Author: Henry Christmas
Title: The Cradle of the Twin Giants, Science and History.
Description: London, Richard Bentley, Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty. 1849. First edition. Cloth. The very scarce first edition of this thorough, nineteenth-century history of esoteric disciplines and their relationship to the modern sciences by Henry Christmas, in two volumes, with the original boards. The first edition of this work in two volumes. Published by Richard Bentley, a significant nineteenth-century publisher known for the 'Standard Novels' series he created with Henry Colburn. The 'Standard Novel' series sought to reprint popular works that were out of print or that were yet to be made available in a format that was financially accessible to the middle classes.With the original boards. With the mark of Remnant & Edmonds bookbinders to the rear pastedown of Volume I.  Very scarce.Henry Christmas was an English clergyman, periodical editor, and man of letters, who having graduated from St John's college, Cambridge went on to become librarian and secretary of Sion College in London. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Society of Antiquaries in London. The Cradle of the Twin Giants examines the role of popular mythology in preserving ideas surrounding the occult, alchemy, and the paranormal, and considers the impact of such popularity on cultural interest in rational thought. In full cloth bindings with blind stamping to the boards. Externally, sound with minor marks, fading, and rubbing to the boards and age discolouration to the spines. A marginal nick to the spine's cloth of Volume I and bumping to the head and tail of the spines and extremities, resulting in slight lifting of the cloth. Dust dulling to the text blocks' top edges. Rubbing to parts of the list of works on the pastedown of Volume II in addition to some marks and chips to the decorative paper covering the pastedowns, recto of the front first free endpaper, and verso of the rear first free endpaper, for both volumes. Archival mark to rear pastedown of Volume II. Some cockling to front endpapers of Volume I. Hinges tender. Internally, binding is strained. Pages are generally bright and clean with light toning, some and the odd spot, and fractional marks, closed tears and chips, not impacting text. (leaves coming from between front first free endpaper-xii of Volume I and pp. 288-402 of Volume II resulting in some leaves starting to come away from the text block spine.) Good . Ill.: None. Good .

Keywords: Astrology Magic Esoterica History Magic None


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