[Rarebooks] FS: THE LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS, 1815, in Original Boards

[Michael John Thompson]

Offering:

[ANONYMOUS].

  THE LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS; With a Critical Catalogue of 
Books on Occult Chemistry; And a Selection of the Most Celebrated Treatises 
On the Theory and Practice of the Hermetic Art.

London: Printed by MacDonald and Son, Cloth Fair, For Lackington, Allen & 
Co., Finsbury Square. 1815

First edition. Octavo, original mottled pink boards, title label on spine. 
384 pp. [1] plate at page 296, Index, [4] pp. ads at rear. Our copy lacks 
the front free endpaper. Half-title leaf present. Boards a trifle stained 
on rear panel and upper corner slightly damaged. Spine panel darkened, a 
few marks to front board. Internal hinges reglued. The binding has been 
glazed.  From the library of Dr. Charles Muses, author of occult and 
esoteric works & founder of the Jacob Boehme society, signed by him on the 
half-title leaf, with his pencil notes on the rear endpaper and minor 
marginalia in pencil throughout. Overall, a very good copy in the original 
binding, and extremely rare thus.

The first edition of the LIVES was published in 1814 under the title THE 
LIVES OF THE ADEPTS IN ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHY, the second issue (with a 
new title page only) was issued in 1815 as THE LIVES OF THE ALCHEMYSTICAL 
PHILOSOPHERS. The first issue is terribly rare, and most references the 
book refer to the edition of 1815. The work consists of three parts: a 
series of biographies of adepts from the earliest ages until the 18th 
Century; an alphabetical list of alchemical books, and a number of 
alchemical treatises. The work was "revised" by Arthur Edward Waite and 
republished in 1888 as LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS BASED ON 
MATERIALS COLLECTED IN 1815. The authorship is unknown. Originally 
attributed to Francis Barrett (whose book THE MAGUS was issued by the same 
publishers and is listed in the publisher's advertisements at the rear), 
that attribution is now thought to be incoorrect,. Candidates for 
authorship include Sigismond Bacstrom and Ebenezer Sibley. An extremely 
important work in the evolution of modern Hermetic philosophy.


$2750.00 US, terms as usual.


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Michael John Thompson
Member, ABAC / ILAB
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Hornby Island, BC
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