A New System, or, an Analysis of Ancient Mythology: Wherein an Attempt is made to divest Tradition of Fable; and to reduce the Truth to its Original Purity. [Bryant's Mythology].

BRYANT, Jacob.

A New System, or, an Analysis of Ancient Mythology: Wherein an Attempt is made to divest Tradition of Fable; and to reduce the Truth to its Original Purity. [Bryant's Mythology].

“The histories of the gods of Greece and Egypt are but memorials of men who once lived, magnified by the veneration of succeeding ages": First edition of Bryant's Mythology

London: Printed for T. Payne, Mews-Gate; P. Elmsly, in the Strand; B. White, in Fleet-Street; and J. Walter, Charing-Cross, 1774-1776.

$1,500.00

In Stock Item Number: RRB-149523

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First edition of Bryant's Mythology, one of the most ambitious eighteenth-century attempts to reconcile classical mythology with biblical and historical truth. Royal quarto, three volumes bound in full period calf, rebacked, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spines in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling and scrolling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, illustrated with numerous engraved plates of coins, antiquities, gems, and ancient historical sites including two extra plates after Cipriani, beautifully engraved by Bartolozzi. In very good condition with archival tape repairs to the front gutters of Vols. I and III, rebacked with restoration to the spine tips and hinges. Armorial bookplates to the pastedowns and verso of the front endpapers, neat period ownership initials.

Jacob Bryant’s A New System, or, an Analysis of Ancient Mythology (1774–76) represents one of the most ambitious eighteenth-century attempts to reconcile classical mythology with biblical and historical truth. Drawing upon comparative philology, antiquarian research, and theological reasoning, Bryant argued that the myths of Greece, Egypt, and the Near East derived from a single primeval tradition ultimately rooted in the narratives of Scripture. His synthesis sought to “divest tradition of fable,” positing that mythological figures and pagan deities were distorted memories of real historical events and patriarchal leaders. While later scholarship rejected many of his conclusions, Bryant’s work influenced contemporary debates on the origins of religion and the transmission of ancient knowledge, situating him as a significant figure in the intellectual transition between Enlightenment rationalism and Romantic historicism.