RAGNAROK: THE AGE OF FIRE AND GRAVEL - DONNELLY - Limited Ed of 6000 Copies 1883

RAGNAROK: THE AGE OF FIRE AND GRAVEL — By Ignatius Donnelly — 1st Edition/1st Printing, Limited Edition of 6000 Copies, 1883 — Atlantis Comet Theory

Publisher: D. Appleton and Company, New York (1883)

In well preserved condition. The boards and binding are solid and tight save for light shelfwear, and one bumped corner and wear to top and bottom of spine. The pages are crisp and clean. Brown boards with gilt decorations and on spine. 452 pages and illustrated, followed by publisher ads at rear. First edition/first printing, limited to 6000 copies, 1883. "Ragnarok: The Age of Fire and Gravel" is a companion to the more well-known work by Donnelly, "Atlantis: The Antediluvian World." In "Ragnarok," Donnelly argues that an enormous comet hit the earth 12,000 years ago, resulting in widespread fires, floods, poisonous gases, and unusually vicious and prolonged winters. The catastrophe destroyed a more advanced civilization, forcing its terrified population to seek shelter in caves. As cave-dwellers, they lost all knowledge of art, literature, music, philosophy, and engineering. He indicates many legends and myths from various cultures, such as Zoroastrian, Pictish, Hindu, and Ancient Greece, that are all suggestive of a comet striking the earth, the earth catching fire, poisonous gases choking people, and floods and tidal waves swamping large areas. He also discusses early culture's tendency to heliotheism, which he said evolved from gratitude to the Sun, after so many horrific days without it.