Occult, Scientific, and Literary Papers, Read at the Scottish Lodge. Volume III, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10.
London: George Redway, 1895. First Edition. Seven slim octavos, publisher's original printed wraps. Many edges remain uncut and unopened. Seven separate issues from Volume III, comprising Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 (1895), and Nos. 8 and 10 (1896); lacking Nos. 1, 6, and 9 to complete the volume.
A substantial partial run of this scarce late-nineteenth-century Theosophical periodical issued by the Scottish Lodge of the Theosophical Society and edited by J. W. Brodie-Innes. The Scottish Lodge, founded in Edinburgh in 1884, became an important center of Scottish Theosophy, and its papers reflect the period’s effort to reconcile occult philosophy, comparative religion, mystical traditions, and contemporary scientific thought. Brodie-Innes, who served as president of the Scottish Lodge, was also a significant figure in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and was closely associated with its Edinburgh Amen-Ra Temple. The periodical is consequently of particular interest for the overlap between late-Victorian Theosophy and the British ceremonial occult revival.
The papers published in the series range across Theosophy, esoteric cosmology, comparative religion, mystical philosophy, Celtic tradition, and occult science. Of particular note in this group is Vol. III, No. 8, which contains J. W. Brodie-Innes’s “Planetary Chains and Rounds” and Isabelle de Steiger’s “Some Elementary Notes on the Stromata of Clemens Alexandrius.” No. 10 contains “The Cosmogony of Welsh Tradition,” by “A Celtic Student,” continuing a study begun in the preceding number. Isabelle de Steiger and Brodie-Innes were both associated with the occult milieu surrounding the Golden Dawn, adding further interest to the series for collectors of nineteenth-century esotericism.
The Scottish Lodge’s publications have been recognized by modern scholars as an important component of the Scottish Theosophical press and as evidence of the interaction between Theosophy, Scottish cultural revivalism, Celtic interests, and the broader fin-de-siècle occult movement. Volume III began in 1895 and continued into 1896.
An uncommon survival, particularly desirable as a coherent group of seven issues from a single volume rather than isolated numbers. The present run comprises seventy percent of Volume III. Some pencil markings, minimal discoloration, the staples are a little rusty, else in very good + condition. Item #622
Price: $300.00