Howitt William Edited (3 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Good. First American edition (same date on title and introduction pages) . Contemporary cloth, paper spine label, approximately 4 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches, index, 260 pp. Hardcover, good. Cloth soiled and faded, a few specks of a spine label towards foot, corners bumped, a 1 inch and a 1 1/2 inch closed tear along upper portins of joints. Internally, previous owner's (O Follitt) signatures and his recommendation of the book (in pencil) on endpapers, his signature, in pen, on top edge of title page, neat underlining and marginalia (in pencil) on two or three pages of the introduction, and one page of the Appendix to the American Edition, foxed throughout, but otherwise tight, clean, relatively crisp and unmarked. A denounciation of priests from ancient civilizations on, anti-Catholic view of history, including the Inquisition, etc. Religion; theology.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. First American edition. Edited by William Howitt, from the London edition. Square 24mo. Illustrated with six hand-colored plates. Brown cloth stamped in blind and gilt, signed "Elles & Middlebrook, Binder" on each board. Owner name ("Howard N. Ticknor") on front fly. Binding worn with a bit of loss at the spine ends, one plate separated and another with a foredge tear, light scattered foxing and a portion of the text with a marginal dampstain at the bottom and foredges, sound but good only. Contains an engraved title page giving the publisher as "J. P. Giffing, successor to S. Coleman," followed by a letterpress title page stating "Published by Samuel Colman," both giving the date as 1840. Printed in Boston by Tuttle, Dennett, and Chisolm. An autobiographical story that includes Howitt's much-anthologized poem "The Wind is a Frolic." (N.B. One record in *OCLC* contains a note that states: "Added t.p.: dated 1839.") Lacking all but six plates (engraved title page, frontispiece facing this title page [paginated 144], and four in-text plates); according to *OCLC*, the copy at the American Antiquarian Society states "[24] leaves of plates," while the Free Library of Philadelphia's copy is stated to have "14 unnumbered leaves of plates" (589610588). *OCLC* seems to locate six titles with bindings signed by Elles & Middlebrook (plus we note one other in the inventory of the inventory of the Kenneth G. Leatch collection of bindings done by AAS in 1990), although they do not appear to be mentioned in Spawn and Kinsella's *American Signed Bindings Through 1876.

Condition: Fine with good Internals. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. First English Translation. A Scientific Inquiry into the Supernatural. The first appearance in English of this monumental work by the Austrian physician and pioneer of animal magnetism. Ennemoser was a precursor to Freud, arguing that miracles and magic were not violations of nature, but manifestations of untapped psychological and physical laws. This set is housed in a remarkable custom binding of full red goat, designed with leather spine straps and fasteners, giving it the appearance of a rugged Victorian research archive. KEY FEATURES +++ Provenance of Thought: Translated by the prominent Spiritualist William Howitt and edited by his wife, Mary Howitt, who contributed a massive appendix of primary accounts. +++ Comprehensive Scope: Covers the full spectrum of the paranormal, including Vampirism, Witchcraft, Second Sight, Somnambulism, and Spirit-Rapping. +++ The Binding: A singular, professional rebinding in red goat with black calf leather spine straps and fasteners; titles are inlaid in black calf with gilt lettering with a presentation like a field kit for a Victorian ghost hunter. +++ Historical Link: Connects ancient biblical miracles and classical oracles to modern 19th-century magnetism and hypnosis. CONDITION: Fine [Rebound] -- The custom bindings are exceptionally tight, square, and structural. The text blocks show even toning and occasional foxing consistent with age. Vol. 1 has a small hole to the lower half-title and a slightly weak gutter, though the binding remains secure. Minimal pencil marginalia noted in a few sections. A striking, tactile set. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -- Joseph Ennemoser was one of the first scientists to treat the Labyrinth of the Mind as a measurable field. He was famous for his demonstrations on how delusions and supernatural events could be explained through magnetism. This 1854 edition arrived just as the Spiritualist movement was sweeping through Britain and America, making it a foundational text for those trying to prove-or debunk-the existence of the spirit world using the scientific method. SUBJECTS: Occult Sciences, History of Magic, Victorian Spiritualism, Psychology, Magnetism, Hypnosis, Vampirism, Fine Bindings, Science & Medicine.