Origins of I Ching Storyline

[Philippe Cordier]

Bloody exciting!   

I feel as though I've been witnessing an occult detective story unraveling online!  Someone could make a movie!   

[Philippe Cordier]

All things DS-related.    And there's even a chapter that makes reference to the I Ching, with all 64 hexagrams diagramed and the 49th hexagram circled. I'll defintely have to check that out again because, in part, the chapter says: "No. 49, the ko hexagram, is the one that got us into trouble."

MB, if you're anything like me you'll be up all night tonight devouring that book (but hopefully you have a little more practical sense ... )

Hope you'll report back with more detail regarding what you read ... would you be willing to summarize the relevant section on the I Ching?  What about the rest of the book -- many of the subjects (werewolves, etc.) are generic enough to be found in many books -- but are there other aspects of this one that directly link to Dark Shadows?

Thank you in advance for any further insights you might have.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Sorry to disappoint but I haven't really gotten to look at the book beyond a quick flip and a glance at the chapter titles. But once I do get a chance to look at it in depth, if there's anything worth posting about, I will. 

[Philippe Cordier]

I  have checked for the book in my university library system and unfortunately they don't have it.  I think I checked for it in Worldcat, too (I was checking for several things and now can't remember for sure) but don't think it was available through that system either (connecting university libraries worldwide).  Not sure I'd want to pay for it used unless it is really, REALLY, of interest to DS ... like, say, a Bible that the writers used for the show!

 

[Aristia]

If anyone is interested in purchasing the book, this is a good source:

Witchcraft: Its Power in the World Today
(hope I did that right....)

They have 20 or so copies listed, ranging from $2.50 paperbacks to over $50 for original hardcovers.

It's a nifty site.  I've been looking up old Lovecraft books on there.  I haven't ordered anything yet though, but this site was highly recommended to me by a book dealer, so I would guess they're reliable.

Thank you for postingthis information, Gothick!  I had always thought the idea of time travel via I Ching was an intriguing, but kinda silly idea, especially after reading up on the subject (Yup, the 1897 storyline made me run out & buy an I Ching book too - "I Ching in 10 Minutes" - woo hoo!  10 minutes & I too can travel to 1897    )


-Aristia
the usualy silent, but always here reading cousin

[MsCriseyde]

It's a nifty site.  I've been looking up old Lovecraft books on there.  I haven't ordered anything yet though, but this site was highly recommended to me by a book dealer, so I would guess they're reliable.

Abebooks is also one of Amazon's used booksellers, and my mother has ordered stuff from them via Amazon numerous times. Everything has always been exactly in the condition in which it was described (if not better), and their prices seem reasonable in comparison to the other used booksellers on Amazon (and she usually buys the cheapest copy she can get her hands on  ).

[Mysterious Benefactor]

They have 20 or so copies listed,

Interesting that they have several copies that say they were published in 1968, which would be about the time I bought my copy, but mine has the original 1940 copyright.

Too bad they don't have an image of the 1968 cover just to see if it was different.

[Heather]

Thanks for the additional info. on the I Ching Steve, MB, Aristia and MsCriseyde (and everyone else who commented)... 

My mom and brother will be fascinated to hear some of this...they went out and bought some I Ching books after seeing 1897 too (in my house, DS is a family affair ). LOL  And I always wondered how they may have come up with that particular time-traveling scenerio. Fascinating stuff! 

[Philippe Cordier]

They have 20 or so copies listed, ranging from $2.50 paperbacks to over $50 for original hardcovers.

It's a nifty site.  I've been looking up old Lovecraft books on there.  I haven't ordered anything yet though, but this site was highly recommended to me by a book dealer, so I would guess they're reliable.

Abebooks is indeed a reputable source, and is always my first online resource when I'm looking for out of print titles.  For example, last week I ordered the Isherwood screenplay (mass market paperback) for "Frankenstein: The True Story."  Near-fine condition, $5.

Still, not sure if I want to spend even that amount (plus postage) for the Witchcraft book unless there's a lot to the DS connections (like, say more than 1 page!).

I'd read descriptions very carefully of the condition of the book if you're at all fussy (as I am).  Abebooks is a consortium and you are dealing with many different booksellers.  For example, one book I was interested in was described as in "Very Good +" condition but then went on to describe "except for corners chewed by parrot."