Although this book is excellent, it was billed as containing all existing fragments of ancient writings about Pythagoras, yet within the book itself, modern translations of ancient documents are mentioned that are not included. If something bills itself as complete, that is exactly what I expect. Nonetheless, I am glad I bought it, and would recommend it as one of the key works to own on Pythagoras.

This book contains translations of all material attributed to Pythagorus and extant works about him and his school--such as Laertius Diogenes. It is the only book you will need about this interesting man.

Pythagoras is arguably the father of western culture. Certainly his theories have had a profound effect on the development of mathematics, music, architecture, the visual arts, philosophy, qabalah, astrology, astronomy, and the list goes on. Much as today's fans of Plato refer to Aristotle as a mere shadow of the former great man, so too can fans of Pythagoras say the same of Plato. Pythagoras was the first man to call himself a philosopher -- a lover of wisdom.

This book contains translations of all of Pythagoras' extant work, as well as many short essays by his contemporaries and students. There are many diagrams and charts which serve to effectively clarify his ideas. Overall, this book is a must have for any who seek truth.

Godwin's work is vital for those who truly wish to understand Anglo-speaking occultism. While the book claims that the Theosophical Movement is more influenced by the skeptical Enlightenment, I do not find the evidence for that point compelling, since for Godwin what he means by "the Enlightenment" is really anti-Christian resentment. The book should be read as a history of occult ideas in the 18th and 19th centuries of Britain and America, not as a judge on the Theosophical Movement as a whole. As a history of that subject, it is wonderful, and no other books like it exist.

This is an as yet unequalled study on an aspect of the cultural history of the West (and in particular of the English-speaking world) which has up to now been under-rated. The so-called occult, despite its important place in the dynamics of cultural interaction, has not been granted its proper place in history, not so much because of any particular "conspiracy" but rather due - paradoxically - to a "Victorian" view by which "history" is mainly or exclusively limited to political, military and economic problems. The early aspects of the impact of the Theosophical movement on Anglo-American culture have been documented here, and it is to be hoped that it will stimulate other researchers to explore this many-faceted topic.

I was disappointed to find that this is not a book-length study on Hermes. Instead, it is a collection of articles related by the fact that this same author has written broadly on the topic of Hermes. The collection was edited to reduce (but not eliminate) repetition of subject matter. Most unfortunately, the mythistorical progression implied in the subtitle ("From Greek God to Alchemical Magus") is only weakly developed. The articles are uneven in length, varying from 10-40 pages. They also vary in depth and quality. Chapter 1 ("Hermes in the Western Imagination") was good, and there are interesting tidbits throughout (for example, St. Augustine's hostile reaction to the Hermetica). But by the time we reach the last chapter ("The Inheritance of Alexandrian Hermeticism"), the discourse has been reduced to a kind of glorified historical bibliography. The 39 B/W plates are interesting. But the overall approach is curiously concerned with form over substance or experience. For example, we are told repeatedly (pp. 40, 60, 100) how Causabon proved in 1614 that the Hermetica could not be older than 2nd-3rd c. CE, yet we are not told exactly what philological trick he used to do that. Nor does our author speculate as to what impact that inference might actually have on a tradition that explictly refers its own origins to teachings in a meditative dream-state (Corpus Hermeticum I.1). As another example, we are explicitly told (p. 60) that the retelling of the myths of the Fall and reintegration, as well as the philosophical, practical and theurgical implications, are the task of Theosophy--and, by implication, are not part of the intent here. Overall, these pieces are not nearly so impoverished as Doniger-O'Flaherty's structuralist reduction of Vedic myth, but neither does it overflow with rich historical portraits like Frances Yates, nor is it nearly so sympathetic & interiorized as Mircea Eliade (to whom Faivre was compared). In short, if you had, like me, IMAGINED more, you will, like me, need to look elsewhere.

This small volume is a collection of Essays that the premier European scholar of Western Esoteric religious thought has published. The essays focus on what qualifies as Hermetic thought and esoteric thought. Faivre brings out the notion of the Hermes figure in history as a prophetic revealer of wisdom---and also a trickster and deceiver. This book includes art plates of representations of Hermes in different paintings and pictoral representations. He also addresses the Hermes figure in contemporary culture, such as in films like "Mad Max."

A good book for those intersted in Western Occultism, since Hermes and Hermeticism is the main sources in Western Culture for occult thought. Also read Copenhaver's "Hermetica" and Fowden's "The Egyptian Hermes" for a cross-disciplinary look at the figure of Hermes in ancient theosophy and in Greco-Egyptian religious culture.

Good translation---it's by Jocelyn Godwin, the premier American scholar of Western Esoteric thought. They are good friends, Godwin and Faivre--and I'm sure that the translation is faithful.

Among the primary mythic figures of European civilization, few are more ubiquitous than Hermes, the fascinating, mercurial messenger of the gods, eloquent revealer of hidden wisdom, and guardian of occult knowledge. Hermes has played a central role in the development of esotericism in the West.

Drawing upon many rare books and manuscripts, this highly illustrated work explores the question of where Hermes Trismegistus came from, how he came to be a patron of the esoteric traditions, and how the figure of Hermes has remained lively and inspiring to our own day.

Antoine Faivre is reputedly the most prominent scholar of esoterism to have appeared since Mircea Eliade. He is Director of Studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Section des Sciences Religieuses, Sorbonne), University Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Haute-Normandie, and director of the Cahiers de lHermétisme. All of that scholastic firepower notwithstanding, he delivers his message in a erudite yet free flowing prose style that does not suffer from many of the linguistic glitches translations of scholarly works often contain. Indeed, Faivre's elegant erudition, blended with a highly refined metaphysical sensibility, brings the great Hermes to life and allows this powerful psycho-spiritual character to speak once again (and perhaps even play a few much-needed tricks on us), which is appropriate as Hermes is both a prophetic revealer of wisdom---and also a trickster and deceiver. Both sides of his character are fully explored within this work.

This book is an impressive effort-both intellectually and visually. This slim volume stands as a compelling contribution in helping to answer the puzzling questions as to both the source and endurance of Hermes in his variety of shape-shifting guises.

A must read for anyone with serious interests in Western Occultism.

In light of recent documentary discoveries in a number of European archives, I had high hopes that this volume would further the body of research into the Rosicrucian movement. Ultimately, it did, but in ways I did not anticipate.

There are some essential works here (Joscelyn Godwin's excellent meditation on Michael Maier and Rafael T. Prinke's article on Michael Sendivogius immediately spring to mind: both of which demonstrate the varities of meaning Rosicrucianism took on to those who sought to perpetuate the movement in different contexts) but also much filler. Too many of the contributions collected in this volume re-state a body of knowledge familiar to all students of the subject. Due to the original format of these contributions (i.e., speeches) this knowledge is -understandably- not communicated in a particularly useful fashion.

Having said that, this volume is worth its price of entry. However the content is certainly a mixed bag.
Lastly, the translations of the Rosicrucian manifestos contained in this volume are those of Thomas Vaughan's mid 17th century edition of the Fama and Confessio .

Before the 'New Age' there was the "Rosicrucian Enlightenment". At the beginning of the 17th century, a new awakening was heralded throughout Europe, announcing the universal reform of all known areas of human activity - religion, science, art, and society were to become one being. The chief proponents of this great awakening were the mysterious "Rosicrucians". Nearly 400 years after the first seeds of this movement were planted, over 100 students, authors, and scholars of traditional Western esotericism, of which Rosicrucianism is the foremost exponent, gathered in the medieval town of Czesky Krumolv in the Czech Republic, to discuss, explore, and in someway, reopen the 'Vault of Christian Rosencreutz' once again.

"The Rosicrucian Enlightenment Revisited" contains nine essays on the early Rosicrucian movement presented at this landmark conference sponsored in part by The New York Open Center, and copies of the first two Rosicrucian Manifestoes, the "Fama" and the "Confessio". It is a great read and ideal for anyone interested in what is truly the heart and soul of Western esotericism - the Rosicrucian Enlightenment.

As a poet, I took Robert Bly's advice and picked this book up because I want to focus more on the natural music of language in verse. But I must tell you, this is heavy going, for as small a volume as it is. I found myself just not really interested in much of what was being said, and its focus is really geared more toward musicians -- singers -- than writers. I do think that anything that allows me to concentrate more on the sheer sounds of words and letters (as opposed to simply meaning) is a good thing, so I'm glad I do have it. But the most valuable part, for me, is probably the appendix that features some vocal exercises that get us to really listen to the way sounds sound coming out of our mouths.

This book is less a scholarly review of the ancient mystery cults than it is a "Cliff's Notes" rehash of out-of-date ideas and rampant bias. The only redeeming factor of the entire work are the photographs that accompany each "chapter" (in actuality, each "chapter" is a brief introduction and then 10-15 pp. of photos). If you're looking for an introductory monograph on mystery cults, see Walter Burkert's _Ancient Mystery Cults_ instead. Don't bother on this.