and Terrestrial. Heathen and Christian. Its connexion with the Rosicrucians and the Gnostics and Foundation in Buddhism. With an Essay on Mystic Anatomy [ bound with ] Illustrations of Phallicism Consisting of Ten Plates of Remains of Ancient Art with Descriptions (2 volumes in 1).

London: George Redway, 1884 & 1885. First Editions. Hardcover. 2 volumes in 1. Large Octavo. xxviii + 298 pp; + (36)pp (Illustrated supplement). Handsome mid-20th century half-leather binding. Deep red-brown calf over matching mottled-patterned paper boards. Fine gilt titling and decorations to spine, gilt rules to boards. Top-edge gilt, fore-edge untrimmed. Matching patterned endpapers. Title-page in red and black. Jenning's "Phallicism. Celestial and Terrestrial" bound with its uncommon supplement, "Illustrations of Phallicism Consisting of Ten Plates of Remains of Ancient Art with Descriptions," the latter having been issued separately in wrappers by the publisher a year after the former. Hargrave Jennings (1817-1890) was a British author, Freemason, Rosicrucian, and student of comparative religion, who wrote widely on various esoteric subjects, although he is now best known for his books on Rosicrucianism ("The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries," "The Mysteries of the Rosie Cross" et al) and phallic worship and its place in the origin of religions ("Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial," "Nature Worship: an Account of Phallic Faiths and Practices Ancient and Modern," "The Masculine Cross and Ancient Sex Worship," et al.) He was quite well known in his own time: indeed Wilkie Collins is said to have modelled the character of Ezra Jennings in "The Moonstone" on him. Chapters of he book include: Definitions and Distinctions; History of the Phallic "Symbol-Structures"..; The Story of the Classes of the Phalli; Celestial or Theosophical Doctrine of the Unsexual Transcendental Phallicism; Mysteries of Phallus; its idealized Gnostic, Rosicrucian or Christian Renderings; Rites and Ceremonies; Hebrew Phallicism; The Rosicrucian and Gnostic Meanings of the Obelisks; The Phalli and Ophiological Priapic Monumbets typical of "The Fall;" Priapic Illustrations; Transcendental Ideas of the Rosicrucians; their Cabalistic Philosophy as to the Occult Interchange of Nature and Magic; Considerations of the Mystic anatomy of the Rosicrucian Philosophers; Rosicrucian Profundities; The Gnostics and their Beliefs; Indian Religions; An Original Essay on Mystic Anatomy, etc. Original wrappers for the "Illustrations" bound in. The volume has been neatly rebacked with the original backstrip laid down, the leather is a little rubbed at the edges (most significantly at the bottom corner of the rear board where the surface has suffered a finger-print sized abrasion, otherwise the binding is sturdy and handsome. Bookplate on front pastedown has offset slightly onto adjacent endpaper. Contemporary owner's name and book no (93!) neatly inked on blank verso of title-page. The paper on which the book is printed is notoriously fragile and the first half dozen leaves have been carefully mounted on stubs (presumably during the rebacking) but the title-page and one or two adjacent leaves are still starting to separate at the inner margin (not uncommon with this book due to the type of paper used) so care will need to be exercised when handling the volume. Otherwise it is an attractive, solid, VG+ example, rare with the plates included. Item #70325

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