Science and Health. EDDY, Mary Baker.

First edition of the founding and foundational text of Christian Science, among the few Printing and the Mind of Man titles written by a woman. Against the backdrop of Darwinism and ever-mounting biblical criticism, Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) developed a theology in which reality was purely spiritual - the material world was an illusion, there was no divine creation of matter, and so God could be absolved of responsibility for human suffering: suffering which could be healed by spiritual means. The closer the adherent comes to the "mind of God" - as Jesus did - the greater their capacity to spark healing and cheat death - as Jesus did. The "science" of Christian Science was thus the wisdom of the eternal mind as revealed through Christ. One consequence of Eddy's vision of a spiritual reality was her insistence on a spiritual equality between men and women, and the organization she developed consistently placed its female members in key leadership positions. By the time of her death in 1910, that organization had grown to almost 100,000 members, one of the few successful religious movements founded by a woman. The first edition was published in a run of 1,000 copies. A number of errors were found after some had been issued, necessitating the errata leaf hastily inserted into the remaining copies. Grolier American 78; Heirs of Hippocrates 1875; Howes E42; Printing and the Mind of Man 363; Streeter 4281. Octavo. Errata leaf tipped in at rear and leaf 16-4 cancelled as usual. Original black pebble-grain cloth, rebacked with original spine laid down, spine lettered in gilt and ruled in blind, covers with decorative panel in blind. Housed in custom quarter brown morocco clamshell case. Three loosely inserted manuscript slips from an American bookseller. Erased ownership inscription to initial blank. Light bumping, inner hinges cracked but holding firm, minor foxing to otherwise fresh contents, short closed tear to outer margin of 18-12: a very good copy.