Easter; Its Story and Meaning
New York: Henry Schuman, 1950. First edition. Original pearl gray cloth (8 3/4 inches tall), decorated spine and front baord, cream endpapers, original dust jacket. Very slight toning to unclipped dust jacket. About Fine. Item #1696
"THE STORY OF EASTER IS NOT SIMPLY A CHRISTIAN STORY"
First edition of Alan Watts's illustrated study of Christianity's holiest Feast—and its pagan origins in man's ancient fascination with the cycle of death and rebirth. A bright, fresh copy in the scarce original dust jacket illustrated by Watts.
Ordained as an Episcopalian priest in 1944, Watts received a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (his thesis was later published as Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion) and served as the Episcopal chaplain at nearby Northwestern University.
Easter: Its Story and Meaning was published in the same year that Watts would leave the priesthood (and the Church). The text consists of 11 chapters: I. What is Easter? 2. The Mysterious Egg, 3. Spring and the Sun Cycle, 4. The Gods Who Died and Rose, 5. The Ancient Mysteries, 6. The Lamb of God, 7. The Easter Calendar, 8. "He is Risen!" 9. A Thousand Years After, 10. Easter in Folklore, 11. The Secret of the Symbols.
Besides the dust jacket, Watts also designed illustrated headpieces for each chapter—and a corresponding key ("Explanations to the Headpieces / drawn by the author")—which is placed after the short Preface ("Alan W. Watts / Evanston, Illinois / October 1949"). "It is true," Watts says, "that for more than fifteen hundred years the feast of Easter has celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But not only is the very name 'Easter' the name of an ancient and non-Christian deity; the season itself has also, from time immemorial, been the occasion of rites and observances having to do with the mystery of death and resurrection among peoples differing widely in race and religion." The book is also illustrated with a frontispiece ("The Resurrection / Albrecht Durer, 1510") and five additional black-and-white plates on the theme of the Resurrection. Designed by Marshall Lee and issued as part of the publisher's Great Religious Festivals Series, which also included studies of Christmas, Passover, and Thanksgiving. With an Index.
Price: $500.00