1883 Calcutta: The Original Pamphlet of Eliphas Levi's Paradoxes of the Highest Science

The “Unpublished Writings of Eliphas Levi” were first published in various parts in the early issues of The Theosophist, a monthly journal by the international Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India, starting in 1879. The current edition was published independently by the Theosophical Society in Calcutta as a booklet under the title “The Unpublished Writings of Eliphas Levi,” part of the Theosophical Miscellaneous series.

The original pamphlet quickly went out of print after it was published. There are only a few institutional listings for it worldwide, explaining why this rare pamphlet is rarely seen on the market. This was Levi's first work to be separately published in English, translated directly from the original French manuscript by a "Student of Occultism" as mentioned on the title page. The work includes footnotes throughout the text by an "Eminent Occultist" or "E.O," which R.A Gilbert has suggested was Madame Blavatsky herself.

I have included photos of both the rare 1883 original pamphlet and the more commonly known 1922 Second Edition published by the Theosophical Society for the purpose of comparison and digital preservation. The 1922 edition has been frequently reprinted. The rare Calcutta pamphlet was bound in contemporary cloth-covered boards, which have surely contributed to its preservation. I acquired the pamphlet a few months ago from an associate bookseller based in Gauting, Germany, and have preserved all original receipts.

Bibliographic Information

Title: The Paradoxes of the Highest Science, Translated from the French Manuscript by a student of occultism (Theosophical Miscellanies No. 2)

Author: Eliphas Levi ( Alphonse Louis Constant)

Publication: 1883 by The Calcutta Central Press Company 1883; Calcutta

8vo. Collation (ii) 115 pp.