The Greater Key of Solomon; Including a Clear and Precise Exposition of King Solomon's Secret Procedure, its Mysteries and Magic Rites. Original Plates, Charms and Talismans. Translated from Ancient Manuscripts in the British Museum, London
Chicago, IL: The de Laurence Company, ND [circa 1940]. Reprint. Hardcover. Quarto. xvi + 130 pp, b/w illustrations & full page plates, Light brown patterned cloth with dull gilt title on front cover. Frontis photo of L. W. de Laurence. MacGregor Mathers was of course one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the fraternity in which Aleister Crowley got his early magical training, and which had such a profound influence on his own occult career. This is yet another pirated edition produced by the redoutable 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) although in this case he has merely granted himself editorship. 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 volume has the copyright date 1914 on the verso of the title page, and the typography of the time, but to judge from the binding it is almost certainly a later reprint, perhaps dating from the 1940s. Page edges darkened, tape offset on endpapers (presumably from a "protective" cover which has now been removed). There is a light-brown discolored patch in the top margins of the frontispiece and title-page (see photo), which has bled through very slightly onto the versos. Distributor's stamp at base of title page, and old NYC Samuel Weiser label at bottom of front pastedown. Otherwise a tight, clean VG copy, no dustjacket (none called for). Item #61425
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