Item #49147 Mystic London; or, Phases of Occult life in the Metropolis. Rev. Charles Maurice DAVIES.
Mystic London; or, Phases of Occult life in the Metropolis.

Mystic London; or, Phases of Occult life in the Metropolis.

London: Tinsley Brothers, 1875. First Edition. Hardcover. Large octavo. viii + 406pp.+ iipp adverts. Original brown cloth bordered in blind, gilt-lettered on spine. A lovely first edition of this work by Charles Maurice Davies (1828–1910), an Anglican clergyman who took a particular interest in the byways of belief - and unbelief - in mid-late nineteenth century London. A convert to Spiritualism himself, he obviously pays much attention to the practice of Spiritualism, including descriptions of mediums and séances, but he also explored many other forms of occult and secularist belief and practice. Some of the chapter headings give a hint of the content: London Arabs; East London Arabs; London Arabs In Canada; Waifs And Strays; A Lunatic Ball; A Baby Show; A Night In A Bakehouse; A London Slave Market; Tea and Experience; Sunday Linnet-Singing; A Woman's Rights Debate; A n Open-Air Tichborne Meeting; Sunda in a People's Garden; Utilizing The Young Ladies; Fairlop Friday; A Christmas Dip; Boxing-Day on the Streets; The Vigil of the Derby; The Wifeslayers 'Home'; Bathing in the Far East; Among The Quakers; Penny Readings; Darwinism On The Devil; Peculiar People; Interviewing An Astrologer; A Barmaid Show; A Private Execution; An 'Indescribable Phenomenon'; A Lady Mesmerist; A Psychopathic Institution; A Phrenological Evening; A Spiritual Picnic; A Ghostly Conference; Spirit Athletes; An Evenings Diablerie; 'Spotting' Spirit Mediums; A Seance For Sceptics; An Evening with the Higher Spirits; Spirit Forms; Sitting with a Sibyl; Spiritualists And Conjurers; Pros And Cons Of Spiritualism. From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, with his ex-libris seal blind-stamped on the front free endpaper. Spine darkened, spine edges and ends chafed, light bruising to spine ends, corners lightly bumped with some minimal fraying, page edges and endpapers a bit darkened, a few pages roughly opened, text clean and unmarked. Overall a tight, clean better than VG copy. Item #49147

Sold

See all items by