Rare books from GatesPastBooks

The Works: London: Printed for G.G. and J. Robinson, Paternoster-Row, and J. Edwards, Pall-Mall. MDCCXCVIII (1798), WITH Memoires of the Last Ten Years of the Reign of George the Second: London, John Murray, Albemarle-Street. MDCCCXXII (1822). Over 4000 pages and 177 full-page engravings. Seven volumes uniformly bound in Contemporary Calf over marbled boards. Gold Gilt on black leather title labels. Additional spine gilt stamping, with decorative blindstamp. Some rubbing to bindings, wear heavier towards extremities (see image). Hand Marbled endpapers, hinges unobtrusively reinforced with moire brown cloth. Internally clean, Unmarked. Off-setting from plates with sporadic foxing, particularly to plates and adjoining leaves as per usual. Full Collation of the papers used, contents and plates on request. A Very Good Antiquarian Set Indeed. First Edition. Half-Leather, Marbled Boards. Very Good. Illus. by 177 Full-page Engravings, Fold-outs, etc. 4to - over 11½" tall. Extremely Heavy, Oversized Safely,… Read More

London: David Bogue, 1881. First Printing, One of 250 copies only. "Handsomely Bound" Thick Parchment Vellum boards by Matthew Bell, in excellent state, with gilt stamped, "much smaller prune blossom design", as called for. Light age, with a few spots, some rubbing, extremity wear. Watermarked "Van Gelder", Dutch Handmade Paper, Top Edge Gilt (T.E.G.) very bright, other edges deckled, with "leaves varying slightly in size" as issued. Light browning offset to endpaper as per usual. Binding extremely tight. Free terminal of "Panthea" remains unopened. An exceptional copy of Wilde's First True Book, in which he oversaw the production, designing the prune blossoms binding, "wanting the cover and typography to be distinctive" (Ellmann, p.137). With a "Limited Edition", total print run of only 750 copies, it was issued in three "Printings" of 250 each. This First was released June 30, the Second and Third to follow on July 22 and September 26, using both the First Print Run sheets, and later printed sheets,… Read More

London: Printed and are to be Sold by John How at South west Corner of the Royal Exchange in Cornhill, and Thomas Malthus at the Sun in the Poultrey, 1683. Fine, Full Leather "Praxis Bindery" Signed Binding. Blind stamped ruled design, within Gilt double rules, corner design stamped boards. Five compartment, Raised Band spine, Gilt Star Design stampings, ruled, and Dated, with Leather Gilt Title label. Internals some age, title page re-margined with some expertly executed conservations. Previous owner quilled to the blank verso of two plates, otherwise Unmarked. Collated [6], 56, 59-123, lacking plates [43] & [55], "Four Angels Trumpeting Under the Heavens", and "Six Men Seated at a Table", otherwise complete and consecutive with plate 25 mis-paginated [33], and sig. D1 (57-58) excised by Printer as called for (see ESTC R231167). ESTC states two issues, with this listed First "In this edition, the imprint has 'by John How at the south…' as printer's address; another edition has 'by John How at the… Read More

London: Starfire Publishing Limited, 2010. As New. One of 118 Hand-Numbered copies, Signed by BOTH Kenneth & Steffi Grant. Deluxe Edition Bound in Quarter Leather/Hand-Made Marbled Boards with Full-Colour Dust Jacket designed by Steffi Grant, enclosed in Cloth Slipcase. From the Publisher: "This new setting integrates the errata of the Skoob reprint within the text, adds [a] new frontispiece and two new plates, as well as presenting many of the plates in colour".. Enhanced and Corrected Edition Deluxe. Leather/Marbled Boards/Sewn. As New/As New. Illus. by Austin Osman Spare, Steffi Grant, Frontispiece, 17 Plates (Many in Colour), Illustrated Endpapers.. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Albany: Balance Press, 1810. Fine Facsimile Leather Spine/Original Hand Marbled Boards enclosed in New Period Style Quarter Sheep/Hand-marbled Clamshell, both executed by Old English Bindery Co., North Vancouver, BC. Some extremity rubbing/wear to boards. Square, sewn binding Extremely tight. Quilled dedicatee, placed and dated "a present of the author" to fly, with 19th century owner top title page. Internally Fine with some light pencil ticks, errata correction without indent, and easily erasable if so desired. A quite lovely restored, newly "clamshelled" copy. First Edition. Leather/Marbled Boards/Sewn. Very Good+/New Clamshell Box. 16mo - over 6¾" tall.

London: Printed by R[obert] E[veringham] for Hen[ry] Brome, at the Gun, in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1678. Thick Hand-marbled paper simply covering the evidently original, coeval boards, that continue to the end papers, as is the silk-paper covered, ribbed, three hub spine with paper title label (see image). Book remains square, tightly sewn. Internals show age, some sporadic wear to edges, with some very old paper repairs. Imprimatur leaf is present "Sept. 30. 1677.", with edge wear as above (see image 2). "Appendix containing some Reflections upon Mr. Webster's Displaying supposed Witchcraft", separate Title Page (see image 3), with continual pagination. Collated, Complete, terminal "Books Printed for, and sold by H. Brome" and "Errata & omissa." present as called for. Contemporary owner to Title, otherwise Unmarked. Title in Full: "A Theological Discourse Of Angels, And Their Ministries, Wherein Their Existence, Nature, Number, Order and Offices, are modestly treated of: With the Character of those,… Read More

London: Printed for Edw[ard] Millington, 1671. Contemporary Full Leather binding shows rubbing wear, with a Fine, early sympathetic reback (see image). Sewn binding tight. Collated, Complete [pp. 5/6 omitted in paging as called for]. Light age to prelims and terminal leaves, still quite clean and bright with just the odd spot, one very small ink splash. Internally Unmarked. Provenance: The Library of the Earls of Macclesfield, Removed from Shirburn Castle, with the Macclesfield Coat of Arms Emboss to Preface and Title (see image). A VeryGood+ Antiquarian copy indeed of The Second Edition, Very Much Expanded (by over 70 pp.). [Wing W199, EEBO 106433, Coumont W2.3.]. The Second Edition [Much Enlarged]. Hard Cover/Leather/Sewn. Very Good+. Small 8vo - 6" tall.

Hampton, New Jersey: Thelema Publishing Company, 1954. RARE First Issue of 50 Copies Only, Published January 1954. Stamped "Magic" without the "k", courtesy of Culling (Louis T[urley] Culling, Frater Aequila/153), corrected with the Second, released in the Spring of 1954. Full cloth shows light extremity wear, one spot, with light front joint rubbing (see scan), but still exceptional, for when / if found, the binding is usually discolored, faded, and well worn due to the thin cloth used by the binder. Square, Sewn Binding Extremely Tight. Light edge age, internally Clean, Unmarked. Light tobacco aroma that will surely dissipate in a clean environment. A Very Good copy Indeed.. First Edition, First Issue. Hard Cover, Cloth, Sewn. Very Good/No Jacket, As Issued. Illus. by 4 Plates Showing Qabalistic Tree of Life with Different Attributions (The Key Scale, The Chinese Cosmos, The Tarot - General Attribution, The Constitution Of Man). 4to size - 11" tall. Oversized Safely, Securely Packed.

Torquay, England, 1941. A Holographic Two Leaf ALS, written on All Four Sides. Boldly Signed "Aleister", with The Beast's Phallic "A". Placed and Dated, Addressed from "The Gardens", March 14th / 16th [1941] (see Kaczynski, "Perdurabo", 2010 : p. 512). A letter from the Old Crow that begins "Dear Frieda", with the obligatory, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.", and launches into an extended word play joke. It is continued two days later on March 16th, and begins, "I am drunk with joy. Karl Germer escaped from Brussels.", Crowley proceeds upon this and two other topics before his news in regard to a "New" Abbey of Thelema. A rental called "Moongates", and states, "a perfect place for an artist and sun-worshipper. The people are crazy in much the same way as I am". He ends with, "They changed their minds about letting it, just as I was ready to sign on". Page three continues with finances, four other subjects including health of both Frieda and AC, and a "Thanks much for the book", with… Read More

A Roven, De LImprimerie De Raphael du petit Val, Libraire & Imprimeur ordinaire du Roy., 1604. M. DCIIII. Rare Penultimate Edition. All Original, Full Calf Contemporary Binding. Elaborate Gilt Stamping to Spine, with Additional Decorative Gilt Stamping to All Board Edges. Full Leather binding shows some wear, joints Fine without splitting. Sewn binding tight with a few signatures askew. Red speckled page edges, Marbled pastedowns. Internally bright, with Silk Tie page-marker. A few instances of quilled marginalia, small worm to start (see image). Collated Complete, Signatures A-Z12 Aa-CC12 Dd6. with p.359 mis-numbered 450, 351 for 451. Although stated "Last" on Title Page, this is in fact the Twelfth, Penultimate Edition, that follows the Prevosteau of 1598, and Most Desirable, for it includes Contents not found in the quarto or octavo editions. "Considered the best work we have on Witchcraft" [Dorbon, Bibliotheca Esoterica 390; Coumont B87.19]. Denrniere. Hard Cover/Full-Leather/Sewn. Very Good.… Read More

Amsterdam: Daniel van den Dalen, 1691-1693. Signed First Edition of Bekker's De Betoverde Weereld (The World Bewitched), in Four Books Complete. Bound in Contemporary Dutch Paneled Calf Boards, Ruled and Designed in Gilt, Elaborate Continual Design to all panel edges. Spine with Raised Bands, Elaborately Gilt and Decorated in Blind. Square, sewn binding tight with spine rounded, fore edge perfectly concave. Speckled page edges in various colors. Due to the single-volume octavo pirate edition of 1681, all four books of the authorized van den Dalen edition carried a "Beright" that Bekker sometimes signed as to approve of and subscribe. Although not uncommon to find Bekkers signature attesting to the Beright, it is uncommon to find all four parts warranted by Bekker, and quite Rare with an Additional Fifth Signature as thus. Eerste has Beright signed, as well as an exclusive Signature of Bekker to the Bescheiden Lesser. In tweede, the Beright is signed. Derde signed after Aan den bescheidenen Leser with… Read More

Roxburry, Mass.: Privately Printed For W. Elliot Woodward, 1864. Hand Numbered, copy 42 of an "Edition Two Hundred And Fifteen Copies...". All Original, Contemporary Binding. Half Leather, Beveled Marbled Boards show rubbing, spines show wear (see image), a little dry, but still rounded, with both fore edges remaining perfectly concave. Both volumes square, sewn bindings very tight. Top Edges Gilt (t.e.g.), others uncut. Hand marbled ends, edges show light extremity wear. Internally Unmarked. Provenance : Engraved bookplate of "Erastus Corning", to pastedowns of both Vol. I. & Vol. II., confirmed by "Subscribers List.", end of Vol. II. : copies 41 & 42 "Corning, Erastus / Corning, Erastus Jr., Albany, NY". Binding wear and age noted, still a Very Good Set of the Hardest to Find Witchcraft Title (with the lowest print run), in Woodward's Historical Series. [Cornell BF1575.R31; Coumont W37b.1.]. First Edition. Hard Cover/Half-Leather/T.E.G.. Very Good. Illus. by Rubricated Title, Headpieces, Grotesques,… Read More

Great Britain: Kamuret Press, 2021. NEW. Limited to 31 Hand Numbered Copies Only, Full Leather Deluxe Edition (see image). Blue goatskin cover, Gold embossing on front, back and spine, 464pp, printed on 100GSM Munken Pure, in black and red ink, sewn-cased binding with Wibalin buckram sapphire cover boards, and gold foil blocking on spine, Winterband blue & white head & tail bands, blue ribbon and endpapers. Edited, annotated and introduced by Richard Kaczynski, this edition far surpasses that found in the Collected Works: red and black ink has been employed to capture the feel of the 1904 edition; a 50 page introduction by Crowleys foremost biographer introduces the reader to the many themes to be found throughout the book; finally, copious end-notes further elucidate concepts and ideas in need of clarification. ISBN 978-1-9160916-3-4.. First Edition / Deluxe Limited. Hard Cover. New. 8vo - 9½" tall.

Lopen, Somerset: Fulgur Press, 2022. NEW - From the Publisher (see images) : "Deluxe Issue of 69 Copies Only, Signed by the Contributors in Full Pigskin. Top edge gilt in Silk Chemise, Fleece-lined / Slipcase. Custom endpapers from @paperwilds ooze and flow, taking their cue from the colour palette of the principal text and self-portrait by Spare. The scale and quality of work make this something of a beast. N.B. This is the largest book we have yet produced (15 inches by 10 inches) and it matches the original format of Spare's 1913 edition of The Book of Pleasure" - "There are few works in the life of Austin Osman Spare as notorious as his illustrations for Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis. First documented in the early 1930s by the socialite Viola Bankes, Spare shared various anecdotes about this commission with friends and acquaintances until the end of his life. However, drawings of a directly sexual nature remain surprisingly scarce in the artist's oeuvre, despite his reputation for producing… Read More

New York, NY: Magickal Childe, Inc., 1988. EXCEEDINGLY RARE SIGNED HARDCOVER - Bertiaux's Sigilized Signature, Copy Number 000008. Believed to be less than 20 copies Signed and Numbered with affixed, bright yellow Signed Limitation Slip. As per direct personal communication with a Magickal Childe salesperson, there where only Ten Signed Copies held in store at 35 W 19th St, NYC. Gates Past Books Inc. has had only one other, Copy Number 000003 Sold to Michael Bertiaux's Archivist and Secretary who stated : "Last night, I talked with Michael Bertiaux about this book. According to Michael, he signed 100 signatures, which was sent to the seller [Herman Slater / Magickal Childe]. As far as he knew, it would have been 200 hardback editions printed, in which 100 of them would be signed by the author. Though as I said to Michael, with the exception of the book Michael was given by the publishing house back in 1988, I have only seen two (and my edition is one of them) for sale during my many years collecting… Read More