Out of the Crucibles
Boston: Meador Publishing Company, 1932. First edition. 8vo, 274pp. Frontis, illustrations. Publisher's navy cloth stamped in gilt. Spine dulled, corners bumped. Few check marks in blue ink throughout in the margins else clean and very good. Ownership stamps and signature of L.W. Larson at front and rear.
Very scarce and unusual Rosicrucian text with a particularly American prophetic bent. H. Spencer Lewis, founder of the AMORC, provides an introduction to the book and enthusiastically promoted it to the order's members. King envisioned the emergence of a new civilization from the ruins of the old, with America destined to play a central role in humanity's spiritual regeneration. He further predicted the eventual rediscovery of America's ancient history, the evidence of which is buried with the lost civilization of Atlantis.
A 1941 article in Rosicrucian Digest called "A Mark of Distinction" shows King's theories circulating for at least a decade. The article first quotes Lewis's introduction followed by King's preface:
Author’s Preface: 'I believe a new civilization is forming! I believe a great destiny is awaiting the American people. We are even now coming out of the Crucibles of the old world hatreds and ignorance, a composite people! . . . America will some day yield proof of its Ancient History (buried with Atlantis), and when this is revealed, the country without ancestry, may be acclaimed the germ of all civilizations.'"
OCLC cites just 8 holdings for this strange book.
Price: $300.00