Just in time for last minute Valentine’s gifts! Weiser Antiquarian has published it’s latest catalogue, this one being devoted to “Magick & Witchcraft.”
Hot titles include:
“ANDREWS, W. S. with Various authors, including Paul Carus, Dr. C. Planck, Frederic A. Woodruff, Harry A. Sayles, H. M. Kingery, and D. F. Savage.
“Chicago, IL: The Open Court Publishing Co., 1917. Second edition, Revised and Enlarged. Hardcover. Octavo. viii+ 420pp. Original red cloth with gilt lettering to spine and upper cover, top edge gilt, well illustrated with magic squares etc, index. The title page vignette portrays an ancient Tibetan magic square borne on the back of the “cosmic tortoise”. From the publisher: “The essays which comprise this volume appeared first in “The Monist” at different times during the years 1905 to 1916 …. The first edition contained only the first eight chapters [of fifteen in the present edition] and these have now been carefully revised.” Thus the best edition in which Andrews examines the use of the classic “magic square” and augments his work with that of a number of other scholars and experts – including Paul Carus, Dr. C. Planck, Frederic A. Woodruff, Harry A. Sayles, H. M. Kingery, and D. F. Savage (for contents list see accompanying photographs). Cloth rubbed and quite darkened – particularly around the edges, hint of bruising and rubbing to spine ends and corners. Page edges darkened, endpapers toned and lightly flecked, owner’s name in pen on front free endpaper. Still a tight clean copy. (No dust jacket). Scarce. Item #65185
BARRETT, Francis. The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer, [ Part IV ] Book II, Part. I. Containing Magnetism and Cabalistic Magic discovering the Secret Mysteries of Celestial Magic.; ………..; The Rare Text Library
Gloucester, England: Rare Text Library / Helios, 1965. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Quarto. 65pp. Original beige cloth with patterned papered boards, printed title label on upper board, gilt lettering to spine, colour plates. The fourth part in a series of nine comprising the magical components of Francis Barrett’s “The Magus.” Edition limited to 200 numbered copies, this being no. 93. The sixth volume of the Rare Text Library of Philosophical Research published by Helios Book Services of Gloucester, England, one of the pioneers of occult publishing in the UK in the 1960s. “The Magus” was first published in 1801 and is now recognised as one of the most influential works of the “Occult Revival” and probably the best-known magical text produced in nineteenth century Britain. At the time of the publication of this series “The Magus” was long out of print, with early editions difficult to find and selling for a premium. The idea behind the new edition was to make the most important sections of the text – each complete within itself – available in a durable form at an affordable price. It was a monumental task, with the text having to be completely retyped, and the tables redone – only the original diagrams were copies as facsimiles. This volume reprints the first half (complete in itself) of Part I of Book II of the original text which is devoted to Magnetism, comprising: Of the Magnetic or Sympathetic Unguent; the Power of Sympathy, Armary, Unguent; and curing of Wounds, Ecstasies, Witchcraft, Mummies, &c.; Of the Weapon Salve; Of the Imaginative Power, and the Magnetism of the Natural Spirits, Mummial Attraction, Sympathies of Astral Spirits, and their Bodies, upon which is founded the whole Art of Necromancy; Of Witchcraft in Particular; Of the Vital Spirit; Of the Magical Power, &c.; Of Exciting or Stirring up the Magical Virtue; Of the Magical Virtue of the Soul, and the Medium it Acts By. Very light bruising to corners and spine ends, endpapers unevenly browned, very slightly musty – else a tight, unmarked VG+ copy of a publication which inspired a new generation of magicians in the 1960s and 1970s. Item #64120
