Occult Spells, A Nineteenth Century Grimoire.
York Beach, Maine, USA: Teitan Press, 2009. First Edition. Hardcover. Small Quarto. 208pp. Black cloth, with a gilt sigil stamped on the front cover, blind rules, and gilt title etc. on the spine. Printed on library-quality paper, sewn, Color frontispiece. Edition limited to 500 hand numbered copies. The first section comprises a 9 page Introduction, which is followed by a 72 page typeset transcription of the text of the grimoire, with explanatory footnotes, translations of the passages in Latin, etc. etc. The final section is a 120 page facsimile of the original manuscript of the grimoire. "Occult Spells" is a sort of esoteric commonplace book in which Hockley recorded material on different spells, talismans, charms and such-like that he came across in rare books and manuscripts in the course of his researches. Hockley started compiling the book at about the age of twenty, and added to it throughout his life, he still had it in his possession when he died at the age of seventy-six. The sources that he used ranged from occult classics such as Richard Saunders' "Physiognomie, and Chiromancie, Metoposcopie" (1671), John Heydon's "Theomagia, or the Temple of Wisdome" (1663); and Henry Cornelius Agrippa's "Three Books of Occult Philosophy" (1651), to relatively obscure works like Joseph Pettigrew's "Bibliotheca Sussexiana" (1827), and well known magick books like the "Petit Albert." The spells and talismans vary as much as his sources: from sublime Enochian invocations, through folk magic, and on into the darker realms of necromancy. Thus it includes charms to determine the name of the person you will marry (useful only to virgins!), a quite poisonous-sounding love powder, talismans for all sorts of purposes, and even a recipe for the creation of a homunculus. Frederick Hockley (1809-1885), was an occultist and Freemason with an interest in Spiritualism who in later life was associated with the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. Hockley's peers considered him to be one of the great occult scholars of his time in fact he was held in such high regard by one of the founders of the Golden Dawn, W. Wynn Westcott, that he posthumously claimed Hockley as one of the Order's most outstanding Adepts. "Occult Spells" offers a rare insight into the occult preoccupations of this interesting figure, whose work arguably had a profound effect on the late nineteenth century Occult Revival. This is the first ever publication of "Occult Spells" and includes an Introduction and transcription of the text by Silens Manus, a scholar of Hockley's works. At first glance this copy appears "as new" BUT it seems that the book has been heavily dropped on the flat of the spine, resulting in a compression and ripple to the cloth at the gutters and the text block to have been pushed forward in the binding (although it remains firm and tight). It actually appears unread, and everything else about the volume appears "as new" but because of the impact the condition has to be downgraded, as has the price! No dust jacket issued. Item #63514
ISBN: 9780933429178
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