author
Isaac Myer
1836–1902
A 19th-century lawyer with wide-ranging scholarly interests, he wrote on everything from American constitutional history to Jewish mysticism and ancient symbolism. His books reflect a restless, curious mind drawn to big questions across law, religion, and the ancient world.
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About the author
Born in 1836, Isaac Myer was an American attorney and author who worked in both Philadelphia and New York City. Alongside his legal career, he pursued research as an amateur historian and orientalist, and he was also active in Freemasonry.
His writing ranged widely. Archival and library records show that his published work included studies of U.S. constitutional history and federalism, as well as books on the Kabbalah, biblical history, Egyptian literature, and the symbolism of scarabs. Among his best-known books is Qabbalah (1888), and his surviving papers suggest just how deeply he investigated Jewish mysticism and related historical subjects.
What makes Myer interesting as an author is the mix of disciplines he brought together: legal argument, antiquarian research, religious thought, and comparative history. He died in 1902, leaving behind a body of work that feels both scholarly and unusually eclectic.