The Book Of Black Magic : AE Waite [ Pirate First American Edition ]
$850
Out of stock
Description
Pirated First American Edition of Influential Book of Black Magic and Pacts by Arthur Edward Waite
Waite, Arthur Edward. The Book of Black Magic and Pacts Including The Rites and Mysteries of Goetic Theurgy, Sorcery, and Infernal Necromancy. Occult Publishing House. N.D. [C. 1900].
A rare copy of the pirated first American edition of the influential compendium of and commentary on occult literature and rituals, The Book of Black Magic and Pacts, by author, noted occult scholar, Rider-Waite Tarot creator, and Golden Dawn initiate Arthur Edward Waite. Later republished under the less provocative title, The Book Of Ceremonial Magic, the text collects rituals that are “practical” and promote at-the-least altered consciousness “and to this extent they are dangerous”. Divided into two parts, the first section provides an overview of various grimoires and their contents from the Enchiridion of Pope Leo and the Arbatel to the Grimorium Verum, Sworn Book of Honorious and others, while the second “The Complete Grimoire” provides a standard Solomonic operating procedure cobbled together from the various sources for conjuring spirits. Originally published in a limited edition in England in 1898, this American edition was illegally published by the Occult Publishing House of Chicago, predating the later (and also pirated) DeLaurence Company reprints. It is believed both companies were created by noted book pirate and publisher, L.W. DeLaurence, who helped turn Chicago into one of the centers of the early 20th century occult revival with his mail order business selling illegal reprints of contemporary magical texts from the United Kingdom.
7 copies found in OCLC as of September 2023.
326pp + [2] ads. Black cloth boards with title and author gilt to front and spine. Corners and spine ends bumped and worn with losses at corners. Bruise to lower front board edge. Text block darkened. Gutter exposed front pastedown. Former owners name in pen first free endpaper. First free endpaper through frontis loose at lower binding. Tape repair to joint last free endpaper. Some soiling. Dampstaining to lower edges, corners some pages. A few pen annotations. Minor tears lower corners pgs 113-116. Illustrated with 10 plates and numerous seals. Good condition.
If you liked this book, you might also like this copy of Magick by Aleister Crowley edited by Kenneth Grant or this scarce copy of the first Trident edition of the Ars Notoria.
