Gustav Davidson
Encyclopedia
Gustav Davidson was a poet, writer, and publisher.
Davidson attended Columbia University
in New York City and worked for the Library of Congress
.
classes and their roles. This was a popularised compendium of angelology from Talmud
and gnostic sources.
He also wrote articles on encounters with angels for example in the parapsychological Tomorrow magazine
of medium Eileen J. Garrett
.
In addition to the Dictionary, Davidson published several collections of his poems, including Songs of Adoration (1919), Twenty Sonnets (1926), Lilith
(1928), Mortal Hunger (1943), Thirst of the Antelope (1945), Moment of Visitation (1950), Ambushed by Angels & Other Poems (1965), and All Things Are Holy (1970). He wrote a dramatic adaptation of Melmoth the Wanderer
in collaboration with playwright Joseph Koven. As the titles of some of his works indicate, much of Davidson's verse is religious and spiritual in outlook and subject matter.
Davidson edited A Half Century of Sonnets (1924), and the 1950 collection In Fealty to Apollo for the Poetry Society of America
, an organization for which he served as Secretary. (The Society established a Gustav Davidson Memorial Award in his honor.) He also edited periodicals devoted to poetry: The Poetry Chapbook and Poet Lore: A Quarterly of World Literature. He headed Fine Editions Press and established and ran the Davidson Printing Corporation, both of which specialized in the publication of contemporary poetry.
Beyond the confines of poetry, Davidson wrote First Editions in American Juvenilia and Problems in Their Identification (1939) and other works on bibliography and book collecting
. He was also active as a translator and a book designer.
Davidson attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City and worked for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Works
He is today best remembered as the author of A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels, (1967) detailing the types of AngelAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
classes and their roles. This was a popularised compendium of angelology from Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and gnostic sources.
He also wrote articles on encounters with angels for example in the parapsychological Tomorrow magazine
Tomorrow (magazine)
-To-Morrow, rational magazine :To-Morrow magazine was founded 1903 as the Bulletin of the Morris Society, Chicago and changed its name to To-Morrow - A Monthly Handbook of the Changing Order in 1905. Two months after the name change the editor became Parker H. Sercombe who advertised as A Rational...
of medium Eileen J. Garrett
Eileen J. Garrett
Eileen J. Garrett was an Irish medium, founder of the Parapsychology Foundation in New York City, and a leading figure in the scientific study of paranormal phenomena during the mid-20th century.-Ireland:...
.
In addition to the Dictionary, Davidson published several collections of his poems, including Songs of Adoration (1919), Twenty Sonnets (1926), Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
(1928), Mortal Hunger (1943), Thirst of the Antelope (1945), Moment of Visitation (1950), Ambushed by Angels & Other Poems (1965), and All Things Are Holy (1970). He wrote a dramatic adaptation of Melmoth the Wanderer
Melmoth the Wanderer
Melmoth the Wanderer is a gothic novel published in 1820, written by Charles Robert Maturin .- Synopsis :...
in collaboration with playwright Joseph Koven. As the titles of some of his works indicate, much of Davidson's verse is religious and spiritual in outlook and subject matter.
Davidson edited A Half Century of Sonnets (1924), and the 1950 collection In Fealty to Apollo for the Poetry Society of America
Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...
, an organization for which he served as Secretary. (The Society established a Gustav Davidson Memorial Award in his honor.) He also edited periodicals devoted to poetry: The Poetry Chapbook and Poet Lore: A Quarterly of World Literature. He headed Fine Editions Press and established and ran the Davidson Printing Corporation, both of which specialized in the publication of contemporary poetry.
Beyond the confines of poetry, Davidson wrote First Editions in American Juvenilia and Problems in Their Identification (1939) and other works on bibliography and book collecting
Book collecting
Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given individual collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect...
. He was also active as a translator and a book designer.