Zos-Kia: An Introductory Essay on the Art and Sorcery of Austin Osman Spare.
London: Fulgur Ltd., 1995. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 52pp, Original brown cloth, with gilt titling etc. to spine. Stiff printed paper dustjacket and plain paper-covered slipcase. Eight pages of colour photographs of artwork by Spare, along with numerous black and white photographs and reproductions of his pictures. This copy SIGNED by Gavin Semple with the the handwritten limitation number ("6/39") next to his signature on the limitation page. The book is described as "A personal and lucid view of Spare's systems of sorcery, and the most authoritative critical work in recent years to utilize original unpublished material in presenting the philosophy of one of the most sought-after sorcerers of today." The book has a complex bibliographic story. It was originally intended that it would be issued in four variants: (a) 3 copies for private distribution, quarter bound in morocco; (b) 7 hardcover copies in full buckram, etc. in slipcase, personally sigilised, for private distribution; (c) 70 hardcover copies as per (b) but signed rather than sigilised (d) 515 softcovers bound in paper wrappers. Due to problems with the gilding the 70 copies of issue (c) were not offered for sale, but instead were passed to the author for private distribution. Of these 31 copies were issued with the slip case and 39 without slipcase. In place of the original issue (c) the publisher released a separate issue of 39 copies, with slipcase, but without gilt edges, of which this is an example. Confused? Not surprising. So to be clear, this is one (actually copy number 6) of the 39 copies in slip case, of what might be termed the publisher's issue. The edges are not gilded, and as noted it is signed and numbered on the limitation page (although the handwritten limitation indicates that there were 39 copies whereas the publisher's printed statement in the colophon below suggests that there were 70 copies). This copy includes the bookmark and printed rectangular talisman that were included with some - but by no means all - the copies. Fine in Fine dustjacket and slipcase. Item #73927
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