Item #65793 The Myth of the Magus. E. M. BUTLER.

The Myth of the Magus.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1948. First Edition. Hardcover. Large Octavo. xii, 282pp. Original green cloth with gold titling to spine, Illustrations, bibliography, index. The First Edition of the first book of Butler's famous trilogy. "In seeking to determine the place of the sixteenth-century Faust in the magical tradition [ Professor Butler ] realized early that Faust himself and all his predecessors and successors, were essentially one person under many different guises." This literary historical study explores the lives and mythologies of many mystics and magicians history and literature including Madame Blavatsky, Gilles de Rais, Solomon, Christ, Rasputin, Zoroaster, Merlin, Simon Magus, Faust and others. Professor Butler even took the effort to seek out and interview Aleister Crowley, although she makes only the briefest of passing references to him in this volume. From the collection of Clive Harper with his discreet book-label neatly tipped in at the rear. Harper is well- known as the bibliographer of Austin Osman Spare, for updating the Aleister Crowley bibliography in the 2011 Teitan Press collection of Gerald Yorke's writings, and as someone who has lent his expertise to numerous other publications. Very light overall shelfwear, edges & extremities lightly bumped and chafed, page edges darkened, owner's name & private library inkstamp on front blank, page edges and endpapers unevenly browned, some uniform browning to all pages (this is typical of this volume, which was produced not long after the end of WW2 when there were still paper shortages and quality wasn't great). Else a tight, clean VG+ copy in G only dust jacket. (Dust jacket heavily rubbed at folds and spine edges, spine ends have visible tape repair both inside and out, not price-clipped. Now in removable protective mylar). Item #65793

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