Weiser Antiquarian Books Catalog # 25.

A Holiday Miscellany.

IMPORTANT. Please note that this is an out-of-date catalog and is stored here for interest's sake only. Many of the books listed have already sold. Those that are still available are listed in the searchable database on the main page of our website at http://www.weiserantiquarian.com , or you can inquire direct by email

For those using Internet Explorer, this catalog is best viewed with the text size set to 'larger' (to do this go to the drop down menu 'View' in the tool bar, click on 'text size' and select 'larger').

Welcome to this, the twenty-fifth of our on-line catalogs. This is another of what we have termed our "Holiday Miscellanies:" that is a varied selection of books that we feel would make ideal holiday gifts, either as a treat for one-self or as an unusual present for another special person.

Unusually for us, the books in this catalog are arranged under a variety of subheadings: Amulets & Talismans, Astrology, Bibliography. Buddhism, Edgar Cayce, Cambridge Platonists, Comparative Religion, Conspiracy Theories, Crystal-Gazing & Scrying, Curious, Death, Demonology, Dragons, Egyptian Religion, Erotic Art, Fascination, Folklore, Fourth Way, Freemasonry, Gnosticism, Grail Legends, Kenneth Grant, Gypsies, Illuminati, Inquisition, Kabbalah, Knots, Literature, Magic, Mythology, Native American Religion & Healing, Rosicrucianism, Salesmanship & Fundamentalism, Serpent Worship, Austin Osman Spare, Stonehenge, Tarot, Teachers, Theosophy, True Crime, Vampires, Voodoo, Arthur Edward Waite, Witchcraft, etc. The one common theme is that most are unusual or rare. Of course the categories we have assigned to them are pretty arbitrary, so we hope you will find the time to browse at leisure through all the categories, never knowing what treasure might be hiding in an unexpected place.

A number of the books in the catalog are signed or inscribed by their authors, or have a significant ownership history or provenance. Of particular interest amongst these is a handsomely bound copy of John G. Bourke's, The Medicine - Men of the Apache (1892) , with two related letters from Bourke, a serving Officer of the Third US Cavalry, tipped in. The copy of A. E. Waite's Strange Houses of Sleep (1906) , that is listed has a significant ten line signed and dated inscription in Waite's hand, concerning his ideas on mystical experience, whilst a copy of S. L. Bensusan's, April. A Book of Minor Verse (1928) , has come from Waite's own library, and carries Bensusan's warm inscription to him.

Other books in the catalog include E. A. Wallis Budge's magnificent set of The Book of the Dead , in the huge two volume edition: that is the one with the color plate volume so large that it virtually requires its own table. Less imposing but still significant are a nice early edition (1825-1826) of de Plancys Dictionnaire Infernal , one of the major source works of Demonology in the early nineteenth century, and the First Edition, with cover art by Aubrey Beardsley, of Arthur Machen's classic of occult terror, The Great God Pan and The Inmost Light (1894) . For sheer visual effect it would be difficult to overlook the splendid edition of Augustino Van Staveren's collection of Latin Fables, Auctores Mythographi Latini (1742) , with its magnificent vellum binding, and charming illustrations on fresh, creamy pages.

Those whose tastes might be considered a little quirkier have not been overlooked. There are two unusual books on death: one Buried Alive (1895) by the well known occult author Franz Hartmann, is a study of the problem of premature burial, a subject that was no laughing matter given the more rudimentary knowledge of physiology and the mechanics of death when it was written. The other, by Bertram S. Puckle, Funeral Customs Their Origin and Development (1926) , is a serious yet entertaining history of the customs and practices which surround the physical fact of death. On somewhat lighter note, but no less unsual, are The Secrets of Mahatma Land (circa 1890) , by Samri S. Baldwin, a stage magician who delighted in exposing the 'trickery of the eastern sages' and mocking the Theosophists, and The Oera Linda Book (1876) , supposedly a translation of an ancient Frisian manuscript, which gave a radically different account of ancient history, and was hailed variously as a revelation and a hoax.

As usual we have a number of other catalogs in preparation. Our next one, due out shortly, will be another of our specialist catalogs of Books by and about Aleister Crowley. If time allows we will also try to send out a short list of Holiday Specials just before Christmas, with some reasonably-priced and bargain new books that would make unusual gifts - and provide good fire-side reading material. Early January should finally see the issue of our long-awaited catalog on The Occult Review, as well as Part II of Books on Alchemy and Hermetica, from the Lenkiewicz Collection. Future catalogs will be devoted to Spiritualism, Rosicrucianism, Mythology, Theosophy, Magic, Grimoires, and other of our specialties. Of course we will also continue to regularly issue our special Aleister Crowley catalogs.

If you would like to be notified by email when we post a new catalog on-line, please send an email with 'subscribe' in the subject line to books@weiserantiquarian.com
You can have your name removed from the list at any time, simply by asking, and of course we will not re-supply your details to anyone.

Further details about this catalog, and how to purchase books from it, can be found at the end of the listings.

For other books you can also always visit our website: http://www.weiserantiquarian.com where we currently have nearly 10,000 books listed, with new stock added weekly.

The Books:

[African Religion] Michael Gelfand, Shona Ritual. With Special Reference to the Chaminuka Cult. Cape Town: Juta & Co., 1959. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo viii + 218pp. Original maroon cloth with gilt titling to spine, b&w frontis and illustrations, index. The religious and ritual practices of the Shona people of Africa: "Tribal, ancestral, and alien spirits are dealt with as well as diviners, herbalists and witches." Upper corners bumped. Lower edges lightly rubbed and slightly darkened, spine ends a bit bruised. Endpapers unevenly browned. Otherwise a tight clean VG+ copy in VG dust. (Dust jacket chafed at edges, corners and spine ends, price clipped). (33465) Please check our website for current availability.

[Amulets & Talismans] T. Schrire, Hebrew Amulets. Their Decipherment and Interpretation. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1966. First edition. Hardcover. 8vo, xii + 180pp (xii plates). Original blue cloth, gilt title, etc. to spine, b&w illustrations and plates. Appendix, glossary and index. A sound, scholarly work. In addition to examining Hebrew amulets in their social and historical contexts, Schrire also examines their practical use in Hebrew culture, Shrire explaining how, "by selecting suitable Words of Power" the correct amulet could be made, and including a list of the Words of Power that animate them. Light bumping to spine ends, a few light bumps to edges, paper lightly browned, otherwise a tight and unmarked VG+ copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket darkened and creased at spine, panels lightly chafed and marked, light rubbing to edges, not price clipped). Quite scarce. (33429) Please check our website for current availability.

[Animal Magnetism] Joseph Du Commun, Three Lectures on Animal Magnetism, as Delivered in New York, at the Hall of Science, on the 26th of July, 2d and 9th of August. New York: Berard & Mondon etc, 1829. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. 78pp. Modern black cloth with gilt titling to leather spine label, new endpapers. Animal magnetism is often also referred to as mesmerism, after Franz Mesmer, who was the first to postulate in detail the existence of a magnetic force or power (termed by him "magnétisme animal") that was present in all animate beings and that could, with proper manipulation, be used as a therapeutic agent. Du Commun's 'Three Lectures on Animal Magnetism,' was the first discourse on the subject to be published in the United States. Du Commun had moved to the United States from France in 1815, and worked as a Professor of French at the West Point Military Academy. Prior to this he apparently had had a long involvement with the practice of animal magnetism in Paris: he was a contributor to 'Annales du magnétisme animal,' and had argued the case for animal magnetism with King Charles X of France, with whom he was acquainted. The lectures which form the base of this publication are a good, well-written, popular introduction to the animal magnetism. The first lecture explores the history of the subject, the second examines its practice and effects, whilst the third lecture delves deeper into the theory that underpins it. Just a hint of shelf dust. Foxing to first leaf and title page, and a few spots here and there throughout. Faint vertical crease to all pages as well as some light creasing to page corners, otherwise text pages are tidy and unmarked. A better than VG copy of this very scarce title. (33493) Please check our website for current availability.

[Astrology] Sepharial [Walter Gorn Old]. Geodetic Equivalents (In Relation to Mundane Astrology Including Many Remarkable Proofs and Striking Prophecies) . New York: David McKay Company, ND ( circa 1920 ). First US edition. Hardcover. small 8vo. 62pp. Original maroon cloth with gilt title and author to front cover, b/w illustrations. An unusual work by 'Sepharial' (Dr Walter Gorn Old, 1864-1929) the eminent English Theosophist, who remains well known for his works on astrology and numerology. Some light fraying to upper spine and corners, faint glue offset to outer margins of fixed endpapers, title page browned, otherwise a sound and unmarked VG copy. (33427) Please check our website for current availability.

[Astrology] C. J. S. Thompson, The Mystery and Romance Of Astrology. London: Brentanos, 1929. First Edition. Hardcover, 8vo. 296 pp. Original navy cloth with gilt lettering. Index, b&w illustrations and plates. One of the better researched and illustrated popular histories of astrology. Its author, C. J. S. Thompson (1862-1943), was in charge of acquisitions for Henry Wellcome, and thus had access to what would become the library of the Wellcome Institute, one of the great collections medical, alchemical, and related books and manuscripts in the world. Light rubbing to edges, spine ends and corners lightly bruised and rubbed. Paper lightly browned, silhouette penciled on rear endpaper. Otherwise a tight, bright VG+ copy. No dust jacket. (33443) Please check our website for current availability.

[Bibliography] John Ferguson, Bibliotheca Chemica. A Catalogue of The Alchemical , Chemical And Pharmaceutical Books in The Collection Of The Late James Young Of Kelly and Durris, ESQ., LL.D., F.R.S., F.R.S.E. (2 Volumes). Glasgow: James Maclehose and Sons, 1906. First Edition. Hardcover, two large, thick quarto volumes, xxiv + 488pp, vi + 598 pp. Original brown buckram, with gilt titling to spine. Portrait frontis to each volume, title pages in red and black. The first, privately printed edition (limited to 250 copies) of this indispensable reference work. It contains bibliographical information on over 2,500 early alchemical and chemical titles, with copious useful biographical notes. With the bookplate of Hugh MacDonald Sinclair DM, DSc, FRCP, (1910-1990), physician and one of the twentieth century's outstanding experts on nutrition. Both volumes have been professionally rebacked with the original backstrips laid down. Covers lightly marked and rubbed, with bruised corners. Preliminaries lightly foxed, otherwise a tight, clean, VG set of the most handsome edition of this significant work. (33497) Please check our website for current availability.

[Bibliography] Albert L. Caillet, Manuel bibliographique des sciences psychiques ou occultes. Mansfield Centre, Connecticut : Maurizio Martino, ND [1997]. Reprint. Hardcovers, Three Volumes, 8vos, (ii),lxx + 532; (iv),534; (iv),768pp. Original grey cloth with gilt-stamped red title labels to spines. Edition limited to 100 copies. French text. A facsimile reprint of Caillet's massive annotated bibliography of works on the occult sciences. The set remains one of the major reference tools for serious research into the literary history of the occult: Caillet lists nearly 12,000 works from across the full spectrum of occult interests (astrology, alchemy, freemasonry, hermetica, kabbalah, magic, mesmerism, etc. etc.), giving the full title, major bibliographical data, and in many cases - brief author biographies for each work. Fine condition - as new. No dustjackets (none issued). (33496) Please check our website for current availability.

[Buddhism] W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Introduces, etc., Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa. A Biography from the Tibetan being the Jetsun-Kahbum or Biographical History of Jetsun-Milarepa, According to the Late Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering. London: Oxford University Press, 1963. Third edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xxviii + 316pp. Green cloth with gilt lettering on spine and gilt design on top board. Color frontis, index. Lower spine lightly bumped, top edge dusty, penned number to rear end paper otherwise no other marks. Overall a sound and bright Near fine copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket has a few smudges, edges rubbed with a few tiny tears, not price clipped). (33428) SOLD.

[Buddhism] Captain T. Rogers, Translator, Buddhaghosha's Parables Translated from the Burmese. (With an Introduction containing Buddha's Dhammapada or "Path of Virtue", translated from Pali by F. Max Müller) . London: Trübner And Co., 1870. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. clxxii + 206pp + 22 pp publisher's catalog at rear. Gilt decorated green cloth with gilt title etc to spine, Scheme of transliteration, index of proper names. A few faint spots to cloth, corners and spine ends lightly bruised and rubbed, some light fraying to spine ends. Lower front hinge cracked and very slightly loose, previous owner's ink stamp on title page, internals bright and clean. Overall a clean VG+ copy. Quite scarce. (2176) Please check our website for current availability.

[Buddhism] Alan W. Watts, The Way of Zen. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1957. First edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xviii + 236 pp. Original black cloth with gold title, etc. to spine and lettering to upper board. Bibliography and index. A first edition of one of the most influential works in the Post-War American and European 'discovery' of Zen Buddhism. Light crease to spine, spine ends lightly bruised. Upper corners bumped, corners and spine ends lightly rubbed. Paper lightly browned, otherwise internally clean and unmarked. Overall a tight, clean VG+ copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket a bit browned at spine and all edges, very lightly rubbed with one very small chip to upper rear panel, not price clipped). (33436) SOLD.

[Cambridge Platonists] Dr. Joseph Glanvill; Rev. George Rust, and Henry More. Two Choice and Useful Treatises: the One Lux Orientalis; or an Enquiry Into the Opinion of the Eastern Sages Concerning the Præexistence of Souls. Being a Key to Unlock the Grand Mysteries of Providence. In Relation to Mans Sin and Misery. the Other, a Discourse of Truth, by the Late Reverend Dr. Rust Lord Bishop of Dromoyne in Ireland. with Annotations on Them Both. London: Printed For James Collins, 1682, 1683. Hardcover. 8vo., (xlvi), 194pp, (vi), 172, [vi], 173-276, [4-adverts] pp. Contemporary blind-stamped calf with raised bands, handwritten title on paper spine label, speckled page edges, raised bands, engraved frontis. The work comprises Lux Orientalis, an argument for the pre-existance of the soul, by the philosopher Joseph Glanvill (1636-1680), as well as responses from his friends the Cambridge Platonist Henry More (1614-1687); and George Rust, Bishop of Drumoyne (d. 1670). As called for, "A Discourse of Truth", and "Annotations upon the two foregoing treatises" have separate title pages dated 1682; whereas "Annotations upon the discourse of truth" has a separate title page dated 1683. Wing G815. Boards rubbed with a few light bumps to edges and corners, but still a very attractive, original copy. (2254) Please check our website for current availability.

[Edgar Cayce] [Edgar Cayce] Mae Gimbert St. Clair, The Edgar Cayce Readings (24 Volumes) . Virginia Beach, VA: Association for Research and Enlightenment, 1973 - 1989. First Editions. Hardcover. 8vos. 24 Volumes (complete set). Carefully compiled over nearly two decades and totaling over 7,500 pages, this set touches on all of Cayce's teachings, including material on Astrology, Dreams, Atlantis & Egypt, Meditation, Psychic Development, Medicine and Health, and the search for God, - among many others. Bound in deep blue faux leather with gilt title and volume nos. to spine, frontis of Cayce in each volume. Very light shelf dust, a few light bumps, otherwise all volumes tight and unmarked. Near fine condition. (no dust jackets issued). Scarce in a complete set. Shipping at cost. (33476) SOLD.

[Comparative Religion] Robert M. Grant, Miracle and Natural Law in Graeco-Roman and Early Christian Thought. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1952. First edition. Hardcover. vi + 294 pp. Red cloth with gilt titling to spine and upper board, frontis, list of Biblical passages, indexes of authors. An important and scarce scholarly survey. Spine and outer edges of boards lightly faded, boards very slightly bowed, corners bumped, boards and edges lightly chafed, one or two pages have tiny pen marks, otherwise a tight and clean VG copy. No dust jacket. (33486) Please check our website for current availability.

[Comparative Religion] Godfrey Higgins, Anacalypsis: an Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis; Or an Inquiry Into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions (2 Volumes) . New York: Macy-Masius, 1927. Second Edition. Hardcover. large 4to. Two volumes (complete). xxxiii + 867 & xi + 519, [V] pp, Decorated grey cloth with gilt titling to spine and upper board, top edge gilt, b&w plates, index at rear of each volume. Anacalypsis is a massive two-volume work, the fruits of more than 20 years research by religious historian, archaeologist, and Freemason Godfrey Higgins (1722-1833). It was first printed in an edition of 200 copies (1833-1836), was reprinted in an abridged form in 1878. This 1927 edition was limited to 350 copies, and was the first complete edition since the First. In it Higgins hypothesized that all religions had sprung from one common origin, which he sought to trace, and he further suggested the existence of a secret religious order, that he termed Pandeism, that once held sway across much of the globe. Despite its limited printing the book was immensely influential, and a sound case has been made that Blavatsky - consciously or otherwise - drew heavily from it when writing Isis Unveiled. W. Wynn Westcott, of S.R.I.A. and Golden Dawn fame, was familiar with it, apparently being of the opinion that some of the references in it were to a Rosicrucian society (they weren't) . Edition limited 350 hand numbered sets, this being set no. 183. Light bruising and rubbing to spine ends and corners, a few light scratches to spine and boards, partially removed contemporary bookshop stickers on front endpapers, paper very lightly browned. Still, overall a sound and clean VG+ set. Lacking slipcase that was issued with this set. (33480) SOLD.

[Comparative Religion] Gertrude Rachel Levy, The Gate of Horn. A Study of the Religious Conceptions of the Stone Age, and their Influence upon European Thought. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1948. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xxxii + 350pp. Red cloth with gilt titling to spine, b&w illustrations, index of Authorities and general index. Corners lightly bumped, cloth slightly faded at edges with some light bumping and rubbing, paper a bit browned, otherwise a sound and unmarked VG+ copy in Good dust jacket. (Dust jacket unevenly browned, rubbed at edges with some minor chipping and short closed tears, not clipped). (33461) Please check our website for current availability.

[Conspiracy Theories] Nesta H. Webster, Secret Societies and Subversive Movements. London: Boswell Printing & Publishing Co. Ltd, 1924. Second Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xiv + 420 pp. Original red cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine. B&w frontis of Adam Weishaupt, appendix and index. A broad reaching study, though the author's predilection for conspiracy theories and anti-semitism has meant that the book is now largely ignored other than by those of more extreme political persuasions. This is unfortunate really, as if one can set aside the more rabid maunderings, there is some quite useful information on lesser-known occult movements in its pages. Cloth a bit darkened, particularly at spine. Spine ends bruised, corners lightly bumped, all edges and extremities lightly rubbed. Endpapers unevenly browned, top edge dusty. Otherwise a tight and internally bright VG+ copy without dust jacket. (33478) Please check our website for current availability.

[Crystal-Gazing & Scrying] Theodore Besterman, Crystal-Gazing. A Study in the History, Distribution, Theory And Practice Of Scrying. London: William Rider & Son, 1924. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xiv + 184 pp. Deep red cloth with blind rules and gilt titling to upper board, gilt title to spine, biographical and subject indexes. Cloth faintly spotted, light bumping and rubbing to corners and spine ends, endpapers unevenly browned. Otherwise a tight and unmarked VG+ copy in a near VG copy of the scarce dust jacket. (Dust jacket spine and edges darkened, edges rubbed with some small chips at spine ends and corners). (33375) Please check our website for current availability.

[Crystal-Gazing & Scrying] Northcote W. Thomas, Introduction by Andew Lang, Crystal-Gazing. A History of the Practice, with a Discussion of the Evidence for Telepathic Scrying. London: Alexander Moring Limited, The De La More Press, 1905. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xlviii + 162pp. Original deep green cloth with gilt titling to upper board and spine, b&w plates, index. A thoughtful and entertaining study of scrying, from ancient Egypt to John Dee, and on to the Spiritualists of the late nineteenth century. Spine ends lightly bruised, lower corners bumped, endpapers unevenly browned and lightly spotted, otherwise a tight, bright VG+ copy. (33376) Please check our website for current availability.

[Curious] Samri S. Baldwin, 'The White Mahatma,' The Secrets of Mahatma Land Explained (Teaching and Explaining the Performances of the Most Celebrated Oriental Mystery Makers and Magicians in all Parts of the World. The Great Basket Trick. The Shrine of Koot Hoomi. Buried Alive. Liquid Lightening. Egyptian Sorcery. Lessons in Mesmerism. Clairvoyant Development. Intuitive Intimations......... . Brooklyn: Privately Published, nd (circa 1890s). First Edition Thus. Hardcover. large 8vo. 120 pp. Cloth spine with printed papered boards, illustrated in b&w. Samri S. Baldwin (1848-1924). 'The White Mahatma,' created the mentalism act in which unspoken audience questions are answered by the mystic performer. While he billed himself as a magician, he called his act "somnomency" or trance talking - and was generally regarded as a psychic. His book is a boisterous combination of exposes of 'Eastern' magic and sleight of hand, and tongue in cheek attacks on Theosophy. One chapter is devoted to Madame Helena Blavatsky, who he describes - in an orgy of alliteration - as 'a self-deceived deceiver', 'a Mahatma Monomaniac' and a 'Pyschical Pretender.' In his Preface Baldwin speaks of there having been an earlier Australian edition of the book that "sold out within a few months" but this was probably just an idle boast aimed at furthering sales, and this "Second Edition" was mostly likely a "First." Boards chafed, lightly discolored and spotted. Edges, corners and spine ends lightly rubbed and bumped. Philosophical Research Library stickers to first page, paper lightly browned, upper corner of all pages lightly creased. Neat old paper reinforcements to front and back hinges. Still, overall a sound and unmarked VG copy of a scarce title. (33482) Please check our website for current availability.

[Curious] William R. Sandbach, The Oera Linda Book. From a Manuscript of the Thirteenth Century (with the permission of the Proprietor C. Over de Linden, of the Helder. The Original Frisian Text as Verified by Dr. J. O. Ottema. Accompanied by an English Version of Dr. Ottema's Dutch Translation ) . London: Trubner & Co. , 1876. First Edition. Hardcover, 8vo. xxviii + 254 pp. Original blue cloth with gilt titling to spine and device to upper board, blind rules, b&w fold out and tipped in illustration. Parrallel text (Frisian and English). The Oera Linda Book is a famous, if contentious, Frisian manuscript that is said to date from the thirteenth century CE - although it claims to be based on sources that are more than a millennia older. It is a mixture of history, folklore, mythology and religion: and recounts a time when much of the world was ruled by a matriarchy of celibate priestesses, and tells of a flood and a civilization called "Atland", which some believe was a corruption of Atlantis. It also introduces the idea of an Indic 'root race' and may have played a part the development of Blavatsky's theories on the subject, which she first published in The Secret Doctrine, a dozen years after the appearance in print of this text. The Oera Linda Book has been the subject of considerable controversy since its publication, with many arguing that it was a hoax. Opinion on the subject remains divided, though recent scholarly studies cast serious doubt on its legitimacy. Real or not, it is a fascinating and unusual work, which may well exercised a profound influence on the development of Theosophical thought. All edges rubbed, spine and outer edges of boards darkened, spine ends rubbed and lightly chipped, corners lightly bumped and rubbed. Endpapers split at hinges but hinges sound. Page edges and early and later pages lightly foxed, paper lightly browned. Otherwise a sound and unmarked near VG copy. Very scarce. (33468) Please check our website for current availability.

[Death] Franz Hartmann, M.D., Buried Alive (An Examination into the Occult Causes of Apparent Death, Trance and Catalepsy) . Boston: Occult Publishing Company, 1895. Hardcover. small 8vo. 148pp. Brick cloth with gilt titling to upper board and spine. An unusual work by Franz Hartmann, the well known doctor and occultist, in which he argues that ignorance as to the true nature "of consciousness, of life, and of death," causes people to be buried alive "far more frequently than is commonly supposed." Hartmann was probably not wrong in this for fear of premature burial was quite a widespread, and not unrealistic concern in earlier times. In this work he addresses "the people whose interest it is to protect themselves against the horrible fate of becoming victims of medical shortsightedness by being buried, embalmed, dissected, or cremated alive …" and offers a study of reported cases of premature burial, remarks on the philosophy of death and signs that it has taken place, and proposes a way of preventing premature burial. Cloth slightly darkened at spine and edges of boards, spine ends and corners lightly bruised and rubbed, endpapers lightly foxed, paper lightly browned. Otherwise a sound and unmarked VG+ copy. (33378) Please check our website for current availability.

[Death] Bertram S. Puckle, Funeral Customs Their Origin and Development. London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd., 1926. First Edition. Hardcover. large 8vo. 284 pp + 4 pp adverts. Original blind stamped charcoal cloth, gilt titling to spine, frontis, title page vignette, b&w illustrations, index. A serious, if entertaining, survey of the customs and practices which surround the physical fact of death. Includes material on preparation for burial, coffins, "grave-goods," wakes, mutes, wailers, sin-eating, totemism, death taxes, bells, mourning, funeral feasts and processions, cemeteries, orientation and other burial customs, body-snatching, cremation, embalming, memorials, epitaphs, rings and mourning cards, etc. Corner bumped and a bit rubbed, spine ends bruised with some very light fraying at upper spine, b&w funereal print affixed to front endpaper, contemporary newspaper review of the book affixed to rear endpaper, neat contemporary gift inscription. Otherwise a bright and unmarked VG + copy. (33369) SOLD.

[De Laurence] L. W. De Laurence, The Master Key. Chicago, IL: The de Laurence Company, 1941. Sixth Printing. Hardcover. 8vo, x + 406 pp. Original gold decorated maroon cloth, titling to spine. A work by Lauron William de Laurence (1868 - 1936), book pirate, plagiarist, and publisher of occult literature. de Laurence was renowned for appropriating other peoples' works and reissuing them under his own name (sometimes retitling them in the process). Oddly, The Master Key, a work on self-development through mind control and such like, appears to have been actually written by de Laurence - at least we are unaware of it being a direct copy of another work. Despite his eccentricities de Laurence played an important part in the occult history of the USA: he was a pioneer in selling occult books and supplies by mail order, and the cheap "Pow Wow" books and other books of simple magic which he published were received with great fervor by many in the African-American community, some sections of which still regard him as a great teacher. Light rubbing to spine ends, a few very light bumps to edges, a bit of glue residue from early price sticker on front end paper, a handful of pages have light creases (publisher's flaw). Otherwise a tight, brigh and unmarked Near Fine copy. No dust jacket. (33444) Please check our website for current availability.

[Demonology] Richard Cavendish, The Powers of Evil in Western Religion, Magic and Folk Belief. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1975. First UK edition. Hardcover. 8vo, x + 300 pp. Dark green cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine. Notes, bibliography and index. A popular study of beliefs concerning the Devil, demons, and other evil supernatural agencies. Points lightly rubbed, otherwise a tight and bright Near fine copy in price clipped VG+ dust jacket. (33434) Please check our website for current availability.

[Demonology] Frederic T. Hall, The Pedigree of the Devil. London: Trubner & Co., 1883. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xvi + 256pp + 80 page publisher's catalog at rear. Contemporay half calf with marbled boards, gilt titling and raised bands to spine, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt frontis w/ tissue guard, b&w plates, index. An attractively bound copy of an unusual work that traces the origin and development of the Devil, as he is understood in Christianity. Bookplate and name stamp of Egerton Castle (1858 – 1920) a Victorian era mystery author, antiquarian, and swordsman. Spine very slightly faded, all extremities very lightly chafed. Page edges a bit browned, some light spotting to preliminaries, text fresh and unmarked. Overall an attractively bound and bright VG+ copy with an interesting association. (33472) Please check our website for current availability.

[Demonology] J. Collin de Plancy, Dictionnaire Infernal ou Bibliotheque Universelle; Suv des etres, des personnages, des livres, des faits et des choses qui tiennent aux Apparitions, aux Divinations, a la Magie, au commerce de l"Enfer, aux Demons, aux Sorciers, aux Sciences Occultes, aux Grimoires, a la Cabale, aux Esprits elementaires, au Grand OEuvre, aux Prodiges, aux Erreurs et aux Prejuges, aux Impostures, aux arts des Bohemiens, aux Superstitions diverses, aux contes populaires, aux pronostics, et generalement a toutes les fausses croyances, merveilleuses, suprenantes, mysterieuses ou surnaturelles, etc. Paris : A La Librairie Universelle, 1825 - 1826. Deuxième édition entièrement refondue. Hardcover. 8vo. Four volumes. xxiv + 483pp & 492pp & 498pp & 560pp. Contemporary parchment covered spine and corners with marbled boards, gilt rules and titling to spines, colored page edges. Frontis and 15 engraved plates (all called for). The Dictionnaire Infernal by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy (1793-1887) remains one of the best- known European works on demonology. de Plancy was a French-born author and occultist, who lived in Belgium and France, where he worked as a printer and publisher. His Dictionnaire Infernal was first published in 1818. As its title suggests, the book is effectively an encylopaedia of hellish things: demonology and superstition, and de Plancy follows the tradition set down in grimoires like The Lesser Key of Solomon of carefully naming the various demons and itemizing the legions and hierarchies to which they belong. The book went through a number of revisions and editions between 1818 and its sixth and final revision of 1863. This 1825/6 edition is of particular interest as it boasts fifteen plates - including one allegedly of the devil's handwriting - and is written with an openness of mind and easy skepticism that is lacking from later editions, which were gradually bowdlerized by the author in keeping with his growing acceptance of the Catholic faith. Ironically the 1863 edition which (on account of its 69 plates) is without doubt the best known, is textually perhaps the least interesting edition, having been rendered insipid by the author's ministrations. Boards and edges well rubbed, bumping and chafing to spine ends and corners with some loss. Armorial bookplate in each volume. Page edges thumbed, paper lightly browned with some scattered spotting and foxing throughout text, several plates slightly loose. Still, a sound better than Good set. Scarce. (33491) $Please check our website for current availability.

[Demonology] R. Campbell Thompson, Translates etc., The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia, Being Babylonian and Assyrian Incantations Against the Demons, Ghouls, Vampires, Hobgoblins, Ghosts, and Kindred Evil Spirits, which Attacked Mankind. Translated from the Original Cuneiform Texts, with Transliterations, Vocabulary and Notes, etc. Two Volume set: Volume I. "Evil Spirits". Volume II "Fever Sickness and Headache, etc." London: Luzac and Co., 1903. First Edition. Hardcover. large 8vos. Two volumes. lxvi + 212pp + 20pp Publisher's catalog at rear & lvi + 180pp. Two toned deep red cloth, with gilt rules and titling to upper board and spine, top edge gilt, frontispieces with tissue guards, b&w plates, Vocabulary of Selected Words. Luzac's Semitic Text and Translation Series Vol. XIV. Light bumping and bruising to corners and spine ends, boards and edges very lightly rubbed and chafed, spines very slightly sunned, endpapers a bit spotted, tissue guards browned with faint offsetting to frontispieces, a very few faint pencil lines outside text. Otherwise a bright, sound VG+ set. Quite scarce. (6776) Please check our website for current availability.

[Demonology] Simon, Edits and Introduces. The Necronomicon. New York: Schlangekraft Inc. / Barnes Graphics, 1981. Third Edition, Revised and Signed. Hardcover, Quarto, lviii + 222pp. Original black leather, ornately decorated with silver title on spine and title and decorations on front cover. All edges silver, ribbon marker. Black and white diagrams. Copy no. 324 of 3333 copies. This copy numbered and SIGNED by 'Simon' who provided the manuscript. Spine ends and corners rubbed, lower spine leather a bit chafed, very faint spotting to end papers and early and later pages, otherwise Near Fine condition. (No dust jacket, none issued) (33426) Please check our website for current availability.

[Dragons] G. Elliot Smith, The Evolution of the Dragon. London: Longmans, Green & Company, 1919. First Edition. Hardcover, large 8vo. xx + 234pp +( 2pp publisher's catalog). Blue cloth with gilt title and author to spine, b&w plates and illustrations. A series of essays deriving from the author's thesis that the dragon was originally a beneficent creature that was equated with water and therefore with Kings and Gods in ancient Egypt and Babylonia, and tracing its evolution from that point onward. Spine darkened, corners and spine ends lightly bumped and rubbed, cloth lightly chafed, paper a bit browned. Still, overall a sound and unmarked VG+ copy. No dust jacket. (33431) Please check our website for current availability.

[Egyptian Religion] A. E. Wallis Budge, The Book of the Dead. The Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum. The Egyptian Text with Interlinear Transliteration and Translation, a Running Translation, Introduction, etc... AND The Book of the Dead. Facsimile of the Papyrus of Ani in the British Museum. (Two volumes, Text and Plates) . London: The British Museum, 1894 and 1895. First Edition of Text. Second Edition of Plates. Hardcover. Two Volumes. Folio and Elephant Folio. clvi + 378 pp. & 37 double-page color plates. Text vol. bound in original half green morocco with black pebbled cloth boards, raised bands, top edge gilt, b&w in-text illustrations throughout, bibliography. Plate vol. in original half black leather with black pebbled-cloth boards. The first edition of the Facsimile Plate volume was published as a stand-alone work in 1890 but the demand for a text version to accompany it resulted in the production of these two volumes, with the 1894 Plate volume produced to accompany the 1895 First Edition of the Text volume. The plate volume, reproduces in magnificent fold out facsimiles, "The Papyrus of Ani," which is perhaps the most superbly illustrated of the surviving copies of the Book of the Dead. "The Papyrus of Ani," is said to have been found at Thebes and is thought to date from the XVIIIth Dynasty, about 1400BC. It was purchased for the British Museum in 1888 by Wallis Budge. The original is in scroll form - about 76 feet in length. It is here reproduced in 37 segments, each on a double-page spread of approx. 20 x 48 inches. Boards chafed with light spotting to cloth and rubbing to all edges. Spines and corners rubbed and chafed with some loss of leather. Front hinge of text vol. cracked but holding well, very light scattered foxing. Diagonal crease to board of Plate vol., pages thumbed. Overall a sound and unmarked VG set. Quite scarce. (32208) Please check our website for current availability.

[Erotic Art] Edouard Fuchs, L'Elément érotique dans la Caricature. Un document à l'histoire des moeurs publiques. Vienne: C.W. Stern, 1906. First French Edition. Hardcover. 4to. x + 258 pp. Contemporary half leather with green cloth boards, raised bands and gilt title to spine, marbled page edges and endpapers. Well illustrated in b&w and colour, 33 full page plates, some over two pages and in color. A generously illustrated history of erotic art with an emphasis on humor and caricature. From phallic charms to high art of the renaissance, and on to eighteenth and nineteenth century bawdiness and the works of Aubrey Beardsley. Some of the material is surprisingly risqué, even by modern standards. Leather a bit chafed at corners, edges and spine ends, paper a bit browned particularly at margins, a few pages roughly opened. Still a tight VG copy, and not often encountered thus. (33481) SOLD.

[Fascination] John B. Newman, Fascination, or the Philosophy of Charming. Illustrating the Principles of Life in Connection with Spirit and Matter. New York: Fowler & Wells Co., 1885. Tenth Thousand. Hardcover. small 8vo. 176pp. + 16pp publisher's catalog. Blind stamped green cloth with gilt titling to spine, b&w illustrations. A study with particular emphasis on the medical or curative uses of "fascination or charming" - a form of hypnosis or suggestion. Also surveys various philosophical perspectives of the subject, including those of the Mormons. Corners and spine ends very lightly bruised and rubbed, paper lightly browned with very faint scattered foxing. Otherwise a tight , bright VG+ copy. (33432) Please check our website for current availability.

[Folklore] Frederick Thomas Elworthy, Introduction by Louis Barron. The Evil Eye. An Account of the Ancient & Widespread Superstition. London: John Murray, 1895. First Edition. Hardcover. large 8vo, xvi + 472 pp. Original gilt decorated maroon cloth with gilt tilting, etc. to spine. B&w frontis, fold-out and illustrations. Index. A first edition of this well illustrated classic study of the superstition surrounding the "evil eye" or the idea that unlucky events can ensue if you attract the attention of particular people. The book also outlines methods traditionally used to ward off the evil eye - including talismans, spells, spitting, and hand gestures. Spine a bit sunned with very light rippling to cloth. Cloth rubbed at spine edges with two tiny snags to upper gutter. Corners, and spine ends bumped, lightly bruised and rubbed. Hinges split at endpapers but both are sound. Endpapers lightly foxed, otherwise internally bright and clean. Still, a bright VG copy. (33349) Please check our website for current availability.

[Folklore] Frederick Thomas Elworthy, Horns of Honour. and Other Studies in the By-ways of Archæology. London: John Murray, 1900. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xii + 316 pp. Original gilt decorated green cloth, gilt titling to spine, color frontis w/ tissue guard, b&w illustrations. A study of folk-lore and mythology, with particular regard to the symbolic use of horns, on everything from helmets, amulets, and standards to depictions of the classical Gods, and on to Baphomet and the Knights Templar. Also includes an interesting study of the "Mano Pantea" or symbolic hand. Elworthy was was also the author of a well-known work on 'The Evil Eye.' Rear board very faintly mottled, lower corners bumped and lightly rubbed, endpapers browned. Still overall a bright, unmarked VG+ copy in Fair copy of the scarce dust jacket. (Dust jacket quite browned, worn and chipped at all edges with large chips at either end of spine, now in mylar). (33457) Please check our website for current availability.

[Folklore] M. Oldfield Howey, The Cat in the Mysteries of Religion and Magic. London: Rider & Co., nd [ 1930 ] . First UK edition. Hardcover. large 8vo. 254 pp. Blue cloth with gilt titling to spine, blind rules, colour frontis, b&w illustrations, index. A delightful, well-illustrated survey of the cat in myth, magic and religion. Contents: Bast; Sekhmet; The Sistrum; The Cat and the serpent; The Cat and the Riddle of Isis; The Cat in Chaldean and Egyptian Magism; Freya and Her Cats; Christ and the Cat; The Virgin and the Cat; The May Kitten; The Corn cat; The Cat and the Sabbath; Witches in Cat Form; Witch cats and Repercussion; Secret Sects and Cat Worship; The Cat as Sacrifice; The Cat and Transmigration; The Temple cat; Animated Cat Images; The Cat in the Necropolis; The Cat in Paradise; Ghostly cats; Demon cats; Vampire cats; Cat Genii and Familiars; Cat as Omen of Death; Clairvoyant Cats; Cats and telepathy; The Cat as Phallic Symbol; The Cat as Charm and Talisman; The Symbology of Cat and Mouse; The Cat in Heraldry; The Cat's Nine Lives; The Cat's Nomenclature; Manx legends; L'Envoi. Cloth quite darkened at outer edges and spine, spine ends and corners bruised and a bit rubbed with some very light fraying, a few light bumps to edges, binding slightly loosened between signatures at page 136-137. Still, internally a sound and unmarked near VG copy. (33473) Please check our website for current availability.

[Folklore] Wirt Sikes, British Goblins. Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1880. First edition. Hardcover. Large 8vo. xvi + 412pp + 32 pp publisher's catalog at rear. Gilt illustrated brown cloth with black rules, gilt titling to spine, frontis and b&w illustrations by T. H. Thomas, index. Despite the more broad-sounding title, the book is largely devoted to the Faerie mythology of Wales, though with material on ghosts and other related esoteric phenomena. Ownership stamp on front endpaper "Adelina Patti, Craig-y-nos Castle" is that of world renowned 19th century Italian Opera star. Light fraying to corners, spines ends bruised, a few light bumps to edges, neat gift inscription from 1923, a few preliminary pages loosened at lower margin, some browning to inner margins and light foxing, page edges dusty. Still, a sound and unmarked VG + copy with an interesting association. (33361) Please check our website for current availability.

['Fourth Way'] Mervyn Llewellyn, Initiation and Magic. The Psychology of Man's Conscious Evolution. Gloucestershire, UK: Helios Book Service, 1965. First Edition. Hardcover, 8vo. 172 pp. Blind stamped salmon cloth with black titling to spine, bibliography. Errata. An unusual study of Initiation as the transformative heart of Transcendental Magic. The author has drawn from numerous sources, but was obviously strongly influenced by Gurdjieff and other writers of 'the fourth way,' and by Buddhist thought. A few light bumps to edges, lower spine and corners bumped, Aries Press sticker on half title page, otherwise a tight, bright VG+ copy in VG+ dust jacket. (Dust jacket price clipped with light rubbed edges). (33439) Please check our website for current availability.

[Freemasonry] [Erskine Neale] 'A Suffolk Rector,' Stray Leaves from a Freemason's Note-book. London: Richard Spencer, 1846. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. viii + 314pp. + 26pp Publisher's catalog. Original blind ruled plum cloth with gilt titling to spine. 'A Suffolk Rector,' was the pseudonym of Erskine Neale (1804-1883), an English Masonic enthusiast who donated "all profits"from the book (of which there surely can not have been many) to Masonic charity. The work comprises a collection of fictional vignettes with Masonic themes: 'Sir William Webb Follett in Early Life,' 'The Soldier Mason,' 'The Anti-Masonic Vicar,' 'The Curse of Talent,' 'Canning in Retirement,' etc. etc. With the ownership signature of Fred Hockley. Hockley (1808-85), was a Freemason, Spiritualist, and Rosicrucian, whose work collecting and transcribing grimoires and other occult manuscripts is commonly said to have had a significant influence on the founders of the Golden Dawn and the 'occult revival' in general. Cloth faded at spine and outer edges of boards, extremities well rubbed with a few bumps, a short tear to upper edge of spine with a bit of fraying, small sticker to front end paper, dampmark to upper edge of rear endpapers. Still, a fairly sound and internally fresh and unmarked better than good copy. (33492) Please check our website for current availability.

[Freemasonry] J. M. Roberts, The Mythology of the Secret Societies. London: Secker & Warburg, 1972. First Edition. Hardcover. large 8vo. x + 370pp. Pale green cloth with gilt titling on maroon spine label, index. Spine ends and corners lightly bumped and rubbed, page edges slightly dusty and lightly thumbed. A serious study of Masonry and anti-Masonry in Europe in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Cancelled bookplate from the London Masonic Quatuor Coronati Lodge on front endpaper, some pages have tiny pen dots outside text, and a few light pencil marks - all mark being quite unobtrusive. Still, a sound and mostly clean VG copy in VG- dust jacket. (Dust jacket rubbed at all edges with some short tears and small chips at extremities). (33380) Please check our website for current availability.

[Freemasonry] Arthur Edward Waite, Emblematic Freemasonry. And the Evolution of its Deeper Issues. London: William Rider & Son, Limited, 1925. First edition. Hardcover, 8vo, xii + 302pp. Original bright blue cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine, blind rules, title and author's name blind stamped on front cover, appendix and index. R. A . Gilbert succinctly describes the book as "... a collection of lectures and papers delivered by Waite at various Masonic Research Lodges, Masters' Lodges, and Masonic Societies." Gilbert A38. Spine faded, very light rubbing to edges, light chafing to spine ends and corners. Page edges a bit foxed, bookplate, previous owner's name, otherwise a sound and bright, unmarked VG + copy. No dust jacket. (33348) Please check our website for current availability.

[Freemasonry] Arthur Edward Waite, A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry. (2 Volumes) . London: Virtue & Company, Limited, ND (Circa 1930). Third Issue. Hardcovers. large 8vo, Two volumes. xxxii + 458pp & 488pp. Original crimson faux quarter morocco with gilt embellished crimson cloth boards, gilt titling and decorative rules to spines. Frontis, color fold-outs, b&w illustrations, Conspectus of Cross References. Although the work attracted some hostility from within the Masonic movement, Waite's 'New Encyclopaedia' proved to be very popular, and was the most successful of his books in Waite's own lifetime. Gilbert A31(c). Boards lightly chafed, corners and spine ends lightly rubbed, page edges dusty and lightly thumbed. Light scratch to rear board of Vol. II, lower corners and upper edge of Vol. I bumped. Otherwise a sound and bright, unmarked VG+ set. (33424) SOLD.

[Gnosticism] Robert M. Grant, Gnosticism. An Anthology. London: Collins, 1961. First UK edition. Hardcover. 8vo, 254 pp. Original teal cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine. Glossary, biblio and index. A milestone work in Gnostic studies. It contains most of the major known works of Gnostic literature, including The Gospel of Truth, The Secret Book of John, and the Gospel of Mary. Edges of cloth very slightly faded, light rubbing to spine ends and corners, page edges a little dusty, otherwise a tight and clean VG+ copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket chafed at extremities with some small tears and chips). (33381) SOLD.

[Gnosticism] George Horner, Translates, Pistis Sophia. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1924. First Edition. Hardcover, large 8vo, xlviii+ 208 pp. Original blind ruled blue cloth, gilt title, etc. to spine, index. Introduction by F. Legge. Horner's translation from the Coptic of the British Museum manuscript of this major Gnostic work. Boards lightly chafed. Light rubbing to all edges, spine and corners, light vertical creast to spine. Spine a bit darkened. Endpapers and several pages have light foxing. A few pages have light pencil marks outside of text (easily erased) - otherwise a tight and clean VG copy. No dust jacket. (33446) SOLD.

[Gnosticism] C. W. King, The Gnostics and Their Remains. London: Bell & Daldy, 1864. First Edition. Hardcover. Tall 8vo. xvi + errata +252 pp. Original blind stamped white cloth with gilt titling to spine and device to upper board, frontis with tissue guard. b&w plates, fold -out and in-text illustrations. Addenda, index. Charles William King (1818 - 1888), was a Cambridge classical scholar and collector and authority on engraved gems. In the mid-19th century, King gathered together all the then-available information on Gnosticism and the movements that he felt drew from it and published it in this work. The book stretches from early Gnosticism, through the magicians and Kabbalists of mediaeval Europe, the Templars, Rosicrucians, Illuminati and on to the Freemasons. In the course of the work King also explores the Greek and Roman use of amulets, magical spells and talismans, and branches out into such bypaths as Masons' marks, and the story of Simon Magus. It is a testament to the quality of his research that despite the passage of time, and the limited sources on which he relied, the work is still perceived as having considerable authority. Bookplate of the Library of the Masonic Supreme Council of Great Britain (struck through). Call nos. to spine, no other library marks. Contemporary owner's name on title page. White cloth a bit grubby - as would be expected, spine a bit darkened, corners bumped and rubbed, a few light bumps to lower edges, shadow and chafing to front endpapers likely from early bookplates being removed, otherwise very bright and clean inside. Overall a very sound and internally clean VG copy. (33475) Please check our website for current availability.

[Gnosticism] James M. Robinson, Edits. The Nag Hammadi Library in English. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1977. First Edition. Hardcover, large 8vo. xvi + 494 pp. Original olive cloth with gilt titling to spine, index of proper names. Translated into English by Members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity. The first major publication in English of the sacred scriptures of the Gnostics discovered at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. "The world depicted by the writings is strange, unfamiliar, even hypnotic to modern sensibilities. It is a world botched by a Blind, malevolent god. A world in which Simon of Cyrene is mistakenly crucified as Jesus laughs above the cross. A world in which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed not because of their wickedness, but because of the wisdom of their inhabitants, in which the Bible as we know it is turned upside down." Cloth a trifle faded at edges, light bruising to spine ends, page edges a bit dusty, a few pages have unobtrusive light pencil markings. Otherwise a sound VG copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket chafed at all edges with some very light chipping). (33451) SOLD.

[Gnosticism] J. A. Sanders, Psalms Scroll of Qumran Cave 11 (11QPs a) [Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan IV] . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1965. First edition. Hardcover. 4to. 100 pp. plus XVII plates at rear. Original olive cloth with gilt titling to spine, b&w plates, index of Hebrew words. The critical edition of scroll 11QPsa from Qumran, that is the scroll containing all or parts of 37 psalms from the Biblical Psalter and II Samuel 23, and of eight apocryphal compositions. Includes facsimile reproductions and transcriptions of the original texts, as well as some translation and much critical commentary. Very light rubbing and bumping to edges and extremities, paper very slightly browned, otherwise a tight and unmarked Near fine copy in VG - dust jacket. (Dust jacket darkened at spine, spine ends and corners rubbed with some light chipping and short tears, price clipped). (33479) Please check our website for current availability.

[Grail Legends] Jessie L. Weston, The Quest of the Holy Grail. London: G. Bell & Sons, 1913. First Edition. Hardcover. small 8vo. xii + 162 pp. Original blue cloth spine with grey papered boards, gilt title to spine, appendix, biblio and index. The author, Jessie Laidlay Weston (1850-1928) was a scholar and folklorist who devoted much of her life to the study and explication of mediaeval Arthurian literature. She was a persuasive exponent of the idea that the origins of the Grail legends predated the Celtic and Christian sources that are usually identified, and promoted the then-still relatively unpopular idea that the Arthurian story was fundamentally an age-old metaphor for mystical self-realisation. In this work she offers an overview of the Grail literature, and examines a number of theories about its meaning and origin. Corners and spine ends lightly bruised and rubbed, page edges browned and foxed, endpapers foxed. A few neat, contemporary marginal notes. Otherwise sound and unmarked VG+ copy. (33449) Please check our website for current availability.

[Grail Legends] Charles Williams; with Commentary by C.S. Lewis. Arthurian Torso. Containing the Posthumous Fragment of the Figure of Arthur by Charles Williams and a Commentary on the Arthurian Poems of Charles Williams by C. S. Lewis. London: Oxford University Press, 1952. Second Edition. Hardcover. 8vo (iv) + 200pp. Red cloth with gilt titling to spine. Williams unfinished prose study on Arthurian legend, 'The Figure of Arthur ,' and an 'Introductory' and study of "Williams and the Arthuriad,' by C. S. Lewis. Light rubbing and fading to edges, page edges a bit dusty, otherwise Near fine in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket is a bit darkened at spine, lightly rubbed at edges and price clipped). (33466) Please check our website for current availability.

[Kenneth Grant] Kenneth Grant, Beyond The Mauve Zone . London: Starfire Publishing Ltd., 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. thick 8vo. xii + 368 pp. Black cloth, gilt title etc. to spine. Color frontis reproduces an artwork by Steffi Grant. 18 pages of black and white plates, + 3 illustrations / diagrams in text. Standard Edition limited to 929 copies thus (there was also a deluxe edition of 71 numbered and signed copies). Beyond The Mauve Zone is the second volume in the third group of books by Grant known as the 'Typhonian Trilogies.' Corners and upper spine lightly bumped, previous owner's magickal bookplate, otherwise Near fine in dust jacket. (Dust jacket lightly creased at upper spine and corners, a few pin head sized bumps to front gutter, otherwise Near fine). (33503) SOLD.

[Kenneth Grant] Kenneth Grant, The Ninth Arch. London: Starfire Publishing, London, 2002 (First Trade Edition), 2002. First Edition. Hardcover. Large 8vo. xxxviii + 604pp. First edition limited to 1000 copies (of which 97 copies were used for an 'edition deluxe'). This 'standard' or 'trade' edition bound in black Wibalin cloth. Colour frontispiece of an artwork in pastel by Austin Osman Spare. 26 black and white plates of work by Kenneth & Steffi Grant, Pete Smith, Hiruyuli Fukuda, Alfred Floki, Brian Ward, Ellerina Mortier, Mark Bell, Morn Morgan, Sidney Sime and Judith Page. A coloured plate bound in at the rear reproduces the front panel designs of the dustwrappers of the nine books which make up Grant's three trilogies. Index, glossary and appendices.The work contains the text and commentary on the Book of the Spider, a 'received' text revealed to members of the Nu Isis Lodge of Grant's Typhonian O.T.O. The work completes Grant's trilogy of trilogies. Dustwrapper design by Steffi Grant. Light bump to lower spine, magickal bookplate, otherwise Fine condition in Near fine dust jacket. (Just a hint of rubbing to panels). (33504) SOLD.

[Gypsies] Walter Simson, History of the Gipsies with Specimens of the Gipsy Language, London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, nd [1866? ]. Second edition. Hardcover. small 8vo. 576 pp. Olive cloth with gilt titling to spine, index. An interesting study of the origins of the Roma and their migrations, with particular reference to the Scottish and border tribes (though there are also chapters on English, and Continental Gypsies, on Gypsy marriage and divorce ceremonies, and on the Roma language) . Cloth well worn and a bit grubby, some fraying to extremities, spine slightly canted, a few marks to front endpaper, endpapers spotted and browned, paper lightly browned, a few pencil marks. Still, overall a sound about Good copy. Scarce. (33488) Please check our website for current availability.

[Illuminati] Seth Payson, Proofs Of The Real Existence, And Dangerous Tendency, Of Illuminism An Abstract of the Most Interesting Parts of What Dr. Robison and the Abbe Barruel Have Published on This Subject; With Collateral Proofs and General Observations. Charlestown: Printed By Samuel Etheridge, For The Author, 1802. First edition. Hardcover. small 8vo. 292 pp. Contemporary tree calf boards, recently rebacked with new spine with gilt rules and original leather title-section laid down. Marbled endpapers, contents page at rear. An interesting attack on Freemasonry and other secret societies. The speed and horror with which the French Revolution took place gave rise to a number of conspiracy theories suggesting that it had been engineered by a cabal of secret societies, including the Illuminati (a politically radical Bavarian secret society active shortly before the Revolution), and Freemasons, particularly the so-called "retro-lodges" (ulta secret lodges that supposedly controlled the regular lodges). Two books in particular were responsible for the promotion of these ideas, Mémoires pour servir à l'Histoire du Jacobinisme published in 1797 by Augustin Barruel (1741-1820), a French Jesuit priest then in exile in England, and John Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy (Edinburgh, 1797). These two works provided much of the material for this, the first major American work on the subject, Seth Payson's Proofs Of The Real Existence, And Dangerous Tendency, Of Illuminism, published in Charleston in 1802. If anything Payson seems to have taken a more shrill view than his mentors, and it is perhaps significant that the original title label on the spine of the copy offered here reads simply 'Modern Antichrist.' Corners and edges lightly rubbed and chafed, endpapers, page edges, and extreme outer margins of text pages a bit browned. A little tight in its binding. Otherwise internally bright and unmarked. A sound VG copy. Quite scarce. (2392) Please check our website for current availability.

[Inquisition] D. Jean Antoine Llorente, The History of the Inquisition of Spain, from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII. Composed from the Original Documents of the Archives of the Supreme Council, and from those of Subordinate Tribunals of the Holy Office. London: Geo. B. Whittaker, 1826. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xx + 584 pp. Half leather with pebbled cloth boards, leather spine label with gilt titling, raised bands, marbled page edges. Recent professional reback with original boards retained, nicely matched new spine, new endpapers. Juan Antonio Llorente (1756-1823) was the one-time Secretary General of the Inquisition of Madrid. Following the abolition of the Inquisition in 1808 by Napoleon, Llorente was put in charge of the archives of the Council of the Inquisition and of the Inquisition of Madrid, where he began work on his history, although he had to finish it in exile in France following Napoleon's defeat. The appearance of its first edition in Spanish in 1822 was extremely significant, as it provided reformers with irrefutable documentary evidence of the Inquisatorial excesses, which helped them bring a permanent end to the Inquisition. From a historical point of view it is also significant, as the first history of the Inquisition to be drawn from source materials that was not written by a blatant Church apologist. Interesting list at rear of the "casualties" of the Inquisition under each "Inquisitor-General." Boards lightly chafed, corners very lightly bumped, a few spots to title page and first & last few leaves, otherwise a sound and very clean VG + copy. Quite scarce. (16069) Please check our website for current availability.

[Kabbalah] Fabre d'Olivet, Translated by Nayán Louise Redfield, The Hebraic Tongue Restored and the True Meaning of the Hebrew Words Re-established and Proved by their Radical Analysis. New York, NY: Samuel Weiser Inc., 1976. Second Edition. Hardcover. large 8vo. (x) 346 pp. Original gold decorated navy cloth, gold titling to spine. A facsimile reprint of the 1921 first English edition of this idiosyncratic study of Hebrew words and letters, originally published by d'Olivet in 1815. Spine lightly chafed, spine ends lightly bruised, page edges slightly dusty - otherwise a tight and unmarked VG + copy. No dust jacket as issued. (33448) SOLD.

[Kabbalah] Elliot K. Ginsburg, The Sabbath in the Classical Kabbalah. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1989. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xx + 341pp. Gilt embellished red cloth with gilt titling to upper board and spine, b&w illustrations. Renowned Kabbalistic scholar Gershom Scholem wrote that "It would be no exaggestion to call the Sabbath the day of the Kabbalah." In this study Ginsburg explores "the Kabbalistic re-reading of the Sabbath over the course of its classical period, from the late twelfth to the early sixteenth centuries." Appendix, biblio and index. Just a hint of shelf rubbing, light bumping to corners and spine, otherwise a sound and bright Near Fine copy (No dust jacket issued). (33425) Please check our website for current availability.

[Kabbalah] Carlo Suarés, The Cipher of Genesis. The Original Code of the Qabala as Applied to the Scriptures. London: Stuart & Watkins, 1970. First English language edition. Hardcover. 8vo. 232 pp. Blue cloth with gilt title and author to spine, index. A reappraisal of the Book of Genesis in the light of the Kabbalah. Lower spine lightly bruised, previous owner's name in pen, small chip and crease to upper fore-corner of two pages (not affecting text). Otherwise a tight and clean VG+ copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket lightly rubbed at extremities, 1 inch closed tear to lower edge of upper panel, not price clipped). (33435) Please check our website for current availability.

[Kabbalah] Catherine Swietlicki, The Spanish Christian Cabala. The Works of Luis de León, Santa Teresa de Jesús, and San Juan de la Cruz. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1986. First edition. Hardcover. 8vo. xii + 228pp. Original brown cloth with gilt titling to spine, b&w illus., biblio and index. A surprisingly scarce work on the use of Kabbalistic symbolism in the works of "three Renaissance Spanish writers of probable New Christian stock - Luis de León, Santa Teresa de Jesús, and San Juan de la Cruz." Just a hint of shelf dust, residue from price sticker to front free endpaper, faint indentation to middle of first few leaves, otherwise a tight, bright Near Fine copy in VG+ dust jacket. (Dust jacket panels lightly chafed, edges very light rubbed) (33459) Please check our website for current availability.

[Knots] Cyrus Lawrence Day, Quipus and Witches' Knots. The Role of the Knot in Primitive and Ancient Cultures (With a Translation and Analysis of "Oribasius de Laqueis"). Lawrence KS: University of Kansas Press, 1967. First edition. Hardcover. large 8vo. vi +158 pp. Original green cloth with silver titling to spine, frontis and b&w illustrations, errata, appendixes, index. An anthropological study of the traditional use of knots, focussing in particular on mnemonic knots - such as the Peruvian quipus or knot calendars which may have been used for astronomical and astrological purposes, and magic knots used in ancient Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome and on to the modern day. Faint rubbing to edges, light shelf dust, otherwise a tight and unmarked Near Fine copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket lightly rubbed at edges and extremities, spine slightly darkened, not clipped but with a price penned to inner front flap near original price). (33460) Please check our website for current availability.

[Literature] [Homer] Translated by William Cullen Bryant With illustrations by John Flaxman. The Odyssey of Homer. The Illiad of Homer. Translated into Blank Verse, (8 Volumes) . Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1905. Large Paper Edition. Hardcovers. Quartos. Eight volumes. xvi+162 & x+164pp & x+ 162pp & x + 150pp; xxii+ 210pp & x+ 190pp & x+ 230pp & x+ 198pp. Original brown buckram with printed paper spine labels, frontispieces and b&w illustrations with printed tissue guards, title page vignettes, uncut page edges. A beautifully produced limited edition set of Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, which reproduces the acclaimed designs by the English sculptor and draughtsman John Flaxman (1755 - 1826). Edition limited 600 hand numbered copies of which these volumes are no. 442 (all volumes numbered) . Cloth lightly chafed overall with a few light scatchs and spot fading, rear of Vol. III of Illiad discolored. All edges lightly rubbed, some corners lightly bumped, spine ends lightly bruised, very light chipping to edges of spine labels, page edges lightly browned. Still, a sound and internally bright VG+ set. (33499) Please check our website for current availability.

[Literature] Arthur Machen, Cover art by Aubrey Beardsley, The Great God Pan and The Inmost Light. London: John Lane, 1894. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. 168 pp + 16 pp publisher's ads. Original illustrated black cloth. Upper board lettered in white, gilt titling to spine. Upper board, title-page and key monogram illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. Volume Five of the Keynote Series. The volume comprises two long short stories, "The Great God Pan" and "The Inmost Light." "The Great God Pan" attracted immediate controversy on account of its lurid bleakness and the unblushing sexuality of its demonic female central figure. Perhaps not surprisingly it went on to become Machen's most successful early work. Goldstone 6a. Lasner 29. Spine very slightly canted. Spine ends and corners lightly bruised and chafed, a few light bumps to edges. Page margins lightly browned, a few pages roughly opened. Still overall a sound and bright better than Very Good copy. (33291) SOLD.

[Literature] Timothy d'arch Smith, Love in Earnest. Some Notes on the Lives and Writings of English 'Uranian' Poets from 1889 to 1930. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 2003. First edition. Hardcover, 8vo. xxiv + 280pp. Dark green cloth with gilt titling to spine, appendix, list of sources and index. Signed by the author on the title page. A ground-breaking account of the personalities and poetry of the late nineteenth century literary movement dubbed by the author 'the Uranians.' Light rubbing to edges and bruising to spine ends and corners, otherwise a tight and bright Near fine copy in lightly rubbed Near fine dust jacket. (33370) Please check our website for current availability.

[Magic] Georg Von Welling, Opus Mago-cabbalisticum Et Theosophicum. Darinnen der Ursprung, Natur, Eigenschaften und Gebrauch, des Salzes, Schwefels und Mercurii, in dreyen Theilen beschrieben und nebst sehr vielen sonderbahren Mathematischen, Theosophischen, Magischen und Mystischen Materien, auch die Erzeugung der Metallen und Mineralien, aus dem Grunde der Natur erwiesen wird; Samt dem Haupt-Schlussel des ganzen Wercks, und vielen curieusen Mago-Cabbalistischen Figuren. Deme noch beygefuget: Ein Tractatlein von der Gottlichen Weissheit; und ein besonderer Anhang etlicher sehr rar- und kostbahrer Chymischer Piecen. 1784. Hardcover, sm. 4to, (viii) + 582 (+ xxii)pp. Recent contemporary -style full leather with gilt tilted leather spine label, and blind-stamped decorations to the boards. Colored page edges, marbled endpapers. Stunning engraved plates, some fold out, and illustrations in-text. Opus Mago-cabbalisticum Et Theosophicum by Georg von Welling (1652 - 1727) is without doubt one of the most important pre-twentieth century European works on magical philosophy. In addition to material on the earth sciences, the book contains considerable alchemical, kabbalistic, Rosicrucian, magical and mystical material. It is said to have been the book that Goethe had Faust reading when he first determined to become a magician, and has had a profound influence on the Western Magickal tradition from esoteric-Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, through the Golden Dawn and on to today. A little even browning throughout, but overall a near-Fine copy. (33500) Please check our website for current availability.

[Magic] Éliphas Lévi, edited, collected & with a Biographical and Critical Essay by Arthur Edward Waite, The Mysteries of Magic: A Digest of the Writings of Éliphas Lévi. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1897. Second Edition, Revised and enlarged. Hardcover, 8vo, xliv + 524pp + 24pp Publisher's catalog at rear. Original gilt decorated royal blue cloth, gilt title, etc. to spine, red rules, bevelled edges, notes and index. Waite's pioneering collection of Levi's works in translation. The book was first published in 1886, for this second edition "Waite altered the plan of his 'Digest', revised it extensively and added new material from the minor works of Levi, including extracts from Paradoxes of the Highest Science .. " Gilbert B1 (b). Spine ends and corners lightly bruised and chafed, edges lightly rubbed, a few faint spots to cloth. Page edges and preliminary and later pages lightly foxed, many pages unopened. Overall a sound, bright and internally fresh VG+ copy. (33489) Please check our website for current availability.

[Mythology] Paul Carus, The Story of Samson and Its Place in the Religious Development of Mankind. Chicago, IL: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1907. First edition. Hardcover. large 8vo, viii + 184 pp + 8 pp of adverts. Quarter red cloth w/ printed papered boards, black title, etc. to spine and upper board, top edge red, b&w frontis and illustrations, index. Carus' study of the story of Samson in the religions of the ancient Middle East. Edges of boards slightly faded, light rubbing to all edges, paper very slightly browned, othewise a bright and unmarked VG+ copy in VG- dust jacket. (Dust jacket has some light chipping at spine ends and corners, rubbed at edges with a short closed tear on lower front panel) (33458) Please check our website for current availability.

[Mythology] George Smith, The Chaldean Account of Genesis. Containing the Description of the Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, the Tower of Babel, the Times of the Patriarchs, and Nimrod: Babylonian Fables, and Legends of the Gods; from the Cuneiform Inscriptions. New York, NY: Scribner, Armstrong & Co., 1876. First US Edition. Hardcover, sm.4to, xvi + 320pp + 2pp of adverts. Gilt decorated maroon cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine, blind rules, frontis, b&w illustrations, index. A few light spots to cloth, sunned at spine and top edge of upper board. Corners bumped, spine ends bruised with a few tiny tears at lower end, several light bumps to fore-edge of upper board, a bit of nibbling in rear gutter. Neat contemporary gift inscription on front endpaper, otherwise internally bright and unmarked. Overall a sound and clean VG copy. (33430) Please check our website for current availability.

[Mythology] Augustino Van Staveren, Auctores Mythographi Latini Cajus Julis Hyginus, Fab. Planciad. Fulgentius, Lactantius Placidus, Albricus Philosophus Cum Integris Commentariis Jacobi Micylli, Joannis Schefferi, et Thomae Wopkenskii. Lugd. Bat.: Samuelem Luchtmans, 1742. First edition. Hardcover, Large quarto, 260 x 220 mm. [lxviii], 962, [xxiv]pp. Contemporary vellum boards (appear to have been re-hinged - possibly in the nineteenth century) gilt coat of arms in decorative panels on boath boards, gilt rules, raised bands, etc. to spine. Engraved frontispiece, and illustrations in text. A magnificent collection of myths and fables in Latin, including Fulgentius's Mythologies (Mythologiae) - a work now sometimes referred to as Fulgentius on Fables explained from moral considerations. With the ownership signature and book plate of Edward Craven Hawtrey (1789-1862) on the front pastedown. Hawtrey became the headmaster of Eton in 1834, and its Provost in 1852. He was an accomplished linguist, and was widely admired as a writer of English hexameters and for his affinity with the language of Homer. Boards quite splayed, as often with vellum books of this size, two tiny holes in each board suggest that there may once have been metal clasps, otherwise a lovely copy of an impressive and handsome book. (11438) Please check our website for current availability.

[Native American Religion & Healing] John G. Bourke, The Medicine - Men of the Apache. Extract from the Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology. Washington [ D.C. ] : Government Printing Office, 1892. First Edition. Hardcover. small folio. 174pp. (numbered 445-618). Contemporary scarlet half leather with cloth boards, gilt decorated raised bands, decorative blind stamping, marbled page edges and endpapers, six colored plates, b&w text illustrations. Bibliographies and index. Original front wrapper bound in. The author, John Gregory Bourke, 1843-1896, was a captain in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War for "gallantry in action" at the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee in December 1862. After the war he graduated from West Point and served with the Third U.S. Cavalry in New Mexico, and as an aide to General George Crook in the Apache Wars from 1870 to 1886. A prolific writer, with a fascination for ethnography, his service in the American Southwest gave him access to the indigenous peoples, particularly the Apache tribes, about whom he wrote several respected studies, of which this is one. A single page typed letter signed from Bourke to one William G. Simpson is tipped onto one blank at the front of the book, whilst facing it is a handwritten and signed post card from Bourke to Simpson, in which he mentions presenting a copy of the book to Simpson, and discusses suggestions that he made concerning it. Simpson's bookplate is present on the front pastedown, as well as his ownership signature and date (1893) on the Contents page. The binding has been professionally restored, with the hinges replaced and the backstrip laid down. Leather slightly darkened at edges, but overall a bright, attractively bound copy, with a fascinating association. (33477) Please check our website for current availability.

[Reincarnation] John H. Manas, Metempsychosis. Reincarnation. Pilgrimage of the Soul through Matter (Solution of "The Riddle of Life"). New York, NY: Pythagorean Society, 1941. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo, 206 pp + Errata + 2 pages adverts. Light blue cloth with dark blue title, etc. to spine, b&w illustrations. A study of metempsychosis - the belief in the transmigration of the soul and its subsequent reincarnation - drawn largely from teachings attributed to Orpheus and Pythagoras. The author was "President of the Pythagorean Society," a naturopath, and vigorous proselytizer on behalf of vegetarianism. He was probably also a confederate of Manly P. Hall, who has provided both a lengthy quote used in the 'blurb' as well as several of the illustrations in the book. Cloth slightly faded at edges, spine ends bruised and a bit rubbed, front hinge very slightly loose but quite sound. Overall clean VG+ copy in Good dust jacket. (Dust jacket browned, rubbed at edges with some chipping to extremities, faint damp mark to upper fore-edge, price clipped). Scarce First Edition. (33437) Please check our website for current availability.

[Rosicrucianism] Arthur Edward Waite, The Real History of the Rosicrucians (Founded on their Own Manifestoes, and on Facts and Documents Collected from the Writings of Initiated Brethren) . London: George Redway, 1887. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. viii+ 446pp. Decorated royal blue cloth, gilt title, etc. to spine, red rules, upper board stamped in gilt with Alchemical symbols and Rosicrucian symbol, b&w illustrations, notes at rear. According to Gilbert Waite wrote The Real History of the Rosicrucians to provide a balanced account of the subject, in contrast to the highly questionable, yet popular, The Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries, by Hargrave Jennings. (Gilbert A5, binding variant d). Spine very slightly darkened, spine ends and corners lightly bruised and chafed, edges lightly rubbed with a few very light bumps. Cancelled bookplate of the London Masonic Lodge library on front pastedown. Edges uncut, endpapers lightly browned, very light dampmark to the fore-edge of about 20 pages, otherwise paper is bright and text unmarked. Overall a bright, attractive VG+ copy. (33490) Please check our website for current availability.

[Salesmanship & Fundamentalism] Og Mandino, The Greatest Miracle in the World. New York: Frederick Fell Publishers, 1975. First edition, Signed. Hardcover. 8vo 120pp. Original red cloth with gilt titling to spine. A work by Og Mandino (1923-1996), a "sales guru" whose writings were flavored by his fundamentalist Christian beliefs, and influenced by Napoleon Hill, Emmet Fox, and others. He was also the author of the bestselling book The Greatest Salesman in the World. This book includes his "Memorandum from God to you". Signed by Mandino on the front endpaper. Very light rubbing to lower spine and edges. Bookplate. Otherwise a tight bright Near Fine copy in Near fine dust jacket. (Dust jacket very lightly rubbed) (33445) Please check our website for current availability.

[Serpent Worship] C. Staniland Wake, Serpent Worship and other Essays with a Chapter on Totemism. London: George Redway, 1888. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. + iv + 300 pp. + 40 page publisher's catalog at rear. Original green cloth with gilt titling to spine and gilt serpent to upper board. The author follows on from Forlong's 'Rivers of Life,' and the works of Godfrey Higgins in his search for the origins of religious life. In particular he concentrates on serpent-worship and phallicism: with chapters on Phallism in Ancient Religion, The Origin of Serpent-Worship, The Adamites, The Descendants of Cain, Sacred Prostitution, etc. etc. Cloth a bit darkened at margins and spine, spine ends and corners bruised and lightly rubbed. Paper a bit browned with some faint scattered foxing, short tear to rear end paper at mid spine. Otherwise a sound and unmarked VG + copy. (33450) Please check our website for current availability.

[Austin Osman Spare] Austin Osman Spare, ( With an Afterword by Keith Richmond ). Adventures in Limbo. London: Neptune Press, 2006. First Edition, Private Edition. Softcover. Oblong quarto (215mm tall x 320mm long), with a printed dustjacket folded over thick card covers. Private Edition of 24 copies, with an original sketch by Austin Osman Spare loosely inserted in a folder at the rear, book housed in a specially made cloth clamshell case. A beautifully crafted work comprising reproductions of twenty-four pencil sketches from a previously unpublished sketchbook by Austin Osman Spare. The sketches are superb facsimiles of the originals, one to a page, single-sided, and printed on heavyweight 500 year 'Goatskin parchment paper.' The work also includes an historical Afterword by Keith Richmond. The drawings, with color pencil flourishes, were executed by Spare in 1944 and 1945, whilst he was still recovering from the injury and trauma of being 'bombed out' during the Blitz, a few years earlier. Spare considered the work in the book, which he titled Adventures in Limbo, to be amongst the 'best' of his work at the time, and described it modestly as 'a fairly representative sample of my inventive work.' This private edition includes an original sketch by Spare that was the eighteenth in sequence. In it one of Spare's characteristic, headless, sphinx-like creatures stand in front of a monolith hewn with two human faces, besides which an ectoplasmic figure arises from a sea of smaller forms. The sketch is oblong, 10" x 7" , in lead pencil with just a hint of blue background pencilling. It has been initialed and dated ('45) by Spare in the bottom left corner. Book and drawing are housed in a cloth solander case, with title etc. to spine and a decoration after a drawing by Spare on the front cover. Although 24 copies were issued thus, only 14 were available for sale. book/fine condition. (33501) Please check our website for current availability.

[Austin Osman Spare] Austin Osman Spare, "Drawing Book." Facsimile reproductions of the pages of a 1944 sketchbook by Austin Osman Spare, plus one original drawing, all housed in a hand-bound portfolio. NP [Thame?] ND [2005] Hardcover, small folio (10ins x 13ins) 29 loose sheets (including the original drawing) housed in a handmade half leather portfolio with marbled paper boards. A beautifully produced work. The edition was limited to 24 copies, each containing an original Spare sketch. The high quality printing was done by The Mandrake Press Ltd, the portfolio handbound by 'the Hellfire Club,' and copies distributed by Ben Fernee. The sheets reproduce the 24 (7" x 10") drawings that Spare did in a sketchbook whilst staying with his friend Vera Wainwright in her cottage in Helford, in Cornwall, in 1944. The drawings are reasonably typical of Spare's magical landscapes, with anthropomorphic trees, strange figures, and various surreal and grotesque images. In addition to high quality reproductions of each of the drawings, on archival quality cotton paper, the portfolio also contains a facsimile reproduction of a pen drawing by Spare of himself and Wainwright, a reproduction of the cover of sketchbook, a single page introduction, a sheet with a miniature reproduction of each of the drawings and its sequence in the sketchbook, and one original drawing, from the sketchbook, by Austin Osman Spare. The original sketch in this book was the twelfth in sequence. In it two twisted, anthropomorphic tree-figures push their truncated limbs skyward. One cradles a large, vaguely phallic lizard-like creature with female breasts, which shoots forth its tongue, which extends into flame. The sketch is 7" x 10", in lead pencil, and has been initialed by Spare in the bottom right corner. Sketch, sheets, and portfolio, are all in Fine condition. (33502) SOLD.

[Austin Osman Spare] Austin Osman Spare, An original chalk and pastel sketch of a reclining nude, undated but circa 1956. Done on a large sheet art paper (15" x 22"). The sketch was formerly in the possession of Spare's long-time friend Frank Letchford and has his typed note about it pasted (!) on the lower front left corner. Letchford's note reads: "Chalk sketch done by Austin Osman Spare, (1885-1956) during his personal "Refresher Course" at the City and Guilds Art School Kennington - which he attended as a youth and returned there at the age of 69 prior to an exhibition in a local pub. His nude studies sold quickly - this would be 1955 at the age of 69. His comment on the students was that he had done more in one day than the lot put together in one week! It must have been strange to see this fierce, dishevelled old chap in his tatty cloth frightening away the life-class students into another room - leaving him to fix the model how he wished! This man had had an operation involving removal of ribs, hence his back was dished." On the verso there is a relatively conventional landscape, presumably not by Spare, who probably simply recycled another student's discarded work. The sketch has a few small groups of pin-pricks - obviously from where it was tacked to a board - and a couple of short tear at the edges, but otherwise is in Very Good condition. (33505) Please check our website for current availability.

[Stonehenge] Edgar Barclay, Stonehenge And Its Earth-Works. With Plans And Illustrations. London: D. Nutt, 1895. First edition . Hardcover. 4to. xii + 152 pp. Original maroon cloth with gilt titling to spine, blind rules, top edge gilt, frontis with tissue guard, b&w illustrations and fold-out plans, index. Barclay (1842-1913), was a painter and etcher, a member of both the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, and the Royal Institute of Oil-Painters. He was a respected amateur archaeologist and historian, and in his later years he developed a strong interest in Stonehenge and in June 1893 addressed the British Archaeological Association on the subject, as well as writing an article on it for the Illustrated Archaeologist' later that year. Stonehenge and its Earth-Works, was one of two books he wrote on the subject, and is generously illustrated with detailed sketches, plans and views, as well as reproductions of a number of Barclay's landscapes. Corners and spine ends bumped and rubbed, a few light bumps to edges, small inch-long tear to cloth at lower front gutter, hinges very slightly loose. Some very light browning to endpapers, contemporay owners name plate. Overall a sound and internally bright VG+ copy. (31825) Please check our website for current availability.

[Tarot] Paul Foster Case, The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages. Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing Company, 1947. First Edition. Hardcover. 8vo, (iv) + 216pp. Original beige cloth with red title, etc. to spine, frontis, b&w illustrations. Spine ends lightly bruised, small previous owner's name label on front pastedown. Previous owner's pencil renderings of a number of the tarot card illustrations on tracing paper loosely inserted, as well as a full page of neat and erudite notes. A tiny bit of underlining and marginalia - mostly in pencil, otherwise a sound and tight VG+ copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket a bit darkened at spine and edges, edges lightly rubbed, not price clipped). (33377) Please check our website for current availability.

[Tarot] William Hughes Willshire, A Descriptive Catalogue of Playing and Other Cards in the British Museum. Accompanied by a Concise General History of the Subject and Remarks on Cards of Divination and of a Politico-Historical Character. London: The British Museum, 1975. Reprint. Hardcover. large 8vo. 360 pp + 88 pp + 23 pp of plates. Original green cloth with gilt titling to spine, b&w and colour plates. Appendix, biblio and indexes. An unchanged reprint of the original edition of 1876 which included the text, 88 page supplement and plates. Although primarily devoted to playing cards, it includes chapters on the Tarot, and Divination and Cartomancy, and is valuable resource for research into these subjects. A few faint spots to boards, otherwise Fine in Fine dust jacket. (33371) Please check our website for current availability.

[Teachers] Manly Palmer Hall, Twelve World Teachers. A Summary of Their Lives and Teachings. Los Angeles, CA: Philosophical Research Society, Inc., 1947. Second revised. Hardcover. large 8vo. 240 pp. Original maroon cloth with gold title, etc. to spine. Inscribed and dated by Manly P. Hall on the front endpaper "Very Sincerely, Manly P. Hall. Jan 6th 1956." Includes chapters on Akhenaten, Hermes Trismegistus, Orpheus, Zoroaster, Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tse, Plato, Jesus, Mohammed, Padmasambhava and Quetzalcoatl. Very slight bumping to lower edges, pages edges dusty, paper very slightly browned, otherwise a tight, bright Near fine copy in VG dust jacket. (Dust jacket now in mylar, edges lightly rubbed with a bit of light chipping at upper spine and a few short closed tears, not price clipped). (24169) Please check our website for current availability.

[Theosophy] I. Cooper-Oakley, Preface by Annie Besant, The Comte de St. Germain. The Secret of Kings. Milan, Italy: Ars Regia, 1912. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. small 8vo. 284pp + 2pp publisher's advert at rear. Contemporary green cloth spine with grey papered boards, original wrappers bound in, spine titled in gilt, frontis, b&w plates and fold-out, appendixes and bibliography. International Committee for Research into Mystical Traditions, V. A first edition of one of the major biographies of the enigmatic Comte, renowned as an adventurer and alchemist, and hailed by the likes of Mme Blavatsky, C. W. Leadbeater, Alice Bailey, et al as a great Master. With the ownership inscription of, John W. Hamilton-Jones on the front pastedown, and his signature on the front free endpaper. J. W. Hamilton-Jones was a well-known Freemason, Theosophist, and member of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.), who published a number of important translations of little-known alchemical and hermetic texts. Also loosely inserted is a card from an unidentified 'Syd,' to 'Brother John,' apologizing for having not returned the book earlier. Spine ends bruised, corners lightly bumped, extremities a bit rubbed. Paper a bit browned. Still, a sound VG copy with an interesting provenance. (33484) Please check our website for current availability.

[Theosophy] Arthur H. Nethercot, The Last Four Lives of Annie Besant, London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1963. First edition. Hardcover. 8vo, 484 pp. Red cloth with gilt title etc to spine, frontis, well-illustrated in b&w, index. The second part of this massive biography of Besant, it is effectively a separate work in its own right, covering her arrival in India in 1893, role in Indian Education and the campaign for Indian Home Rule, and her acceptance of Krishnamurti as a new messiah. The 'four lives' which Nethercot surveys in this volume are categorised by him as: 6. The Indian Educator, Propagandist and Mystic. 7 President of the Indian National Congress. 8. The Deserted Leader. 9. Life in Death. Just a hint of rubbing to lower edges and light shelf dust, a few light smudges to page edges - otherwise a sound, bright Near Fine copy in VG+ dust jacket. (Dust jacket chafed at spine ends and edges, a few short closed tears, not clipped). (33474) Please check our website for current availability.

[True Crime] Donald McCormick, Murder by Witchcraft. London: John Long, 1968. First Edition. Hardcover, 8vo, 174pp. Papered boards withgilt titling to spine, b&w illustrations, Photographs. Index. An unusual account of two murders which took place in quiet Midlands villages in the 1940s. According to the author both had unusual ritualistic features that suggested some sort of occult connection - in one an elderly man was brutally murdered with a pitchfork - a deed linked by some to a Druidic cult, and in the other a woman's skeleton (minus hand) was discovered in a Wych Elm. In this case she was said to have been executed for a crime against a local coven. An interesting work that is scarce in any edition, and oddly almost unfindable in hardcover. Previous owner's stamp on the front pastedown. Light bruising to head and tail of spine, a couple of small spots on the last two leaves. Otherwise a sound and unmarked VG+ copy (lacks dustjacket). (33495) Please check our website for current availability.

[Vampires] Dudley Wright, Vampires and Vampirism. London: William Rider & Son Ltd., 1924. Second edition. Hardcover. small 8vo. viii+ 220 pp + 4 pp of adverts. Original red cloth, black title and author to spine and title to upper board, bibliography. The second edition of Dudley Wright's survey of vampire myths and stories. Arguably the 'best' edition, it is no less scarce than the First - which preceded it by a decade - but includes about 50 pages of additional material. Contents: Introductory, Excommunication and its Power, The Vampire in Babylonia, Assyria, and Greece, Vampirism in Great and Greater Britain, Vampirism in Germany and Surrounding Countries, Vampirism in Hungary, Bavaria, and Silesia, Vampirism in Servia and Bulgaria, Vampire Beliefs in Russia, Vampirism Among the Orientals, Miscellanea, Living Vampires, The Vampire in Literature, Fact or Fiction? Bibliography. Cloth somewhat darkened and a bit grubby, corners and spine ends bruised, edges rubbed, endpapers unevenly browned, paper lightly browned, ink date stamp on rear endpaper. Still, a sound and internally bright VG copy. No dust jacket. (33487) Please check our website for current availability.

[Voodoo] Zora Hurston, Voodoo Gods. An Inquiry into Native Myths and Magic in Jamaica and Haiti. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1939. First UK edition. Hardcover. 8vo. x + 290pp. Original blind stamped charcoal cloth with gilt titling to spine, colored top edge, 2 maps, 24 b&w photos, musical scores, glossary and index. An unusual eye-witness account of voodoo practices in Jamaica and Haiti in the 1930s. Cloth slightly chafed, rubbed at edges, very slight crease to spine, paper lightly browned, otherwise a tight VG+ copy. No dust jacket. (33379) Please check our website for current availability.

[Waite, Arthur Edward] S. L. Bensusan, Foreword by L. Cranmer-Byng, April. A Book of Minor Verse. London: St. Catherine Press, 1928. First Edition. Hardcover, 8vo. xii + 56 pp. Cream cloth spine with grey papered boards, gilt titling to upper board and spine. From the library of A. E. Waite: with the author's inscription to him on the verso of the front blank "To Arthur Edward Waite, Poet and Scholar from his friend, S.L. Bensusan, Dec 1st, 1928." Bensusan was the author of numerous articles and books on art, literature, and travel and was for a time active in Theosophical circles. He clearly knew Waite, and Dion Fortune, to whom he dedicated one of the poems in this volume. Some uneven browning to edges of boards, lower corners and spine end bumped, edges lightly rubbed, light foxing to page edges and endpapers. Still, a tight and clean VG+ copy with an interesting association. (33440) Please check our website for current availability.

[Waite] Arthur Edward Waite, [with Arthur Machen]. Strange Houses of Sleep. London: Philip Sinclair Welby, 1906. First edition. Hardcover. Small Quarto. xx + 234pp (+2pp adverts). Full vellum with gilt title etc. on spine and upper board, and gold-stamped heraldic device on upper board. Original brass corners on fore-edge. Top edge gilt, fore and bottom edges untrimmed, photogravure portrait frontispiece, rubricated title page. Edition limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, of which this is Number 124. With a ten line signed and dated (12.6.12) inscription in Waite's hand, concerning his ideas on mystical experience the recto of the limitation leaf. It is unclear to whom this might have been written. The book also bears, on the front pastedown, a later (?) bookplate of one Kathleen Power: whose name is not one known to have been connected with Waite, and who was therefore most likely not the original recipient. Waite's biographer and bibliographer, R. A. Gilbert, observes that 'Strange Houses of Sleep' includes two of Waite's verse dramas, one co-written with Arthur Machen, and the other containing the essence of his ideas on Tarot symbolism." Spine and lower board showing a bit of the peculiar mottling to which such bindings are subject. Boards slightly splayed (as common), slight darkening of outer edge of upper cover. The limitation leaf is nearly detached, with offsetting from removed tape affecting inner margin of this and the half title. Paper slightly browned but otherwise unmarked. Overall a sound VG copy with an interesting inscription by Waite. (33456) Please check our website for current availability.

[Witchcraft] Henry Boguet, Translated by E. Allen Ashwin, Edited etc. by Montague Summers, An Examen Of Witches [Discours Sorciers] Drawn from various trials of many of this sect in the district of Saint Oyan De Joux commonly of Burgundy including the procedure necessary to a judge in trials for witchcraft... Suffolk, Great Britian: John Rodker, 1929. Limited Edition. Hardcover. small 8vo. liv + 328 pp. Green parchment covered boards, rubricated headings and margin notes. Edition limited to 1275 hand numbered copies, this being copy no. 49. The first English edition of the most notorious of the early witch-hunting texts. The author of the work, Henri Boguet (1550-1619), was a respected judge and the President of the Tribunal in St Claude in the Jura region of France. He gained a reputation for the cruelty and zeal of his persecutions, and is personally said to have pronounced or confirmed the death sentence on over six hundred 'witches.' His Examen of Witches [Discours Sorciers] became one of the standard text books of witch-hunting in France. The book contains a significant amount of witch lore, much obtained under torture, with much on the Sabbat and the sexual relations that allegedly took place between witches and their demonic masters - a subject which seemed to hold a particular fascination for Boguet. The work is also famous as one of the earliest published sources on werewolves - based on Boguet's first hand observations. Parchment unevenly faded (as common), a few bumps to edges, corners and spine ends bumped and lightly rubbed, spine a bit canted, endpapers unevenly browned, paper lightly browned. Still a sound and unmarked VG copy. (33483) Please check our website for current availability.

[Witchcraft] Theda Kenyon, Witches Still Live. A Study Of The Black Art Today. New York: Ives Washburn, 1929. Hardcover. 8vo. 379 pp. Original blind ruled black cloth with gilt titling to spine, biblio and index. A surprisingly comprehensive and well-researched account. Edges lightly rubbed, corners and spine ends lightly bumped and rubbed. Very faint ripple to cloth at fore-edge of upper board, a few faint spots to cloth. Page edges darkened, paper very slighty browned, pencil notes to endpapers and underlining scattered through text. Still, this is overall a outwardly clean, tight near VG copy. No dust jacket. (33374) Please check our website for current availability.

[Witchcraft] Jules Michelet, Translated by A. R. Allinson. The Sorceress: A Study in Middle Age Superstition. Paris: Librairie de L'edition / Charles Carrington, 1904. First Edition Thus. Softcover, 8vo, 352 pp. Original printed wrappers. Biblio. A study of medieval witchcraft, witch-hunting and diabolism. Chapters on charms and love potions, demons, Satan, diseases of the Middle Ages, the Black Mass, witchcraft, witches and the witches' sabbaths, witch trials and persecutions, the Basque witches, Madeleine Bavent, Urbain Grandier, and diabolic possession, particularly with reference to the Affaire Gauffridi at Marseilles (1610), the nuns of Loudon (1633-4), the affair at Louviers (1640-7) and the scandal involving Charlotte Cadiere and Father Girard at Toulon (1730-1). This edition was produced by the famous Paris-based bookseller and publisher of erotica, Charles Carrington, and includes his introductory essay entitled 'The Tribulations of a Bookseller.' Wrappers a bit chafed at edges, missing a few chips, and with a few light creases and damp marks. Upper wrapper has one inch ragged closed tear at lower spine edge and is thus slightly loosened from text block. Spine lightly creased and unevenly darkened. Page edges foxed, but contents bright and unmarked, many pages uncut at top edge. Overall a sound and clean near VG copy. Scarce. (31051) Please check our website for current availability.

[Witchcraft] Montague Summers, The Geography Of Witchcraft, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1927. First UK edition. Hardcover. Large 8vo, xii + 624 pp (16 page series catalog at rear). Original black cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine, gilt device to upper board, blind rules, b&w frontis and illustrations, index. The History of Civilization series. Regarded by Summers as a "complementary volume" to his 'History of Witchcraft and Demonology,' he offers a detailed region by region survey of the "witchcraft epidemic" or witch craze as it effected Greece and Rome, England, Scotland, New England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Very light rubbing to edges, spine ends bruised, lower corners bumped, paper a bit browned especially at margins. Still a tight, unmarked VG+ copy without dust jacket. (33447) Please check our website for current availability.

About This Catalog & How To Purchase From It.