Most Popular Books by Thomas Taylor

Reproduction of the original, first published in 1804. Early 19th-century British classical commentary. A profound Platonist treatise introducing the foundational metaphysical concepts, ethical frameworks, and symbolic systems of Plato's works.

Remote and thinly populated, Maine has been insulated from many of the demo-graphic and economic trends of states to the south. But Maine Politics and Government shows how rapidly this situation is changing. In the 1970s and 1980s, Maine?once dependent on agriculture, manufacturing, and maritime trades?underwent extensive commercial development. High-tech businesses and fashionable suburbs, concentrated in the southern counties, began to assert a new political force. The authors of this book view these changes in the context of the state's long history. Although Maine's population and economy have become more diversified, its public policies more complex, and its government more professionalized and centralized, there remains a remarkable degree of stability in political attitudes. And Maine still operates under its original 1819 constitution; the amendments added over time have largely maintained its original structure while allowing for changing conditions. This book illumi-nates the workings of Maine's executive, legislative, and judicial branches and its relations with the federal government, as well as local concerns, without losing sight of the Pine Tree State's uniqueness.

In this fifth and final tale, the arrival of a team of cryptozoologists sets off a series of events that could reveal the deepest secrets of Eerie-on-Sea—and the truth about shipwrecked orphan Herbert Lemon. It’s Midwinter again in Eerie-on-Sea, when legend claims the terrifying Malamander emerges to hunt—and search for its long-lost mate. It’s the anniversary of daring Violet Parma’s arrival in Eerie; a year later, she still hasn’t found her missing parents, just as anxious Herbert Lemon has learned little else about why he washed up on the shore in a crate of lemons. What’s more, the creators of the Anomalous Phenomena podcast have dropped anchor in town and are fishing around for Eerie secrets. Keeping ahead of the podcasters, Herbie and Violet set sail for the dangerous “Treasure Island,” where villain Sebastian Eel’s own sister mysteriously vanished years ago. Will they discover the heart of Eerie-on-Sea’s mysteries, or will Herbie and Violet be the next to disappear? Like a visit to an old boardwalk arcade, this conclusion to the spooky, fantastical series will leave readers shivering with fright and delight.

The Syrian philosopher Iamblichus is famous for his accounts of ancient religious traditions: this book contains Thomas Taylor's translations of his commentaries regarding Egypt, Assyria and Chaldea. Containing many references to the mystical philosophies of the ancients, Iamblichus? writings are considered early accounts of theurgic traditions for their description of magical rituals and ceremonies. His descriptions hold clues to the origins and development of religious thought - particularly pagan ideas regarding burial, the afterlife, and the transition of the soul from matter to spirit. Taylor is keen to replicate the veneration and respect which Iamblichus had for earlier traditions: both author and translator share a devotion to Neoplatonist thought, and it is in the spirit of these philosophical ideas that these insights upon antiquity are presented in English.

In the second fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea, Herbert and Violet team up to solve the mystery of Gargantis — an ancient creature of the deep with the power to create life-threatening storms. There's a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair. And it just might be in the Lost-and-Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, in the care of one Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder. With the help of the daring Violet Parma, ever-reliable Herbie will do his best to figure out what the Gargantis wants and who stole her treasure in the first place. In a town full of suspicious, secretive characters, it could be anyone!

the Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries, it is proper to insert a few words of explanation. These observances once represented the spiritual life of Greece, and were considered for two thousand years and more the appointed means for regeneration through an interior union with the Divine Essence. However absurd, or even offensive they may seem to us, we should therefore hesitate long before we venture to lay desecrating hands on what others have esteemed holy. We can learn a valuable lesson in this regard from the Grecian and Roman writers, who had learned to treat the popular religious rites with mirth, but always considered the Eleusinian Mysteries with the deepest reverence.

The Hymns of Orpheus Thomas Taylor - The Orphic Hymns are a set of pre-classical poetic compositions, attributed to the culture hero Orpheus, himself the subject of a renowned myth. In reality, these poems were probably composed by several different poets. Reminiscent of the Rig-Veda, the Orphic Hymns contain a rich set of clues about prehistoric European mythology. This translation by Thomas Taylor, a British neo-Platonist classicist, is of additional interest for its introduction and extensive footnotes, which discuss in great detail Taylors' philosophy.

In Ignes Fatui, Charles Thomas Taylor examines various misapprehensions and misconceptions that interfere with clear rational thought. The title of the book, a loanword from Medieval Latin, means “foolish fires”—lights that occasionally appear in the nighttime over marshy ground and are frequently attributable to the combination of gases emitted by decomposed organic matter. The term is sometimes used in modern times to suggest deceptive thoughts, goals, or hopes. The first four chapters of Ignes Fatui consider various common illusions that interfere with sound objective thought in society. The fifth and final chapter considers the illusions that prevent and consequently forestall any form of effectual subjective thinking in personal life. The primary objective of the book is to attempt to improve rational thought and thereby reverse the general decline of faith in the power of reason today.

In the fourth tale in this beloved series, villainous Sebastian Eels returns to Eerie-on-Sea, thrusting Herbie and Violet into a new adventure involving a missing girl, a spooky wax museum, and a dangerous clockwork robot. Herbie Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, and his fearless friend Violet Parma have unearthed many secrets in their village of Eerie-on-Sea: secrets lurking beneath the waves, lapping onto the beaches, and lying behind locked doors. When their brilliant and ruthless nemesis, Sebastian Eels, returns with a plan to open the long-shuttered waxworks museum, Herbie and Violet suspect nefarious motives. Their investigation leads them into the dark Netherways below the town—and into the tragic past of the famous toymaker and inventor Ludovic Festergrimm and his doomed daughter, Pandora. Sebastian Eels is convinced that within the story of Festergrimm is the key to Eerie’s deepest secret—a secret in which Herbie himself plays a crucial part—and he’ll stop at nothing to uncover it, including bringing a terrifying clockwork legend back to life. With echoes of fairy tales and monster movies, plus a dismembered finger or two, this is a deliciously creepy addition to a fantastical mystery series that is perfectly calibrated to thrill middle-grade readers.

Step into the shadowed halls of ancient wisdom where mathematics meets mysticism, and philosophy transforms into a sacred way of life. Thomas Taylor's magnificent translation unveils the legendary biography of Pythagoras by Iamblichus, revealing the extraordinary journey of history's most enigmatic philosopher-sage. This isn't merely an academic exercise but a portal into a world where numbers hold divine secrets, where geometric patterns unlock cosmic truths, and where the pursuit of knowledge becomes a spiritual quest that transcends ordinary human existence. Within these pages, the figure of Pythagoras emerges not as a distant historical curiosity, but as a revolutionary teacher whose influence shaped the very foundations of Western thought. Taylor's masterful work presents rare fragments of Pythagorean ethical writings in their original Doric dialect, preserving the authentic voice of this mysterious brotherhood. The collection of Pythagoric sentences from Stobaeus and other ancient sources creates an atmosphere of initiation into forbidden knowledge, where each aphorism carries the weight of centuries and the promise of enlightenment. These teachings reveal a philosophy that seamlessly weaves together mathematical precision, ethical purity, and metaphysical insight into a unified vision of reality. For modern seekers of wisdom, this treasure trove offers something extraordinary: direct access to one of humanity's most influential yet misunderstood traditions. Whether you're drawn to the intersection of science and spirituality, fascinated by ancient mystery schools, or seeking philosophical frameworks that honor both reason and intuition, this work delivers profound insights that remain startlingly relevant. Taylor's scholarship bridges the ancient and contemporary worlds, making these timeless teachings accessible to anyone ready to explore the deeper currents of human understanding and discover how mathematical harmony reflects the very structure of existence itself.

A quirky, creepy fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea finds a colorful cast of characters in hot pursuit of a sea monster thought to convey a surprising gift. It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost and Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor. It seems that Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age, lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby, and she’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find them. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued at that moment by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander — a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true — is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? This lighthearted, fantastical mystery, featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, kicks off a trilogy of fantasies set in the seaside town.

In The Life of St. Samson of Dol, historian and translator Thomas Taylor presents a vivid and faithful rendition of one of the earliest and most important hagiographies of the Celtic Church. Based on a sixth-century Latin text, this work recounts the remarkable life of Saint Samson — monk, missionary, and abbot — whose journey carried the light of Christianity from Wales to Brittany during the dawn of medieval Europe. Taylor's translation restores the freshness and dignity of the original narrative while providing historical commentary that situates Samson within the broader context of Celtic monasticism and early British Christianity. Through detailed narrative and scholarly insight, the book captures both the spiritual vigor and human warmth of its subject. Samson emerges as a man of vision and discipline: a miracle worker, peacemaker, and founder who bridged cultures and languages in a fractured post-Roman world. Taylor's careful introduction and notes illuminate the historical reality behind the legend, showing how lives like Samson's shaped the moral and cultural identity of the Celtic lands. At once biography, translation, and historical study, The Life of St. Samson of Dol is a cornerstone of early Christian literature and a treasure for readers interested in the roots of monastic devotion and the transmission of faith across the sea lanes of early medieval Europe.