A rare esoteric work, proposing a utopian society, with 9 folding plates and a masonic bookplate. 18,4 x 11,5 cm. XL, 202, [2 blank] pp. With folding lithographed frontispiece and 9 (folding) plates with 16 numbered illustrations. Contemporary cloth-backed boards. Untrimmed. Library ticket on spine, paste-down with masonic bookplate of the "Loge De Friesche Trouw". Binding worn, first quire slightly soiled, otherwise in good condition. What happens when a Freemason, linguist, and revolutionary sets out to design a perfect society? This intriguing esoteric work ambitiously combines astrology, Christianity, mythology, and sociology. Written in questions and answers, it begins with a 40-page foreword by Swiss lawyer Henri Disdier (1816–1864). The first two parts reinterpret Christian doctrines, arguing that many of them predate Christianity and have been misunderstood for centuries. The third part is the most daring: Vaillant’s utopia of “socionomie.” Based on the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love, it calls for “synarchie” (the antonym of anarchy), leading to universal happiness, harmony between earth and heaven, and the fusion of human intelligence with divine light. A visionary mix of mysticism and proto-sociology. Jean Alexandre Vaillant (1804–1886) was an active Freemason, author, linguist, and translator. Invited to Bucharest in 1829, he modernized the Saint Sava School and later supported the Wallachian Revolution of 1848. His works on Wallachian language and culture include Grammaire valaque à l’usage des Français (1836) and La Roumanie (1844). A compelling addition to any collection of esoterica, utopian literature, or early sociological thought. Inquire now to secure this unusual work before it vanishes into another library. Reference: Caillet 10957 ("Ouvrage à peu près inconnu"); Bibliotheca Esoterica 5016 ("Ouvrage excessivement rare").