collectif - Initiation et Science - 1946-1960

Initiation and Science — Collection of 23 issues — 1946-1960

Journal of Esotericism, Hermeticism and Research on Ancient Traditions

Paris, Omnium littéraire, 1946-1960.

Set of 23 fascicles of this French journal devoted to the study of occult sciences, esoteric doctrines, symbolism and traditional knowledge.

Published in the years following the Second World War, Initiation and Science testifies to a current of research that aims to bring together the study of ancient traditions, the Hermetic teachings and the exploration of phenomena considered unexplained.

The journal covers a wide field of knowledge: alchemy and Hermeticism, traditional symbolism, initiatory traditions, occult philosophy, astrology, Kabbalah, dowsing and the study of human faculties. It also engages with the heritage of ancient Egypt, Celtic and Druidic traditions, as well as the doctrines and symbols of the Orient, notably Chinese.

Its articles explore the correspondences between traditions, symbols and ancient conceptions of nature, while giving a place to contemporary research on phenomena considered mysterious. This diversity makes the journal an interesting document for the history of Western esotericism in the mid-20th century.

A set of 23 issues covering fourteen years of publication, allowing readers to follow different aspects of this specialized literature and to locate texts that are difficult to assemble separately.

Composition of the collection:

1946-1947: nos. III and V

1947: no. VI

1948: nos I, VIII and X

1949: nos XII and XIII

1950: nos XIV and XV

1951: nos XVI and XVIII

1952: nos IV, XVII and XIX-XX

1953: nos XXI-XXII, XXIII and XXIV

1954: nos III, XXVIII-XXIX, XXX and XXXI

1956: no XXXVIII

1960: nos L-LI

Publisher: Omnium littéraire, Paris.

Format: 8vo, stitched fascicles.

Pagination: about 1,265 pages in total, based on an estimated average of 55 pages per issue.

A desirable lot for collectors of old esoteric journals, enthusiasts of alchemy and symbolism, as well as researchers interested in the history of initiatory traditions and occult sciences in the twentieth century.