Les mystères du verbe, études ésotériques sur la vie, les formes et les couleurs (The Mysteries of of the Word, Esoteric Studies on Life, Forms and Colors)
Paris: Bibliotheque Chacornac, 1908. First edition. Hardcover. Octavo. [8], 174, [1, contents]; 6 hors-text plates (3 in color; including frontispiece); text figures and diagrams throughout; original wrappers retained. Text in French. Quarter sheep over marbled boards; spine with raised bands, tooled in gilt with morocco lettering piece; decorative endleaves; silk ribbon marker. Mild wear at extremities, slight damage to spine cap. Wrappers with light dampstains. Text and plates clean and fresh throughout. Very good.
First edition. Written under the pseudonym Dr. Ely Star (Eugène Jacob 1847-1942), this is the fifth work of the celebrated astrologer and Kabbalist, and marks the completion of his esoteric studies (Caillet). In French culture of the late 19th century "astrology was cultivated mainly within the secret societies" (Hanegraaff). Ely Star wrote his works in the mileu of its two principal representatives, Eliphas Levi (Abbé Constant) and Papus (Gérard Encausse). Contents: La vie; La lumière; Le nombre; Les éléments; Les formes; L'alphabet naturel; L'écriture des étoiles; La langue sacrée; Lenfant et le verbe; La réforme de l'orthographe; Les pouvoirs de la pensée; Pentacles et talismans; Aphorismes philosophiques; Le pentacle de l'absolu; Conclusion. A very scarce work, OCLC notes only eight institutional holdings. Very Good. Item #54123
References: Caillet 5449 (under Jacobs); Dorbon 4653; W. J. Hanegraaff (ed.), Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism (Brill, 2006), p. 133.
Price: $350.00