Softcover. Small quarto. 198pp. Illustrated thick card covers with printed inner flaps. Illustrated in colour and b/w. Bibliography & index. The paperback edition. A richly-illustrated study of the two pre-eminent twentieth century artist-magicians, Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare, by Nevill Drury (author of "Pan's Daughter" and numerous studies of Western magical traditions). Drury gives a biographical overview and analysis of the occult symbolism and approaches of both artists; in his introduction the author recounts the importance of Norton and Spare in influencing his own interest and later exploration of both the Occult and Art. A well-produced volume, with numerous examples of the artists' work and contemporary photographs.

Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare

Nevill Drury

Salamander & Sons

<p>Softcover. 8vo. xxvi + 146pp. Illustrated card covers with printed inner flaps. Illustrated in colour and black &amp; white. Bibliography &amp; index. The second edition of "The Search for Abraxas" which examines the nature of human potential emblematised by the transcendent Gnostic deity Abraxas - a figure associated not only with Time and Eternity, but also representative of the polarities of good and evil. Navigating the complex terrains of 'The World of Light', 'The World of Shadows' and 'The World of Dreams', renowned esoteric researchers and authors Nevill Drury and Stephen Skinner map the major themes of the Western esoteric tradition and elaborate upon the philosophies and cosmologies underpinning them. From modern occult revivals and the international counter-culture and psychedelic revolution of the late 1960s to theoretical and practical qabalah and ceremonial magic; from witchcraft, sorcery and 'transformation phenomena' to astral and etheric projection and reincarnation, The Search for Abraxas reminds us that "magic is essentially about altered states of awareness that can lead alternatively towards cosmic transcendence and spiritual integration or towards dark alienation and even evil." Explorations of this duality - the polar opposites within the psyche - are particularly pronounced in the works of various artist-magicians, including the unconventionally brilliant and visionary Austin Osman Spare; the phantastically sinister yet transcendent Late Art-Nouveau, Decadents Aubrey Beardsley, Harry Clarke, Alastair, Edmund Dulac, and Kay Nielsen, and the Surrealists Yves Tanguy, Wolfgang Paalen and Max Ernst. This connection between magical thought and visionary art is a central motif of "this far-ranging and highly readable book."</p>

The Search for Abraxas

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Salamander & Sons publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Salamander & Sons

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Salamander & Sons publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare

The Search for Abraxas