The Mirror of Magic, A History of Magic in the Western World.
New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1948. First edition. Hardcover. Thick quarto. 504pp. Original fine black cloth boards, silver titling to spine, silver magic circle device on upper cover, 250 b&w illustrations, bibliographic resume and index at rear. Seligmann offers the reader a vivid picture of the most typical religio-magical beliefs from ancient Persia and Mesopotamia to Europe in the Eighteenth Century. Kurt Seligmann (1900–1962) was a Swiss born American Surrealist artist, who was known as a serious student of the occult, and for his bizarre and grotesque images. He is said to have died of an apparently accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1962. Curiously this book was one of the works recommended as "suggested reading" by Australian occultist Rosaleen Norton. Spine ends and corners lightly bruised and chafed, page edges darkened and lighty thumbed, top edge dusty, all pages a bit toned but clean and unmarked, owner's blind seal on front blank. A tight unmarked VG+ copy in VG dust jacket. (Dramatically illustrated dust jacket is a little rubbed overall, rear panel and inner flaps a bit browned, all edges and extremities lightly creased and chafed, not clipped). Item #62554
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