John M. Allegro | Paperjacks / General Publishing Co. Ltd., Don Mills | Canadian Paperback Edition, 1971 | ISBN 0-7737-1000-0
One of the most controversial works of twentieth-century biblical scholarship - and one of the most persistently fascinating. Originally published in 1970, John Marco Allegro's The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross argued that early Judeo-Christian religion had its origins in ancient Near Eastern fertility cults centred on the ritual use of the Amanita muscaria mushroom, and that the stories and figures of the New Testament, including Jesus, were mythological constructs encoding this cultic tradition in coded Sumerian-derived language.
The book provoked immediate and extraordinary controversy. Fifteen prominent British philologists and theologians publicly denounced it. Allegro's UK publisher issued a formal apology. Allegro himself resigned his position at the University of Manchester. And yet the book never disappeared. It remained in print through numerous editions and translations, attracted a devoted following, and has enjoyed renewed attention in recent decades through its influence on writers and thinkers in the psychedelics-and-religion space.
This is the first Canadian paperback edition, published by Paperjacks (a division of General Publishing Co. Limited, Don Mills) in 1971 - the same year as the original UK and US releases. A study of the nature and origins of Christianity within the fertility cults of the ancient Near East, 349 pages.
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross
Author: John M. Allegro
Publisher: Paperjacks / General Publishing Co. Limited, Don Mills
Edition: Canadian Paperback Edition
Year: 1971
ISBN: 0-7737-1000-0
Pages: 349
Format: Paperback
Condition
Very Good Plus (VG+). Tight binding with no cracking or splitting. Pages clean and bright with no markings or highlighting. Cover shows light shelf wear consistent with age but remains bright and presentable. Previous owner's name inscribed on inside front leaf.
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