[STEINER, RUDOLF]. The East in the Light of the West. London & New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922.
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION; cloth bound, hardcover with dust jacket, octavo (19.5 x 13 x 3cm), pp. xxi, 222. English text - an authorised translation from the German. Bound in publisher's original blue cloth, half-title, supplied with the original and complete dust jacket. Condition: VERY GOOD. Binding tight and secure. Covers clean with very slight bumping to spine ends. Interior well-preserved with light spotting mostly to the fore edge. Dust jacket with trivial shelf wear. Without previous ownership markings. Scarce thus.
Notes: Rare first edition of the authorized English translation, from G. P. Putnam's Sons, rare publisher of Steiner, this copy bearing their small sticker to the front pastedown. Stated at copyright page: "First Published November, 1922. Made in Great Britain". Interestingly, Rudolf is misspelled "Rudolph" at cover titles, introductory and title-pages. Translated from shorthand reports unrevised by the lecturer. From preface by H. Collison dated September, 1922: "The translation of these lectures has been done chiefly by Mr. S.M.K. Gandell, who has already assisted me greatly in former translations, and by Miss. D. Osmond and convey my sincere thanks for their co-operation in a very difficult task". This volume contains nine lectures in which Steiner explores the ancient wisdom of the East and its spiritual metamorphosis as seen through the consciousness of the West. While controversial, Steiner roughly theorizes that Lucifer is a force which pulls humanity towards the ethereal, self, or ego, and Ahriman pulls humanity into the physical and carnal. Steiner then places Christ and Christ consciousness as an equilibrium between these opposing forces - the spiritual and the material - of corporeal existence. The nine lectures untitled here, but titled elsewhere are: "Preface; Introduction; Chapter I. Eternity and Time, August 23, 1909; Chapter II. Comparison of the Wisdom of East and West, August 24, 1909; Chapter III. The Nature of the Physical and the Astral Worlds, August 25, 1909; Chapter IV. Evolutionary Stages: Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth, August 26, 1909; Chapter V. The Children of Lucifer and the Brothers of Christ, August 27, 1909; Chapter VI. Lucifer and Christ, August 28, 1909; Chapter VII. The Luciferic Influence in History, August 29, 1909; Chapter VIII. The Nature of the Luciferic Influence in History, August 30, 1909; Chapter IX. The Bodhisattvas and the Christ, August 31, 1909." Printed by The Botolph Printing Works, 8 Gate Street, Kingsway.
