The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius

If you are looking for a more academic work, go with the Copenhaver translation. If you're a practitioner and you just want to get started on the path, this book is perfect. The translation is very clear and well-executed, and the ideas expressed are profound.

If you want to get into hermetiscism, this is the book you need to buy first. No exceptions.

I am a scholar of Religion, with expertise in the Hindu and Christian traditions, but I am also very familiar with the History of Philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to Plato to Augustine to the Scholastics to the Moderns and to the 19th and 20th century post-Kant philosophy. Recently, I have been studying more of the Gnostic Scriptures from Nag Hammadi, and I recently came across Hermes, Thoth, and the relation between Ancient Egypt and Platonic philosophy and Hinduism. Truly, this is an amazing resource! The rendition is so poetic and filled with emotional fervor for the ultimate reality. I'm amazed at how close the teachings in this book are to Advaita Vedanta mixed with a Platonic understanding of Nous. Really great!

I got it used as i often do for books, for different reasons than merely saving money....To whom affirms that this translation is bad because there's no chapter XV, that is exactly how the Corpus Hermeticum is supposed to be, for the following reason, as explained by Copenhaver:"The Chapter no. XV of early modern editions was once filled with an entry from the Suda (a tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia) and three excerpts from Hermetic works preserved by Joannes Stobaeus (fl. fifth century), but this chapter was left out in later editions, which therefore contain no chapter XV.Thats no more chapter XV in the Corpus Hermeticus.Not in this translation, nor in the Copenhaver translation, or in any other recent ttranslation.If you want you can do your diligent search and find the hidden text...

If you are a true student of spiritual matters, this book is indispensible. It coincides nicely with whatever religious tradition you come from, and opens up new vistas to ancient wisdom. This should be on the bookshelf of any Western thinker alongside the Bible, Plato, and Shakespeare. The edition is beautiful: their stated goal is to give a faithful translation that retains the conversational teacher-student dynamic of this pastoral text. I could think of many more nice things to say about this collection of the light of Thrice-Great Hermes.

A beautiful intro to the Greco-Egyptian mystical tradition. If your a Gnostic, Hermeticist, or Neoplatonist you should have this excellent work among your scrolls.

For anyone with an interest in alchemy or ancient spiritual thinking, this book is a must for every library; it is the very foundation of the Western alchemical tradition, spurred the renaissance, and indirectly established the Western scientific approach, though most scientists today would be loathe to admit it. There are also helpful and revealing sections on scholarship.

Wonderful book. Great reading. New translation, new interpretations! Use this book for inspirations and guide to remember my path! Bought two! One for my house and the other one in my car. (when my wife drives). Nice to meditate on, or just think about Poimandres, Hermes, Tat, Asclepius and my relationship to them and the Universe.Also very good for beginners! Try it you will like it!