The Amphitheatre Engravings of Heinrich Khunrath.
Edinburgh Scotland: Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks, 1981. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. 96pp. Hand bound in series brown faux-leather with gilt titling to spine. Frontis, b&w illustrations, 10 of which are folding plates. Edition limited to 250 hand-numbered copies signed by Adam McLean, this being copy no. 180. Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks series No. 7. "Khunrath's 'Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom' published in its best known form in 1609, had a profound and important part in the alchemical and hermetic traditions in the opening decades of the 17th century, and had some influence on the development of the Rosicrucian movement. It is famous for its series of large engravings, which contain many of the elements later woven into the symbolic plates illustrating the works of Maier, Mylius, and other 'Rosicrucian' writers. This edition provides for the first time a translation (by Patricia Tahil) of the considerable amount of text contained on these plates, together with extensive commentaries on these engravings, including material by J.B. Craven, Stanislas de Guaita, Papus and Johan Arndt." (Adam McLean) This volume is typical of the mid-range issues of this work: it has plain light brown endpapers, is printed on a buff colour stock, has a mid-range number in the sequence of limitation, and the binding is a brown patterned faux leather with "Amphitheatre Engravings" in gilt to spine. Darkening to the outer edges of the paste-downs, which has offset slightly to the facing blanks and has caused a couple of brown spots to bleed through to the next few years, both at the front and the rear. This discoloration is typical to the early volumes / issues in the Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks, and was apparently the consequence of a chemical reaction between the binder's glue and the paper. Occasional offsetting of type from one page to another - again common with this volume. Aside from having the flaws always found with this volume, it is overall a tight VG+ copy. Item #74055
Price: $350.00