AN ENCYCLOPEDIC OUTLINE OF MASONIC, HERMETIC, QABBALISTIC AND ROSICRUCIAN SYMBOLICAL PHILOSOPHY, BEING AN INTERPRETATION OF THE SECRET TEACHINGS CONCEALED WITHIN THE RITUALS, ALLEGORIES AND MYSTERIES OF ALL AGES.

By Manly P. Hall. Illustrations in color by J. Augustus Knapp. San Francisco, H. S. Crocker Company, 1928. Parchment and boards, folio, 211 pastes, with copious index of 3; pages, slip case. Price, $100. EVEN the most hardened of reviewers will greet this book with a sincere and hearty welcome, for it is a volume designed to command attention and respect. Its size - nineteen inches high, thirteen inches wide, almost two inches thick, with a weight of fifteen pounds - naturally attracts the eye, but these physical proportions are forgotten as one later contemplates the magnitude of the volume in its literary aspects. Accustomed as we are to machine made books, cheapened everywhere in the interests of mass output and economy of production, the weary critic literally hugs this artistic production to his bosom, for it is a delight to the eye and a feast for the soul. I know of no other book of modern times which so transports one in flights of fancy to the medieval presses of Aldus, Estienne, Plantin and Elzevir, as does this masterpiece. The craftsmen who wrought this wonderful production of the printer's art were truly inspired by the ideals of their ancient forebears.

The technical terms necessary to describe the volume in its physical aspects beggar one's vocabulary. The bibliophile only encounters them in his fancies, or in his dreams. As students of catalogues issued by venders of incunabula, we read of vellum binding, little thinking we should ever see a massive book of the present day so bound. But here it is, half vellum and boards. The boards are not the common article so described, but are substantial material covered with a fibrous paper of batik design which prepare us for the dignified Alexandria Japan so reverently fingered and turned as we page through the book. Quality is the dominant keynote; little wonder the volume won first prize at the Advertising and Printing Convention held in Honolulu in 1928.

The title page is in two colors, red and black; each page is headed by numerals - not in commonplace Arabic - but in Roman notation printed in a delicate blue. Each chapter has an ornamental Caxton initial in a warm orange and black. The text is set in twelve point Italian Old Style, a type face of sufficient density to be easy reading, yet not so heavy as to mar the artistry and symmetry of the open pages as a whole. A very noticeable feature is the manner in which each chapter, regardless of various sized illustrations with "run around" text, invariably ends at the bottom of the left hand page. The mechanical skill required to accomplish this is deserving of every commendation; and credit must also be given to the author for his part in fitting the text to the physical demands of the page. Nowhere does the text appear curtailed or abrupt. Each chapter ends with an ease and elegance of style possessed of every literary refinement.

One is struck by the beautiful frontispiece in colors; but we are rendered speechless when we find there are fifty-four such illustrations throughout the book. These are specially painted by J. Augustus Knapp, an artist whose understanding of the author's purpose is clearly revealed by his sympathetic interpretation on the canvas. The engravers who made the color plates are also masters of their art. With such perfection in the technical and highly complicated art of color reproduction, no doubt can remain as to the excellence of the two hundred or so zinc and copper etchings which reproduce the illustrations from rare tomes listed in the stupendous bibliography at the end of the volume.

But let us go on. Pages could be written about the physical aspects of the book, and then the story would not be told.

The author presents the book to his readers with a very

appropriate introduction, saying in part: Numerous volumes have been written as commentaries upon the secret systems of philosophy existing in the ancient world, but the ageless truths of life, like many of the earth's greatest thinkers, have usually been clothed in shabby garments. The present work is an attempt to supply a tome worthy of those seers and sages whose thoughts are the substance of its pages.

Work upon the text of this volume was begun the first day of Jan. 1926, and has continued almost uninterruptedly for over two years. The greater part of the research work, however, was carried on prior to the writing of the manuscript. The collection of reference material was begun in 1921, and three years later the plans for the book took definite form. For the sake of clarity, all foot notes were eliminated, the various quotations and references to other authors being embodied in the text in their logical order. The bibliography is appended primarily to assist those interested in selecting for future study the most authoritative and important items dealing with philosophy and symbolism. To make readily possible the abstruse information contained in the book, an elaborate topical cross index is included.

I make no claim for either the infallibility or the originality of any statement herein contained. I have studied the fragmentary writings of the ancients sufficiently to realize that dogmatic utterances concerning their tenets are worse than foolhardy. Traditionalism is the curse of modern philosophy, particularly that of the European schools. While many of the statements contained in this treatise may appear at first wildly fantastic, I have sincerely endeavored to refrain from hap-hazard metaphysical speculation, presenting the material as far as possible in the spirit rather than the letter of the original authors. By assuming responsibility only for the mistakes which may appear herein, I hope to escape the accusation of lagiarism which has been directed against nearly every writer on the subject of mystical philosophy.

Having no particular "-ism" of my own to promulgate, I have not attempted to twist the original writings to substantiate preconceived notions, nor have I distorted doctrines in any effort to reconcile the rreconcilable differences present in the various systems of religio-philosophic thought.

The entire theory of the book is diametrically opposed to the modern method of thinking, for it is concerned with subjects openly ridiculed by the sophists of the twentieth century. Its true purpose is to introduce the mind of the reader to a hypothesis of living wholly beyond the pale of materialistic theology, philosophy, or science. The mass of abstruse material between its covers is not susceptible to perfect organization, but so far as possible related topics have been grouped together.

Rich as the English language is in media of expression, it is curiously lacking in terms suitable to the conveyance of abstract philosophical premises. A certain intuitive grasp of the subtler meanings concealed within groups of inadequate words is necessary therefore to an understanding of the ancient Mystery Teachings.

Running through the table of contents, it is apparent that the studious Mason will be interested in the Ancient Mysteries and secret societies; Atlantis and the gods of antiquity; the initiation of the Pyramid; the Zodiac and its signs; the life and philosophy of Pythagoras; the human body in symbolism; the Hiramic Legend; the symbolism of fishes, insects, animals, reptiles, birds, stones, metals, and gems; the Qabbalah and the secret doctrine of Israel; the fraternity of the Rosy Cross; the chapters on alchemy; symbolism of Freemasonry; the faith of Islam; American Indian symbolism, etc.

The novice in Freemasonry will be astounded by the ramifications of the volume, and to what extent of knowledge and ancient lore the author touched in his painstaking labors. The Scottish Rite Mason, familiar with many of the philosophical systems of earlier times through his reading of Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, will find a wealth of material in this book elucidating the rituals of the Rite. The Rosicrucian Mason, affiliated with the brethren of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, not to overlook the various Rosicrucian societies in the United States, will revel in the work, for it makes available information and symbols much sought after.

Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy is a book which will have more than a mere ephemeral existence. The high cost of production (more than $110,000 outside of bibliographical volumes valued at $150,000) puts the work out of reach of the average brother; but there is nothing to deter libraries and lodges from procuring the volume. The original edition, for advance subscribers, was taken by 525 individuals and institutions; a fifth edition, numbering eight hundred copies, and of which but a few hundred are left, will most likely be the last. Hence the fortunate ones who have specimens may well treasure them, for such books appear upon the market only accidentally when the publishers' editions are sold out.

All in all, the work is one which requires careful examination and leisurely reading to be appreciated as it deserves. To reduce the lore of the ages to such minimum as this capable compilation and interpretation represents requires skill of no small degree, as will be perceived by those who merely read the list of works consulted, leaving out of the question any examination of the voluminous books themselves. With the wide diversity of opinion existing among students regarding occult topics, it is natural that there will be disagreement on the part of some with the author. Yet, be that as it may, all will agree that a herculean task has been capably essayed, and Mr. Manly P. Hall deserves unstinted credit for his efforts.

J. H. T.

POTS