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Thomas Taylor was one of the outstanding translators of the
philosophical writings of the Greeks and Romans, and also published
several original works on philosophy and mathematics. Many of his
important contributions in these fields have been long out-of-print
and are extremely difficult to obtain, having been issued in very
small editions. Most of Taylor's translations have an archaic
elegance which preserves the spirit of the older authors in a manner
not evident in more recent translations. Taylor added notes and
commentaries which give valuable insight into essential meaning
which is often obscure in the actual texts. Thomas Taylor died in
November, 1835; for his own epitaph he wrote the following
appropriate lines:
"Health, strength and ease, and manhood's active age,
Freely
I gave to Pluto's sacred page.
With
truth's pure joys, with Fame my days were crown'd,
Tho'
Fortune adverse on my labors frown'd."
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RARE
REPRINTS— |
by Thomas Taylor |
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THE FABLE OF CUPID & PSYCHE
(Rare Reprint)
Translated by Thomas Taylor. Preface by Manly P. Hall
A
photographic facsimile of the 1795 edition, the original title
page reading: “The Fable of Cupid and Psyche, Translated
from the Latin of Apuleius, to which are added, a Poetical
Paraphrase on the Speech of Diotima, in the Banquet of Plato,
Four Hymns, &c.&c., with an Introduction, in which the meaning
of the fable is unfolded.” Taylor’s extensive introduction
deals with the mystery of the human soul, divine love, and
human regeneration. The fact that Apuleius was an initiate of
the Neoplatonists more than justifies this present edition as
a major contribution in the field of Platonic psychology.
ISBN: 0-89314-411-8 $14.95 Hardback
152pp
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THE HYMNS OF ORPHEUS (Rare Reprint)
Translated by Thomas Taylor. Preface by
Manly P. Hall
A
photographic facsimile of the 1792 edition, published in
London, this includes a preliminary dissertation on “The
Life and Theology of Orpheus”; “The Initiations of
Orpheus,” the invocations used in the Eleusinian
Mysteries, and “Concerning the Beautiful” by Plotinus.
These comprise a compendium of Orpheus’ teachings, a
missionary of civilization and one whose teachings are nearly
indistinguishable from the foundations of Pythagorean
philosophy.
ISBN: 0-89314-415-0 $21.50 Hardback 312pp |
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ON SALE! |
OCELLUS LUCANUS
“On the Nature of the Universe” & Extracts
from Taurus, Julius Firmicus Maternus and Proclus (Rare
Reprint)
Translated by Thomas Taylor. Preface by Manly P. Hall
This
facsimile reprint of a 1831 edition is collection of brief
translations dealing with astrotheology. Maternus was
one of many early astronomers, and second in authority only to
Ptolemy of Alexandria. His horoscope of the world is included
from the 1533 edition of the Libri Matheseos, and his
discussion of the Thema Mundi. Proclus’ contribution
deals with the mystery of time as explained by Neoplatonism.
ISBN: 0-89314-403-7
Hardback 107pp
Originally $15.95
Now
$9.95
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SALLUST
“On the Gods & the World” and Other Works
(Rare Reprint)
Translated by Thomas Taylor. Preface by Manly P. Hall
Photographic facsimile of a rare 1795 edition. Sallust was a
Neoplatonic philosopher who is said to have written this work
for the Emperor Julian in the 4th Century AD.
Taylor’s added notes and commentary give valuable insight into
the text’s essential meaning. Includes translations of The
Pythagoric Sentences of Demophilius and Proclus’ Five
Hymns.
ISBN: 0-89314-401-0 $15.95 Hardback 169pp
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RARE
REPRINTS— |
by Other Notable Authors |
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DIONYSIAN ARTIFICERS (Rare Reprint)
By Hippolyto Joseph Da Costa. With an Interpretation of the
Myth of Dionysius by Manly P. Hall.
In this
illustrated reprint of a rare Masonic monograph, Da Costa
expresses his belief that modern Freemasonry derives it origin
from the Dionysian architects and gives a valuable and
comprehensive outline of the opinion of ancient authors on
this subject. As the laws of nature and moral rules deduced
from them were explained in fables, they were impressed on the
memory by symbolical ceremonies which were termed
“Mysteries.” This edition is completed with an interpretation
of the central myth of the Dionysian Mysteries and explains
the secret metaphysical doctrines of this cult.
ISBN: 0-89314-405-3 $11.50 Hardback 47pp
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THE RED BOOK OF APPIN
(Rare Reprint)
By Gen. Ethan Allen Hitchcock. Preface by Manly P. Hall
A
facsimile reprint of an 1866 edition, the original title
reads, “The Red Book of Appin; A story of the Middle Ages,
with Other Hermetic Stories and Allegorical Tales. A New
Edition, Enlarged by a Chapter of the Palmerin of England,
with Interpretations and Remarks upon the Arabian Nights’
Entertainments.” The author, Ethan A. Hitchcock was one of
many Western thinkers to explore the abstract realm of
archetypal symbolism, and his work was considered an advance
for his time. Fairy tales and folklore, like Oriental mandalas,
often had secret meanings and that they simulated the
thoughtful mind to explore the mysterious world of the
subconscious..
ISBN: 0-89314-413-4 $17.95 Hardback 298pp
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