LIVES OF THE NECROMANCERS An Account Of The Most Eminent Persons In Successive Ages, Who Have Claimed For Themselves...The Exercise Of Magical Power
Frederick J. Mason: London, 1834. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #22-3824
8.5 x 5.5", half black leather with decorative stamping, gilt spine lettering, marbled boards, xx, (466) + ads. Spine rebacked with original spine laid on top, leather has some scuffing/scraping, corners bumped and worn, boards rubbed and worn, pencil and ink notes on ffep, title page has ink name "J.O. Donovan, Esq." and ink name stamp "Mooney's Library 18 Arran Key", half title and title page heavily spotted, scattered staining, spotting and ink smudges, lower margin tear to p333-334 else very good condition. Binding tight. William Goodwin, 1756-1836, was an author, social philosopher, religious dissenter, and the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft and the father of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Some of the category headings: "Examples Of Necromancy And Witchcraft From The Bible", "Revolution Produced In The History Of Necromancy And Witchcraft Upon The Establishment Of Chrisitanity", "Sanguinary Proceedings Against Witchcraft". Edgar Allan Poe, a fan of William Godwin, wrote a review of this book in the December 1835 issue of the "Southern Literary Messenger". In part: "Unlike the work of Brewster, the Necromancy of Mr. Godwin is not a Treatise on Natural Magic...The design...is to display in their wildest extent, the great range and wild extravangance of the imagination of man...His compilation is an invaluable work, evincing much labor and research, and full of absorbing interest". Tipped-in on the ffep is an INK NOTE WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY W. GODWIN. WRITTEN ON THE NOTE ARE THE AUTHORS AND TITLES OF THREE BOOKS "SPINA, BARTH. QUAESTIONE DE STRIGIBUS 1581" (trans. "Hammer Of Witches"); LANCRE, PEIRRE DE. "TABLEAU DE L'INCONSTANCE DE DEMONS 1816" (transl. 'Detail From Witches' Sabbath'); "HUTCHINSON, FRA. ESSAY ON WITCHCRAFT". BELOW THE NOTE IS THIS PENCIL EXPLANATION "BOSTON MUSEUM CALLING SLIP WITH USUAL ___ ___ HOLE AND CANCELLATION. REGARDING THREE BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY, PROBABLY RESEARCH FOR THIS BOOK, AND SIGNED BY GODWIN". Very SCARCE FIRST EDITION, EVEN MORE SO WITH A REQUEST WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR, WILLIAM GODWIN.
Price: $1,250.00