Item #45196 The Master Key. L. W. DE LAURENCE.

The Master Key.

Chicago, IL: The de Laurence Company, ND ( Copyright 1914 ). Sixth Printing. Hardcover. Octavo. x + 406pp. Textured maroon boards, gilt lettering & decorations on spine, gilt cross design on upper board. A work by Lauron William de Laurence (1868 - 1936), renowned book pirate, plagiarist, and publisher of occult literature. De Laurence was well known for taking 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 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 American occult community. This copy is marked as the "Sixth Printing" and thus we believe it to be circa 1950s. Gilt cross design on upper board much-rubbed. There is a rather odd pattern painted or inked on the front pastedown and a name and sigil (?) have been "whited-out" on rear pastedown. Otherwise it is a tight, clean and unmarked VG copy - offered cheaply because of the embellishments on the pastedowns .(no dust jacket). Item #45196

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