Book of Magic.
[ England ]: Society for Esoteric Endeavour, 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. A boxed set comprising two books (a facsimile volume of a magical manuscript and a typeset transcription) and a folder of talismans in a cloth slipcase. Size of boxed set: approximately 9 inches x 7 inches x 4 3/4 inches. Part (I) Facsimile Volume: Octavo. 416pp (of which approx. half are blank). Full calf leather over wooden boards, with a talisman inserted into the inside front board and a black glass skrying mirror into the inside rear board. Raised bands and gilt titling to spine. All edges gilt, decorated endpapers. A high quality full colour facsimile of the manuscript of "The Book of Magic." Part (II) Text Transcript. Hardcover. Octavo. 416pp (of which approx. half are blank). Cloth. A typeset transcription of the manuscript, including monochrome reproductions of the illustrations. Part III) A cloth folder containing a set of the talismans described in the manuscript. The talismans are printed in gold on vellum and can be dismounted from the volume. Hand-numbered limited edition of 196 copies this being copy 156. Each of the copies sold came with the publisher's bookplate, with the original purchaser's name entered by a skilled calligrapher - this case rather than a name a motto has been entered "Nosce te Ipsum, Tenet Nosce" ("Thine Own Self Know"), which was said to have been inscribed on the pronaos of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
The first publication of a manuscript completed in 1874 by Herbert Irwin, son of the noted nineteenth century British occultist F. G. Irwin. It comprises magical teachings apparently used by the British incarnation of the "Fratres Lucis" group, a magical/Rosicrucian order which was a part of the milieu that begat the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The contents, as noted in the subheadings, include: Of the Invoking of the Spirits Angelic; Of the Angels of Spirits of the Spheres; Of Diabolic Evocation; Of the power of the Will in Relation to Magical Things; Of the making and of the using of Magical glasses, Crystals and Mirrors; Of the forming of Charms; Of Invocation of Spirits of the Sun, Moon and Eight Planets; Of the Signs, Pentacles, and Talismans of Spirits; Of the Philosophical Stone Of its making - and of its using; Further Experiments in the Hermetic Art - or revivification and of Resurrection; Some Remarks on the Medical virtues of the herb Saffron; Of Talismans and of Signs By which to accomplish certain ends; Of the use of many things of sympathy of antipathy; Of the Nature of things Of the Divining Rod; The Book of the Secret Ritual of Invocation of the Brethren of [the swastika]; The Talismanic Science; A Talisman of Great Power; On the Making of Mirrors; Of Divination by Dust or Ashes; Of Charms; Of the Secret Alphabet of some famous Cabbalists; etc. etc. Arguably the most technically complex, and beautifully crafted of the volumes so far released by the S.E.E. Please note this is a very heavy over-sized set so additional shipping charges will apply. A lovely set in Fine condition. Item #70553
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