Astrology library progress report
– No. 30: 19th March, 2016
There are several new arrivals to report this week, a surprising and largely chance confluence of different items ordered at different times.
Yesterday, I received one more issue of “Votre Bonheur” edited by Maryse Choisy, and one more original pamphlet-form issue of “Votre Destin” edited by Dom Néroman (No. 19), from my vintner friend in Bordeaux. I already had the whole collection of “Votre Destin” in bound form, but slightly trimmed, and it is as good to have as many of the issues as possible in their original form too. In fact, the initial lot I bought was thus, but comprised only issues 1, 3-18 and 20-21. The addition of issue 19 is therefore most welcome in that context, filling a gap.
Also received, MHNH Volume 14 (nominally for 2014, but in fact published only in February 2016). This is the latest volume of an annual academic journal dealing with the history of ancient astrology and magic. Publication is based in Spain, accounting for a high proportion of Spanish-language papers, but overall they are truly international in scope. It sits alongside Culture and Cosmos as the only other academic journal of its kind, albeit with a broader scope.
A somewhat shabby copy (in terms of the browned tape over the spine) of Robert Ambelain’s “Traité d’Astrologie Ésotérique Vol. 2 (L’Onomancie)” has also arrived, filling a long-standing gap in this series to complete the trilogy. For a very long time, these publications by Robert Ambelain have commanded high prices and levels of interest from collectors, rendering it difficult and expensive to collect the set, even though it may be only three volumes. The first two were both published in 1937, and the third in 1942. Despite the untidy external appearance, my newly arrived copy of Vol. 2 is internally complete and in good shape, and overall perfectly acceptable for the moderate asking price. There had been another copy listed in better condition (and at the much higher price of 65 Euros) by Oslo Rare Books in Norway, but on enquiry the listing was revealed to be an error, meaning that the book had already sold at a previous time. So I ended up with the shabby copy for only about half that price, but at least I now have the satisfaction and reference value of having all three volumes of this important and influential work.
Lastly, I have received a bound volume of Zenit Volume V (1934). It is bound without the original individual issue covers, like other bound volumes of the same magazine. Previously I had six of the eleven individual issues published in this year as separate fascicules, so this has just added five issues of this important German astrological magazine. I still lack several issues from each of three years and one issue from one, possessing only five out of nine complete. But they appear fairly seldom on the market at affordable prices, then selling fast; and it may be many years yet before I can complete my collection of this journal, even though it ran for only nine years from 1930 to 1938.
Ordered from the United States and sent to the mail forwarding company I use there for the time being: an original copy of Stahl’s Octoscope Table of Houses, cast off by the Seattle Metaphysical Library. It is by all accounts an important document in the history of 20th century western sidereal astrology, and this is the first time I have seen one for sale. My thanks to Wayne Turner of Astro Data Bank for the reminder that I was lacking it. It will be mid-April at the earliest before I am in receipt of it here, together with several other previously purchased items including Alan Leo’s long-awaited “Four Lectures on Astrology”.
The next few weeks are likely to be considerably quieter. I have no more money to spend on books for the time being and may move to a monthly schedule for these reports from this one onwards.
With best wishes to everyone,
Philip
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