The Book of Destiny and the Art of Reading Therein.
Philadelphia, PA: David McKay, Publisher, ND [ 1912? ]. First US Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. xiv + 278pp. Original bright red cloth with gilt titling and pentagram design on upper board. Includes fold-out frontis of "The Wheel of Wisdom" and various tables in-text. The scarce first American edition of Waite's second book on divination and kindred subjects: presumably written as a pot-boiler. Chapters include: The Great Oracle of the Gods; The Art of Knowing the Good Genii and Their Influence Upon the Destiny of Men; The Occult Science of Jewels; Sidelights on Workings of Destiny in Business and Pleasure; Some Names of Womanhood; Curiosities of Planetary Lore; The Wheel of Wisdom; The Little Book of Divination by Flowers; and The Mystery of Dreams. The extremely scarce first US edition, bound up from British sheets with a cancel title page. The edition is so uncommon that it is not listed in Dr. R. A. Gilbert's typically comprehensive bibliography of A. E. Waite: Gilbert lists only the first UK edition and a later US printing. Some very small light marks on the cloth, spine slightly darkened, light bruising and chafing to spine ends & corners. Page edges a little darkened, pages lightly toned but clean and unmarked. Overall a tight, bright VG+ copy. Item #63917
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