Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition.
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1892. First Trade Edition. Hardcover. Quarto. viii + 386pp. Brown cloth elaborately illustrated in black with red titling within black borders on spine and upper board, b&w illustrations by Leland. Duo-tone frontis with tissue guard. List of illustrations, contents and index. This is the first "trade edition", there also having been a "Fine Edition" published the same year which was limited to 100, signed & numbered copies. Philadelphia born Charles G. Leland was a scholar and folklorist who moved to England in 1870 where he learned to speak the Romany language of the Gypsies, and was accepted into Gypsy circles, who freely shared their knowledge of traditional witchcraft, talismanic magic, amulets, etc. with him. His work, "Aradia" is now widely acknowledged as one of the major source works for the twentieth century witchcraft revival. This work includes the names, attributes, legends of, and invocations to nearly all the Etruscan deities, and many minor Roman gods, along with a large collection of curious customs, magical cures, charms, incantations and amulets of Etruscan Latin origin, and accounts of goblins, spirits, & fairies along with the conjurations addressed to them. The book comprises two parts, the first part entitled, "Gods and Goblins," the second "Incantations, Divination, Medicine, and Amulets." The latter part is of particular importance to those with an interest in the history and practice of magic and witchcraft, its contents are: Chapter I. La Stalla Di Maiale--The Spell Of The Ivy And The Statue--The Spell Of The Hare--The Spell Of The Spider--The Spell Of The Green Lizard; Chapter II. Birds And Treasures--The Spell Of The Falling Star--The Spell Of The Acorns--The Spell Of The Swallow--Minor Cures From Marcellus--The Three Wise Men Of The East And The Witch—Medals; Chapter III. The Exorcism Of Death--The Spell Of The Cradle--Divination With Lead--Divination By Oil--Pyromancy And Incense--The Spell Of The Lamp; Chapter IV. Evil Incantations--The Spell Of The Holy Stone And The Salagrana--The Spell Of The Shell And The Tone Of The Stone--The Spell Of The Snail--Il Canto Del Gallo--Divination With Ashes; Chapter V. The Amethyst--The Spell Of The Black Hen--The Spell Of The Bell--The Spell Of The Boiling Clothes--Ring Sorcery--Amulets, Omens, And Small Sorceries--Lead And Antimony. Index. Cloth a bit darkened - more so at spine, lower edges chafed, corners and spine ends bumped and chafed with a small amount of fraying, titling to spine is much dulled, page edges darkened, endpapers unevenly browned and lightly foxed, bookplate on front pastedown, light foxing to tissue guard at frontis, tidy owner's notes to the blank reverse of final page, very light scattered foxing throughout. Still a tight, clean VG copy. Item #63212
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