The Principles of Astrological Geomancy: The Art of Divining by Punctuation, according to Cornelius Agrippa and Others - with an Appendix containing 2048 answers to questions.
London: Rider, 1913. Revised edition. Hardcover. Octavo. xii + 220pp. (+ 4pp. Rider Catalogue). Original blue textured cloth lettered in gilt on spine & front board, device on front board. Appendix, b&w text figures. Franz Hartmann (1838 - 1912) was a Bavarian-American physician and occultist. After an initial interest in Spiritualism he joined the Theosophical society in 1882, traveling to Adyar, and supposedly receiving personal letters from the Mahatmas. At some stage after returning to Europe he met Theodor Reuss, who helped found a German branch of the fringe-Masonic Rites of Memphis and Mizraim. Hartmann held high position in this and other of Reuss's orders, and when these merged under the auspices of Carl Kellner's Ordo Templi Orientis, Hartmann was named "Honorary Grand Master of the Sovereign Sanctuary" of that order. Hartmann was one of the best known authors on magic of his time, and authored or edited nearly a dozen works on the occult. In the Preface to the present volume he explains that his work on Geomancy is not intended to be used for fortune telling, but rather "as an aid for the student of the higher science who desires to develop his intuition." This revised edition is greatly expanded from the first edition of 1889 which only numbered some 136pp. as opposed to the 220pp here. Corners and spine ends lightly bumped and chafed, cloth rubbed at hinges and (less so) at edges. Page edges darkened, endpapers unevenly browned. Small vintage bookshop label and clipping of bookseller's catalogue description glued to front pastedown, pages toned with some pale foxing mainly to first and last half-dozen leaves, no marks to text. Overall a tight, clean, about VG copy (no dust jacket). Item #66516
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