This vintage work contains a treatise on an anthropological interpretation of sadism, masochism, and lycanthropy, which has been compiled from the notes of a lecture delivered at a meeting of the 'Royal Society of Medicine'. This fascinating and arresting collection of notes will be of considerable utility to anyone with an interest in psychiatry or the influential work of Robert Eisler. It is a book not to be missed by collectors of this kind of literature. Many antiquarian books such as ...

Robert Eisler's "Orpheus - The Fisher: Comparative Studies in Orphic and Early Christian Cult Symbolism" offers a profound exploration into the intricate and symbolic worlds of Orphic and early Christian traditions. In this scholarly yet accessible work, Eisler delves into the deep connections and shared motifs between these two ancient belief systems, uncovering the rich tapestry of symbolism that underlies their rituals, myths, and spiritual teachings.Eisler begins by examining th...

First Published in 1938, The Enigma of the Fourth Gospel by Robert Eisler presents a comprehensive overview of the Fourth gospel, its author, and its writer. In forty-one chapters, it discusses themes like an insoluble enigma; the preface to the Christian reader; the longer Anti-Marcionite preface to the Fourth Gospel; the Greek and the Latin texts of the Anti-Marcionite prologue to Luke; the two traditions about the evangelist John; John killed by King Herod in Jewish tradition; ...

First published in 1951, Man into Wolf attempts to suggest the possibility of historical, or rather prehistorical, evolutionist derivation of all crimes of violence, from the individual attack on life known as murder or manslaughter to the collective organized killing which we call war. The author has tried to show that the evidence from prehistory can be made intelligible on the theory of Jung’s archetypes surviving in the collective conscience and revealing themselves all over t...

From the author of How Proust Can Change Your Life, a delightful, truly consoling work that proves that philosophy can be a supreme source of help for our most painful everyday problems.Perhaps only Alain de Botton could uncover practical wisdom in the writings of some of the greatest thinkers of all time. But uncover he does, and the result is an unexpected book of both solace and humor. Dividing his work into six sections -- each highlighting a different psychic ...

In this marvelous book, acclaimed around the world, Alberto Manguel takes us on a fascinating exploration of what it means to be a reader of books. A History of Reading is a brilliant reminder of why we cherish the act of reading—despite distractions throughout the ages, from the Inquisition to the lures of cyberspace. He shows us what happens when we read; who we become; and how reading teaches us how to live. He reminds us that we live in books as well as among them—how we find ...

"This curiously moving history . . . traces the development of collections since the Renaissance through lively portraits of famous collectors." — The New YorkerFrom amassing sacred relics to collecting celebrity memorabilia, the impulse to hoard has gripped humankind throughout the centuries. But what is it that drives people to possess objects that have no conceivable use? To Have and To Hold is a captivating tour of collectors and their treasur...

Examines how the ancient customs of constructing and keeping a house formed a sacred bond between homes and their inhabitants• Shares many tales of house spirits, from cajoling the local land spirit into becoming one’s house spirit to the good and bad luck bestowed by mischievous house elves• Explains the meaning behind door and window placement, house orientation, horsehead gables, the fireplace or hearth, and the threshold• Reveals the charms, chants, prayers, and...

'Why should Truth be a woman? Or Nature? Or Justice? Or Liberty? Not, certainly, because women have been more free, just, truthful, nor even (though this one has a double edge) more natural. Marina Warner sets out to breathe some life into the army of petrified personages that litters western cityscapes... As her book shows, these stony ladies can be persuaded to yield surprisingly interesting answers' - Lorna Sage, ObserverAn entertaining and enlightening book about the r...

An exploration of the many forms of the ancient myth of the Wild Hunt and its influence in pagan and early Christian Europe• Recounts the myriad variations of this legend, from the Cursed Huntsman and King Herla to phantom armies and vast processions of sinners and demons• Explains how this belief was an integral part of the pagan worldview and was thus employed by the church to spread Christian doctrine• Reveals how the secret societies of medieval Europe reenacted...

Philosopher and social analyst Ivan Illich, one of the most influential thinkers of second half of this century, directs his attention to waterm the 'stuff' of purity and the creative force of the imagination without which life in unthinkable. He deals with the dual nature of water, as life-giving material substance and as the wellspring of forml, on which are founded the most basic myths and cultural manifestations: water as cleanser, water as domestic necessity and water as a religious a...

Image and Imagination presents some of C.S. Lewis's finest literary criticism and religious exposition. This selection gathers together forty book reviews—never before reprinted—as well as four major essays which have been unavailable for many decades, and a fifth essay, “Image and Imagination,” published for the first time. The essays and reviews substantiate Lewis's reputation as an eloquent and authoritative critic across a wide range of literature, and as a keen judge of conte...