High Magic's Aid.
London: Michael Houghton [ Neptune Press ], 1949. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 352pp. Original blue-black cloth with silver title to spine, endpapers printed with magic seals & magical implements. "High Magic's Aid" is one of the best known books in the twentieth century witchcraft canon - arguably the book that started it all. In "High Magic's Aid" Gardner used fiction as a vessel to discuss the magical craft, drawing from rituals such as "The Key of Solomon" and other works which he also wove into his own witchcraft practice. Gardner - who had known Aleister Crowley although not that well - wrote the book under his magical nom-de-plume "Scire," which is misspelled "Scrire" on the title page which also has the rather jumbled mixture of the acronym "O.T.O." but the grade sign of a Philosophus ( 4 = 7) of Crowley's A.'. A.'. next to his pseudonym. The book itself was published by Michael Houghton of the Neptune Press / Atlantis Bookshop. The copy has at some stage been exposed to damp, but the consequences of this are not very visible unless one removes the dust jacket and there is no smell or sign of mildew. There is some bubbling to the cloth of the front board, and a light crease to that of the back board, otherwise the binding is clean and tight. There are a few small blue patches on the front endpapers (where the coloring of the cloth has bled through a little), the inside hinges have been professionally (and almost invisibly) reinforced. Page edges a little darkened, but otherwise a clean attractive VG + copy. The scarce dust jacket shows some light discoloration to the back panel, and some colour offset from the boards on the verso of the jacket (which of course is only visible when it is removed). Unclipped, and with only a minimum of rubbing around the edges, and now protected by a removable mylar sleeve. Most of the flaws noted are only evident when the jacket is removed, and overall it is still a very presentable copy of an elusive edition. Item #54727
Price: $1,200.00