H.P. Blavatsky: ISIS UNVEILED: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theol

ISIS UNVEILED: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology

New York: J.W. Bouton, 1877. First edition, First printing. Blavatsky referred to Isis Unveiled as "the first cautious attempt to let into the West a faint streak of Eastern esoteric Light." (Theosophist Oct. 1883) Gomes states further, "Isis was concerned with marshalling evidence for the existence of an underlying 'anciently universal religion' that had been the primitive source of the 'multitudinous religious faiths' of humanity." (p. 182). Leather fairly worn along edges and worn through at board corners; Seam open at end of volume one, rear board may have been loose and well repaired; Former owner name stamped on title pages and top page edges, this being Peter G. Hoffman, sometimes spiritual writer in the 1940's; Overall, nearly very good condition.

Bound in half-leather with top page edges gilt; 9.75" x 6.75"; Vol. I: [iv], vi-xlv, 628, Vol. II: [iii], iv, 692 pages with two fold-out charts plus 24 pages of J.W. Bouton's Catalogue; Gomes 616; Gomes, Theosophy in the Nineteenth Century: An Annotated Bibliogrphy, states that, "When the book was issued at the end of Sept. 1877, the edition of a thousand copies sold out in ten days and a second printing was required before the end of he year." Further he states that (p. 185), "The second edition of 1877 and all subsequent editions (actually reprints) had an additional unnumbered five pages of Table of Contents added to Vols. 1 and 2." This set does not have the Table of Contents.