The Crowning of Nature. The Doctrine of the Chief Medicine, Explained in Sixty Seven Hieroglyphics, by Anomius the Cabalist. Edited with a Commentary and with the 67 coloured images redrawn from the original manuscripts by Adam McLean ( Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks No. 3 ).
Glasgow, Scotland: Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks, 2005. Revised Second MOHS Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. (viii) + 138pp. Hand bound in brown faux-leather, with gilt titling down spine. 67 colour plates. Edition limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, SIGNED. Adam McLean. First printed in 1980 as No. 3 in the "Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks series" this 2005 edition has all 67 plates printed in colour (the plates in the 1980 edition were black and white, although a small number of copies the illustrations had been hand-coloured by McLean). Adam McLean described the first edition as "One of the most enigmatic of all alchemical works, The Crowning of Nature is a detailed description of the alchemical process, through a series of 67 stages which are pictured as taking place in retorts. The Crowning of Nature, which was well known in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, was never published as a printed book, but was widely circulated in manuscript form. For this first edition of the work, Adam McLean has consulted seven manuscript versions, and includes an English text that accompanies some versions. The Crowning of Nature provides a link between the soul development of Alchemy and the work of the physical process, as these illustrations are descriptive of both of these realms. The set of basic symbols undergoes a metamorphosis of form and colour, through a series of cycles, that unfolds in the 67 illustrations. An Introduction surveys the history and assesses the importance of the work against the background of the alchemical tradition. Adam McLean provides a commentary on the process pictured in the series of illustrations and suggests some ways in which we can approach the spiritual ideas woven into the patterns of symbolism." Writing of the 2005 edition, McLean observed that some time before it's publication he had "made new coloured versions of the emblems, in a more subtle style, taking into account more of the manuscript versions. The text of the book is substantially the same as the 1980 edition, with a few small amendments and corrections. My introduction and commentary has been edited a little to reflect my present style of writing on alchemical matters." All editions are long out-of-print. Merest hint of shelf-wear, otherwise a bright, tight, as-new copy, thus near-Fine condition. Item #73912
Price: $325.00