The Golden Fleece: A Book of Jewish Cabalism, attributed on the photographed title leaf to Thomas Frederick Page. This copy presents typewritten text with drawn symbolic diagrams and visible thread stitching along the left margin.
N.p.; 1888 pre-publication typescript
RARE, one of a kind copy.
Uncorrected typescript.
92 leaves.
Page was a quiet, intelligent resident of Laconia, New Hampshire. He appears to have been a self-directed occult researcher developing an idiosyncratic system, producing a substantial body of private manuscripts and circulating them among Masonic/esoteric circles.
Subject: Hebrew language, biblical interpretation, Cabala, numerical symbolism, and esoteric correspondences.
“When language is analyzed, a deeper meaning is seen, which leads to a higher knowledge of the law of God, and with his dealings with man in the law. Beneath the face of language lays the Hebraic law, always and forever the same.“
Page believed that language concealed a deeper structure of divine law. Scripture, in his approach, was not exhausted by its narrative or literal meaning: examining its language could disclose a more fundamental order.
The title invites a Hermetic interpretation, but I have not found a verified statement by Page explaining why he chose it.
In classical mythology, the Golden Fleece is the object of Jason's quest. In later esoteric literature, the quest for a precious object can be interpreted as an allegory of hidden wisdom, spiritual attainment, or the discovery of a concealed truth.
Condition
Significant age toning, uneven and chipped edges, creasing, and tears are visible in the photographed leaves. The title leaf shows damage around the stitching, with exposed and loose threads. Text and drawings vary in intensity, with some faint areas and show-through. Please examine all five photographs.
