Ye Stone Missall.
Ontario Canada / Seattle, WA: Acorn Grimoire Makers / Catweasel Productions, 1979. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Small octavo. (6 x 4 1/2 inches). 76pp. Quarter leather over beige illustrated papered boards, printed paper spine label. Pictorial endpapers showing the faces of the three levels of gargoyles, printed on heavy beige laid paper. Woodcuts and in some cases text, variously printed in red, blue, purple, green and brown (as well as black). Edition limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, this being copy No. 66! A landmark work in late twentieth century grimoire making. "Ye Stone Missall" describes a "system of ritual evocation of Gargoyles" supposedly taken from a manuscript copied from an old text by one Joseph Abbot in 1799 that had come into the possession of Jon Symon. The original text is ascribed to a Welshman known as Canon Fadge, who is said to have compiled the grimoire in 1285. As the rather unlikely story goes, Fadge had charge of a convent, but was excommunicated after he was caught disporting himself with young girls he had enticed to join it. Thereafter he travelled to France where he studied the occult arts, and also learned, from the dwarves who carved Church gargoyles, the secrets of their evocation. In the grimoire Fadge describes 29 varieties of gargoyle, each with its own attributes, and divided into three levels: the Lions, Griphons, and Scowls. Fadge compiled the work so that he could use it to found a "cloistered order of gargoyle conjuration" with the intention that they would evoke the gargoyles to foster "good, knowledge, and sensual ideals." He set the teachings down on paper so that they would be preserved, should the order die out. Just a hint of shelf wear else a tight, clean Fine copy. A wonderful production. Very scarce. Item #68643
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