Available for the first time in paperback, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke's eminently readable translation of Ernst Benz' classic work of scholarship stands as one of the most comprehensive biographies of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772).

The Five Ages: Swedenborg's View of Spiritual History presents a compelling spiritual and psychological history of human evolution through extracts from the works of the eighteenth-century Swedish philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, neatly linking them with an engaging and informative commentary that places the ideas within the context of modern historical and archaeological knowledge.

A reference work that no publisher, library or academic of Swedenborg should be without, featuring bibliographic details of Swedenborg editions spanning over 300 years. The Bibliography contains a wealth of useful and fascinating information, revealing, beneath the astonishing depth of its data, the stories and trends behind the reception of Swedenborg's works across the globe.