The Flight from Reason

Volume 1 Of The Age Of The Irrational (1971, 1st ed)

Author

James Webb

Publisher

MacDonald, London, 1971

Printing Details

First edition, first printing. Hardback in dustwrapper. 22 × 14cm, 305pp.

Just when it seemed that Science and Reason had scored their greatest triumphs, the mid-nineteenth century witnessed an astonishing rebirth of occultism and anti-rationalism: the beginnings of the movement we now call New Age. A secret tradition of knowledge rejected by the Christian or Scientific establishments suddenly became emboldened to seek publicity and converts.

James Webb's painstaking research carry him into the undergrowth inhabited by such illuminated personages as Madame Blavatsky, the Reverend Leadbeater, the Brotherhood of Luxor, Annie Besant, Krishnamurti, Swami Vivekananda, Spiritualists, Rosicrucians, Vegetarians, Mithraic cults, and all manner of occult propagandists.

This title was republished a few years later as The Occult Underground.

Condition

Fair. Whilst the book remains in strong readable condition, the dustwrapper has become attached to the front pastedowns by the flaps with no chance of removal. The wrapper is faded to the spine, and due to the printing design of the wrapper, suffers some quite heavy surface wear. There is light marking to the endpapers from the wrapper but the main body of text is in good clean condition with secure binding.