In ancient Greece, the scent of perfume was thought to signal the presence of a god. Breeze of the Gods starts its exploration of perfume in ancient Greece in the realm of these gods, searching for the mythological origins of perfume in the nebulous and complex interaction of gods and men. From there, the exploration follows perfumes development in the secular world, examining ingredients, production techniques, trade relationships, and pottery.

The perfumes of ancient Greece held a resemblance, at least in ingredients, to what we would recognize as perfume today. Lilies, bergamot, thyme, saffron, and dozens of other substances played a role in perfume. In Greece, spices were more sought after for perfume than flowers, but both played significant roles in developing the scents of the time. Like today, a waft of perfume was not as simple as it seemed and carried with it complicated implications of wealth, social status, and social philosophy. The wealthy embraced perfume and the poor sought out cheaper forms to emulate the rich, causing a race to find more exotic ingredients that could be used to distinguish one's social standing from other perfume users.

The great thinkers of the time declared war on the substances, from Solon's legal reforms that made the production of perfume illegal to Socrates who contended that the odor of exercise was the proper emblem of a free man. Breeze of the Gods explores these olfactory aspects of ancient Greece and allows us to explore history with our sense of smell.

In an age of rampant globalisation the study of geopolitics assumes a crucial, and urgent, significance. While geopolitical considerations have always ruled imperial structures in the past, the present state of international politics, demands a renewed attention to the historical, economic, cultural and spiritual bases of the major empires of the European mainland. Western Europe, however, has been hampered in its natural development as the matrix of western civilisation by the severe calamities it suffered in the two world-wars.

Steuckers' essays are of particular importance in emphasising the western European role in genuine cultural development within and outside Europe.

The Everlasting Man is a two-part history of civilization, Christ, and Christianity, by G. K. Chesterton. Originally published in 1925, it is to some extent a deliberate rebuttal of H. G. Wells' Outline of History, disputing Wells' portrayals of human life and civilization as a seamless development from animal life and of Jesus Christ as merely another charismatic figure. Whereas Orthodoxy detailed Chesterton's own spiritual journey, in this book he tries to illustrate the spiritual journey of humanity, or at least of Western civilization. Considered to be Chesteron's finest work, he traces evolution not in terms of biology, but in terms of civilization. Chesteron's insights will leave the reader to wonder if the assertions of materialist history are true, or if we are overlooking another aspect of civilization, in which humanity has always been evolved. Beginning with primordial life in the cave, Chesterton questions if our ancestors were mere primitives, or if humans were effectively 'hard wired' from the beginning to be a spiritual animal. Chesterton will take the reader on a lightening tour through Ancient Greece, Rome and the Middle East in order to examine Christianity and polytheistic movements which existed side by side. The Everlasting Man is not only of value to the Christian reader, but also adherents of polytheism, as it also provides

Catherine (Katie) Langloh Parker (1 May 1856 - 27 March 1940) was a writer who lived in Northern New South Wales Australia in the late nineteenth century. She is best known for recording the stories of the Aboriginal people around her. Langloh Parker's early work with the Euahlayi Tribe provides the reader with a fascinating insight into Aborigine life in the early twentieth century. Saved by an Aboriginal as a child, her accounts of the Tribe provide them with a friendly representative amongst the European Settlers of Australia, in a period where they faced great persecution and disruption to their traditional of way of life. Her recordings contain the best known accounts of the Aboriginal people in North-West New South Wales. This book also contains the earliest written account of Byamee, the All-Father, casting doubt on the assertion that that the God was a construct of European missionaries. It is also a valuable historical insight into the daily life, folklore and culture of the Aborigines before they way of life disappeared forever under the cultural hegemony of Australian Colonialists. This new revised edition of her work also contains the original introduction by Andrew Lang, and has been updated to contain politically correct language and references appropriate to a modern audience.

Occult Traditions is the manifestation of the endeavours of scholars and practitioners alike exploring and challenging both historical and contemporary perspectives on the occult arts and sciences. The title of this book serves as a testimony for the occult acting as a designation of currents and traditions of esoteric philosophy, and magic as a participatory worldview manipulated as an instrument by the active person through the execution of the art and science of ritual, which is an extension grounded in the belief in magical powers within the self and other. Each page bears witness to aspects of occult traditions, which are in essence simultaneously meta-historical and dynamic, serving as an overall ordering force in service of the principles of the arcane correspondences that exist between the microcosm and the macrocosm.

This book is an awakening to the occult reality that since the dawn of ages men and women have sought a glimpse of gn sis within the awesome natural performance of ritual, the slithering flow of the elements, the sensational sounds of the spheres, the iconic form of dreams undreamt and now awoken, the irrational whispering of mystical verses, the silence of contemplation, and the passion-drenched erotic thirst for life, death, and rebirth. Unlike the priesthood of sterile logic and doctrinal faith, these men and women have been a visible representation of spiritual virility, of the human condition, and many times the romantic ethos, which many have convicted as an antinomian ethos, refusing, adapting, and also enchanting the dictates of conventional society, morality, and metaphysical culture. Thus, Occult Traditions invites the reader to journey along with the authors and conjurors, who have been generous enough to share their visions and gestures in this book, through various traditions relating to distinct historical developments, unique occult philosophies, and potent ritual practice.

Here the reader shall encounter summoning magical assistants and the presence of the mystery traditions in the Greek Magical Papyri; deification through the arcane process of drowning in the Greek Magical Papyri; an exploration of occult theology as a continuation of Neoplatonism; a historical analysis of the grimoire traditions and a search for the original source of the Key of Solomon; the Icelandic tradition of magic as presented in an eighteenth century grimoire; a comparative analysis of medieval and Renaissance angel magic; Canaanite views of death and necromancy; an exploration of the use and attributes of incenses throughout history; a consideration of the science of divining the will of the gods; Seth as god of chaos and equilibrium; Julius Evola's ideas concerning the formula of sex, magic, and power; Buddhist 'wizards' at war in Thailand; a critical examination of the role of sex, magic, and initiation in the Wiccan Great Rite; the dynamics of altering consciousness within the spiral maze of Wiccan ritual; a restoration of the Rite of the Headless One from the Greek Magical Papyri; the elements of being and becoming in Conversation with one's Holy Guardian Angel; the Eucharistic Feast of Agathodaimon; the Rite of the Solar and Lunar Mysteries of the Altar of Eros for the Consecration of the Talismans of Helios and Selene; the Calling and Adoration of Aion, and the Spell of the Mystic Flame; and finally the Hymnic Adoration and Invocation of Thoth, to whom this book belongs, as He is lord of magic and scribe of the gods.

Melpomene is a collection of poetry, prose and short fiction named after the Greek Muse of Tragedy. The central theme of the anthology is the beauty found in sorrow and the darker sides of human nature, drawing on literary traditions such as the 'Damned Poets', the Decadent Movement, Symbolism/Surrealism and the Fin de siècle.

Melpomene is broken into four sections: Liber Veneficium (Book of Magic), Liber Maeroris (Book of Sorrow), Liber Fatum (Book of Fate), and Liber Mortuorum (Book of Death). Each section contains both new and classic literature dealing with these themes.

Containing works both old and new, Melpomene offers a prime selection of works on the melancholic side of existence, the transformational beauty of the esoteric, occult secrets hidden in verse, sorrow, doom and the inevitable grasp of death. Melpomene will haunt the reader with a dark and unearthly beauty that is both forbidden and forlorn...

Authors include:

• Charles Baudelaire
• Paul Verlaine
• William Blake
• Edgar Allan Poe
• Emily Dickinson
• Gwendolyn Taunton
• Azsacra Zarathustra
• Math Jones
• Bernardo Sena
• J. Karl Bogartte
• C. B. Liddell
• James WF Roberts
• Christopher Pankhurst
• H. A. Cledones
• Tamas Nagyatadi Horvath
• L. Alexander Carle
• Bill Noble
• Marg Howlet
• Ivor Steven
• Gene Banyard

Primordial Traditions was the winner of the 2009 Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence. This new second edition of the original award winning collection features a selection of essays by Gwendolyn Taunton and other talented authors from the original periodical Primordial Traditions (2006-2010). The new version of Primordial Traditions offers a revised layout and a new binding. This edition also has content not contained in the original publication. The first section of Primordial Traditions deals with aspects of perennial philosophy covering the broader applications of the Primordial Tradition in the modern world. Alchemy, philosophy, civilization, the Kali Yuga, and even the problems afflicting the economy are addressed here from a traditional perspective. This section deals with the nature of the Primordial Tradition and how all True Spiritual Traditions consequently relate to it in this new philosophy of religion. The second section of the book then breaks down Traditions into geographic locations to discuss European, Eastern, Middle Eastern and South American Traditions at an advanced level. Topics covered here include: Tibetan Tantra, Sufism, Yezidi, Tantrism, Vedic Mythology, Theravada Buddhism, Thai Magic, Tantrism, Oneiromancy, Norse Berserkers, Runes, Celtic Mythology, Mithras, Hellenic Mythology and Mayan Ceremonial Astrology to name but a few fascinating obscurities. Content includes the following articles by Gwendolyn Taunton: Sophia Perennis: The Doctrine of Ascension, The Primordial Tradition, The Age of Darkness: Prophecies of the Kali Yuga, Mercury Rising: The Life & Writing of Julius Evola, Ars Regia: The Royal Art Revisited, Tantra: Fifth Veda or Anti-Veda?, Aesthetics of the Divine in Hinduism, Divine Mortality: Nataraja, Shankara & Higher Consciousness in the Imagery of Siva, Monks & Magic: The Use of Magic by the Sangha in Thailand, Does Practice Make One Perfected? The Role of gTum-mo in the Six Yogas of Naropa, Clarifying the Clear Light, Oneiromancy: Divination by Dreams, Of Wolves and Men: The Berserker and the Vratya, Ancient Goddess or Political Goddess? and The Black Sun: Dionysus in the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche & Greek Myth. Primordial Traditions also contains articles by Damon Zacharias Lycourinos, Matt Hajduk, Krum Stefanov, Bob Makransky and many more.....

A proper understanding of the significance of the cultic object called the Holy Grail has eluded most scholars who have confined their research to western European literary and cultural sources, especially since the originally Celtic story of the Holy Grail underwent numerous bewildering metamorphoses in the romances of the Middle Ages.

It was the Indologist Leopold von Schroeder's reading of the Grail story (1910) in the light of his knowledge of Indic mythology that first achieved a dramatic expansion of the field of Holy Grail scholarship. The only other scholar who developed a comprehensive comparative mythological study of the Grail was perhaps Julius Evola in his Il Mistero del Graal e la Tradizione Ghibellina dell'Impero (1937).

Schroeder's fascinating elucidation of some of the key symbols of the Grail legends using his knowledge of ancient Indian literature is amplified by Alexander Jacob's reconstruction of the cosmological basis of these symbols and his analysis of the solar rituals that characterized the diverse yet related religions of the ancient Indo-Europeans.

Twelve Resolutions For A Happy Life offers the reader a new insight into the philosophy of happiness. What is real, lasting happiness? What brings happiness? Is there a magical formula or recipe for achieving it?

Having found the secret of happiness in spirituality, the author shares her positive outlook on life by putting forth twelve resolutions as milestones on our path to bliss. Before striving to attain happiness, the author affirms, one needs to distinguish it from mere pleasure. Abir Taha thus redefines true happiness first and foremost as self-fulfilment. True happiness is a life of meaning and the attainment of one's Dharma, or life purpose. ''We are only truly happy when we are truly ourselves, '' she says. Love and self-fulfilment: these are the twin pillars of happiness. ''The highest love is love of the highest, '' writes Taha; happiness lies in realising our highest potential. The readers are invited to apply these twelve resolutions as twelve keys to revealing the best version of ourselves and removing the obstacles that hamper our quest for happiness, thus experiencing the Joy of Being.

Ambassador, Philosopher, Scholar, Author, Poet.

Dr. Taha Audi holds a PHD in Philosophy from the Sorbonne University, Paris, and a Master's degree in Political Science from the American University. A senior career diplomat, she has previously served in Geneva, Paris, and Tokyo, and was appointed Consul General in New York in 2019. In addition to her diplomatic and academic careers, Dr Audi is also an internationally published author of several books, translated into several languages, and numerous articles, in the fields of Philosophy, Spirituality, Politics, Poetry, and Literature, as well as several works on International Law and Organizations, most of which were adopted as official documents by the UN. Versed in philosophy and mysticism, the author espouses a spiritual worldview and believes that man's ultimate purpose and vocation in life is the fulfilment of his divine nature and destiny. Dr Taha speaks fluent English, French and German.

Some books published by the author:

• Rousseau, le dernier bon sauvage, ou l'âme de la République (Rousseau, the Last Good Savage, or the Soul of the Republic) (Dr Taha's PHD Thesis, to be published soon).
• Fallen Suns, Rising Stars.
• A Novel about Second Chances (Literary Talents, Amazon, USA, 2019).
• Twelve Resolutions for a Happy Life. A Manual of Happiness (Manticore Press, Australia, 2015).
• Verses of Light (Arktos, London, 2014).
• Defining Terrorism: The End of Double Standards - Towards a universal definition of terrorism (Arktos, London, 2014). The book was translated into Portuguese and published in Brazil.
• The Epic of Arya - In Search of the Sacred Light (Author House, USA, 2009; second edition: Arktos, London, 2016).
• Nietzsche, Prophet of Nazism: The Cult of the Superman (Author House, USA, 2005). The book was translated into Portuguese and published in Brazil.
• Le Dieu à Venir de Nietzsche, ou la Rédemption du Divin (Editions Connaissances et Savoirs, Paris, 2005). The book was translated into English under the title Nietzsche's Coming God, or the Redemption of the Divine, and published by Arktos in London in 2013. It was also translated into Spanish.

Facebook page: Ambassador Dr Abir Taha - Author.

Following his English language literary debut Ernst J nger - A Portrait, author Lennart Svensson concentrates his focus on another controversial character, Richard Wagner. In Richard Wagner - A Portrait Svensson offers a well-rounded biography of Richard Wagner's life and work. As a long-term admirer of Wagner's music, Svensson is also unafraid to look at the controversial aspects of the composer's life - including his relations with Friedrich Nietzsche and the influence his music would come to have in German Nationalist circles and in the work of the Italian poet d'Annunzio.

In addition to relating the personal history of Wagner in the biography, Svensson also examines the compositions themselves, such as:

• The Fairies
• Rienzi
• The Flying Dutchman
• Tannhauser
• Lohengrin
• Wieland the Smith
• Tristan and Isolde
• The Master-Singers of Nuremberg
• The Ring of the Nibelung
• Parsifal

Svennson's new biography on Wagner also provides an in-depth analysis of the themes that Wagner chose to work with in his compositions; forbidden love, Teutonic mythology, the Grail saga, and tragedy.

Lennart Svensson holds a BA in Indology and his previous works include Antropolis and Camouflage. Ernst J nger - A Portrait was his debut in English.

The story of what happened to the Norse people who inhabited the West Settlement of Greenland is one that is shrouded in mystery. Based on a true story, this historical epic provides a new explanation as to what befell the Norse people in Greenland. Faced with a harsh climate and unknown lands, the people of West Greenland one day disappeared. Their empty homes were discovered by Christians who claimed that the natives had killed them. But is this true, or is it one of history's greatest cover ups? Author A. S. Lyons weaves together a tale of intrigue and deception which offers an alternative explanation to the tragedy that befell the Norse people of Greenland's West Settlement. In this fictional narrative A. S. Lyons presents us with a picture of a proud Norse people struggling against some of the most vicious and unscrupulous villains since Game of Thrones. The Last Norse of West Greenland presents the reader with a new saga for Vikings facing a new and dangerous world, where old Norse ways come into harsh and brutal conflict with the new power of the Church, Inuit, and even with the far flung shores of exotic Vinland.

Borderline: A Traditionalist Outlook for Modern Man is an ambitious attempt to create a synthesis of everything. Borderline aims to unite Man with God, Action with Being, East with West, and Mind with Matter. Borderline successfully fuses ethics with ontology, the detail with the whole, body with soul, and reason with intuition.

It is the integration of the traditional with the modern, the active with the inactive, and the spirit with the symbol. In Borderline author Lennart Svensson shapes the Traditionalist and Perennial world-view into a form which is suitable for contemporary living, fusing together the cultural spheres of art/religion and science, into a holistic and spiritual philosophy. Borderline tries to rectify the rift between the famed two cultures of C. P. Snow which have constructed a false dichotomy between the technological-scientific and the humanistic-philosophical fields of research. Borderline also contains chapters on Plotinus and symbolism, a criticism of scientific reductionism, and a look into the metaphysics of physics. The book also features essays on the integral world-view of Jung and Nietzsche, along with Rudolf Steiner's Christology and notes on an ethics based on ontology. The study also presents some conceptual aspects of artists like T. S. Eliot, Caspar David Friedrich, and Edith S dergran - the Finnish-Swedish poet who was more Nietzschean than Nietzsche himself.

The Bhagvad Gita occupies an intermediate position between scripture and theology; for it combines the poetical qualities of the first with the clear-cut methodical nature of the second... one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the Perennial Philosophy ever to have been made. Hence its enduring value, not only for India but for all mankind. ― Aldous Huxley

The Bhagvad Gita (also called the Bhagavad Gita) forms a central part of the Mahabharata, the most popular epic of India. It is also part of the Bhishmaparva. The Mahabharata tells the story of the feud between the sons of Dhrutrashtra (Kauravas) and the sons of Pandu (Pandavas).

The Bhagvad Gita itself is a highly philosophical narrative between Krishna and Arjuna on duty, spiritual matters, and the nature of the divine. Arjuna, faced with his duty as a warrior to fight in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas, is instructed by Krishna to fulfill his Kshatriya (warrior) duty and follow the Dharma. The Bhagvad Gita combines the concept of Dharma with other important teachings such as Sankhya, yoga, bhakti, and detachment from the fruits of action. This version of the Bhagvad Gita is a new translation, and is Raghupati Bhatt's tenth book.

Science Fiction Seen from the Right takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the political dimensions of both the science fiction and fantasy genres, exploring aspects which have been ignored in mainstream and popular literary analysis. The book takes a profound look at 20th-century science fiction and fantasy, focusing on works which have a discernible relation to eternal values such as faith, responsibility, duty, honor, courage and self-restraint. Lennart Svensson reveals a deep knowledge of both science fiction and fantasy works.

No matter how the reader feels about the political Right, they will certainly appreciate the depth and research the author has poured into this lengthy book and his erudite insights into the political questions surrounding their work. Svensson offers an interesting and unique perspective on popular science fiction and fantasy works that places them in a different contextual meaning for the reader, which will be of value and interest to any fan of the genre.

Svensson includes some of the most well-known authors in Science Fiction Seen from the Right and examines them from the perspective of the Conservative and Traditionalist Right, including:

• Robert A. Heinlein
• Frank Herbert
• C. S. Lewis
• J. R. R. Tolkien
• George Orwell
• Aldous Huxley
• Ernst Junger
• Michael Moorcock
• Arthur C. Clarke
• J. G. Ballard
• Robert E. Howard
• H. P. Lovecraft
• Edgar Rice Burroughs
• Jorge Luis Borges
• Carlos Castaneda
• Ayn Rand
• Ray Bradbury
• Philip K. Dick
• H. R. Giger
• Star Wars

Primordial Traditions was the winner of the 2009 Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence. This new second edition of the original award winning collection features a selection of essays by Gwendolyn Taunton and other talented authors from the original periodical Primordial Traditions (2006-2010). The new version of Primordial Traditions offers a revised layout and a new binding. This edition also has content not contained in the original publication.

The first section of Primordial Traditions deals with aspects of perennial philosophy covering the broader applications of the Primordial Tradition in the modern world. Alchemy, philosophy, civilization, the Kali Yuga, and even the problems afflicting the economy are addressed here from a traditional perspective. This section deals with the nature of the Primordial Tradition and how all True Spiritual Traditions consequently relate to it in this new philosophy of religion.

The second section of the book then breaks down Traditions into geographic locations to discuss European, Eastern, Middle Eastern and South American Traditions at an advanced level. Topics covered here include:

• Tibetan Tantra
• Sufism
• Yezidi
• Tantrism Vedic Mythology
• Theravada Buddhism
• Thai Magic
• Tantrism Oneiromancy
• Norse Berserkers
• Runes
• Celtic Mythology
• Mithras
• Hellenic Mythology
• Mayan Ceremonial Astrology

Content includes the following articles by Gwendolyn Taunton:

Sophia Perennis: The Doctrine of Ascension, The Primordial Tradition, The Age of Darkness: Prophecies of the Kali Yuga, Mercury Rising: The Life & Writing of Julius Evola, Ars Regia: The Royal Art Revisited, Tantra: Fifth Veda or Anti-Veda?, Aesthetics of the Divine in Hinduism, Monks & Magic: The Use of Magic by the Sangha in Thailand, Does Practice Make One Perfected? The Role of gTum-mo in the Six Yogas of Naropa, Clarifying the Clear Light, Oneiromancy: Divination by Dreams, Of Wolves and Men: The Berserker and the Vratya, Ancient Goddess or Political Goddess? and The Black Sun: Dionysus in the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche & Greek Myth.

Primordial Traditions also contains articles by Damon Zacharias Lycourinos, Matt Hajduk, Krum Stefanov, Bob Makransky and many more.....

Raghupati Bhatt is a former writer for the Navhind Times of Goa, India. He published a series of articles in the Navhind Times under the title Glimpses of India's Glorious Past. In India's Glory, Raghupati Bhatt expands on these articles to present a revised edition of India's rich and vibrant past. He provides an analysis of Indian history free from the influence of the British Colonial mindset which still pervades in many academic circles even today. India is presented from the view of its own people and their culture, highlighting the greatest events which have come together to form India as a nation.

Spanning the history of India from the times of Alexander the Great through to Gandhi, India's Glory encompasses the unique points of Indian history and the strong characters that created and inspired these events. Raghupati Bhatt doesn't just include the political leaders and royalty either; India's greatest philosophers, poets, and spiritual leaders are all allocated the prominent place in history and the prestige they have earned. Buddhism, Jainism, Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Ramakrishna, and Vivekananda are all included in the historical narrative, along with the Bhakti Movement. Kalidasa, the Shakespeare of India, is also recognized for his valuable contribution to India's cultural heritage.

From the foundations of the Mauryan Empire, we see Emperor Chandragupta and Kautilya/Chanakaya and the unification of India for the first time to drive back Alexander the Great. Then we are introduced to the life of Asoka the Great, the royal patron of the Buddha. In this perspective, we are also introduced to the political influence of both Jainism and Buddhism. Then the reader is taken on a tour of the legendary kings Samudragupta and Vikramaditya, the Rajputs, Akbar the Great, the Peshwas, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Freedom Fighters, and a score of other fascinating historical characters who all occupy a prime position in India's history - whether it be a political, spiritual, philosophical, or literary achievement.

India's Glory is a must have book for anyone who is interested in the historical, cultural, or religious heritage of India.

Twenty Tales on the Political Economy of Quality is a highly philosophical dissertation written in the context of a series of dialogues. This is no fiction, however, as far as the content is concerned. Twenty Tales on the Political Economy of Quality is an attempt to go beyond the modern epistemological framework on economic matters, based in one way or another, either on collectivism, whatever its label or on dogmatic liberalism or subjectivism. Currently the traditional pre-modern narrative as a whole seldom goes beyond a mere judgement of value on economic matters, and as a result the way economic activity is really taking place is either ignored or bypassed. In Twenty Tales on the Political Economy of Quality the author has followed the metaphysical or perennial point of view as consistently as possible. Being in possession of the Elixir of Life, the main protagonists of the book wander throughout the world for centuries. They meet at random in Geneva's 'Cornavin' rail road station in 2012 and adopt the nicknames Pangloss and Cacambo, since they remember having conversion in a coffee shop of the 18th century Venice, where Cacambo was reading Voltaire's novel 'Zadig'. There is a difference between them. Whereas Pangloss is in possession of the Elixir in both of its dimensions, the one extending the physical lifespan and the other making possible the transmutation of metals into gold, Cacambo has no access to transmutation. Pangloss makes the promise of donating gold to Cacambo, but as the operation making transmutation possible, happens to take place only in particular points in time, they converse on the world of the present in the expectation of the moment when Cacambo will receive his portion of gold. Since space seems to be full of living beings invisible to the naked eye, as modern microscopes may attest, the main characters of the story encounter various figures along the way. Being naturally predisposed by their condition to observation and detachment, Pangloss and Cacambo embark on a journey to New York, where they expose their respective views on the modern economy and society. In the eyes of Pangloss, there is one and one only reality: the reality of the present moment, where it intersects the various strings of a single knot. That is why he often departs from the main subject on the modern economy only to come back later on with a still enhanced version of this same subject. What is in the first half of the book is a representation of the new material conditions brought forth by modern and at this point post-modern mode of production and exchange of goods, as well as a comparison with the conditions of the time when the protagonists met in the first place, the late 18th century. In the second half this becomes a description of the causes, dealing with International Trade and Finance that made this new, at the present stage, global reality, possible to take place. When Pangloss and Cacambo board an ocean liner on their way back to Europe, they are already about to conclude the subject of the modern economy with reflections on the way to put an end to the on-going global economic crisis. Pangloss is following once again the natural outcome of his point of view by referring to the very idea of substance as the compass of present day reality and economy, indeed in the same way as the compass of their boat is an essential attribute for the transatlantic crossing, leading to a successful arrival on the shores of its next destination.