The Secret Lore of Magic: Books of the Sorcerers

Octavo (8vo), pp. 314, [index]. Profusely illustrated with black and white diagrams, magical seals, talismans, and sigils throughout the text. Bound in the publisher’s original black cloth with bright gilt titles to the spine. The binding is in Very Good plus condition, showing only minimal shelf wear to the top and tail of the spine. Top edge dyed red by the publisher, as issued. Internally, the pages are in excellent, clean, and exceptionally bright condition throughout, displaying only a very light touch of natural age toning. Housed in the scarce, original graphic dust jacket, which has been price-clipped and placed in a protective Mylar sleeve. The jacket is in Good condition, showing some light chipping and small tears to the edges and tips, with a larger, neat historical tape repair to the upper edge of the rear panel. A highly attractive, internally pristine copy of Idries Shah's foundational anthological survey of medieval and Renaissance sorcery. Rather than a modern speculative manual, this scholarly compendium provides direct translations, annotations, and complete structural formulas extracted from some of history's rarest grimoires, including the Key of Solomon, the Secrets of Albertus Magnus, the Almadel, and the Grimoire of Honorius the Great. Essential reference for scholars of historical occultism, ethnology, and folk belief.…