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The Ultimate Library Thread

19:40 / 17.07.05

Because The Necronomicon gets all the attention...

A mate of mine swore that he'd seen a copy of Doctor Faustus (Marlowe) annotated by John Dee. The idea of artefacts like that makes me all dribbly. Partly because of this dribble, I'm writing some fiction and I've invented a library with rare holdings. I'm toying with the Nazi reports on search missions to Ultima Thule; golem assembly instructions; Newton's succesful alchemy notes; Crowley's Great Recantation. (I've also realised I've condemned myself to research whether soemthing like any of these already exist.)

This made me want to share booklust and learn more, and I would be intrigued if you either recount existing astonishingly rare books, or ones that you wish did exist. Any field, any period, any degree of implausibility.

nyarlathotep's shoe horn

20:11 / 17.07.05

Shakespeare's Love's Labour Found

ta
tenix

21:04 / 17.07.05

You may find some inspiration here, if you haven't been by there already: The Invisible Library

Seth

23:38 / 17.07.05

If I had a spare couple of hundred I'd love a copy of this.

00:12 / 18.07.05

The Marquis DeSade's "Days at Florbelle", an epic work said to be destroyed by the French police after his death.

Quantum

18:01 / 18.07.05

The King In Yellow annotated by HPL...

Gypsy Lantern

09:11 / 19.07.05

The Vodou Tantra Rocksteady Workbook

illmatic

10:24 / 19.07.05

You've got it all wrong GL. This is the thread for imaginary books. The VTR is as real as a machete 'pon ya bloodclarrrrt. I know, I've seen it.

Back on topic: I've had a number of dreams involving imaginary grimores, I remember one which was an unissued Kenneth Grant book, full of diagrams and strange drawings. As I read it in my dream, I knew it was telling me all the secrets that weren't in his normal books. Then I woke up and couldn't remember a damn thing.

illmatic

10:32 / 19.07.05

Ah, my bad - reading the Ex's post I see it's for fabulously rare books as well. Well, I've only ever seen photocopies of once, so I think it counts. It was at a blues dance in Brixton, in the loos, just before I was mugged.

Others would be the omitted chapters of Spare's Book of Pleasure - mentioned in his introduction. (Will copy this out) alongside a full guide to the meanings of his sacred letters. Also, Wilhelm Reich's will stipulated that hsi papers were to be under lock and key for the fifty years following his death - they're released in 2008. Perhaps they will contain the long lost plans for the orgone energy motor?

LykeX

11:59 / 19.07.05

Is that like a car run by pranayama? If not, I'd like to suggest the idea.

illmatic

12:06 / 19.07.05

Yeah, that'd kind of be it.

Lord Morgue

13:25 / 19.07.05

Kim Newmann's short story "The Man Who Collected Barker" featured an edition of Clive Barker's Books of Blood bound in the skin of the face and head of the author.
The collector said the real trick was getting Mr. Barker to sign it afterwards...

nyarlathotep's shoe horn

14:29 / 19.07.05

salman rushdie's follow-up to the Satanic Verses entitled hey Buddha, you big fat fuck

ten ix

Boy in a Suitcase

15:00 / 19.07.05

Liquid, I think I had the same dream about KG, I was also shown a secret Bertiaux book. Maybe they hide the shit on the astral. Maybe it's just magic-geek collector fetishism.

14:47 / 20.07.05

Thanks for sharing, these are rather splendid.

Also, Wilhelm Reich's will stipulated that hsi papers were to be under lock and key for the fifty years following his death - they're released in 2008

Wow. I know they must drive researchers and historians round the twist, but I love the mystique of time released items - I've just been using the National Archive site to see some court proceedings from the end of the 1920s which were released in January.

Who owns Reich's papers? Can one book ahead for a research visit?

illmatic

15:05 / 20.07.05

They are owned by the Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust who are based at the Wilhelm Reich Museum in Rangley, Maine. Mary Boyd Higgens is the main person behind it, though she must be very advanced in years now, as she was alive and of an age advanced enough to be appointed trustee when Reich died in '57. The trust maintain Reich's old home (renamed Orgonon by him) as a museum and conference centre. They state that the archives will be open to scholars and researchers as of late 2007/2008.

I could see 2008 as being a possible year for a big revival of interest in the old boy, with the archives opening, there's also a lot of work being done in Germany which might gain critical momentumn. Unlikely, but I live in hope.

ghadis

20:25 / 20.07.05

I don't know if it would count as a book but i would REALLY like to get hold of those old pornographic shots of Dion Fortune that are doing the rounds...dirty little minx

ghadis

20:33 / 20.07.05

Although the one photo that i have seen, of Dion squatting and pissing on a copy of 777 whilst swigging from a bottle of Absinthe and throwing two fingers at the camera, is a little...shall we say...bestial for my taste.

electric monk

01:16 / 21.07.05

Prude.

Speaking of th' Beast, it'd be nice to get ahold of the manuscript wherein Crowley conjures up the Wicca. My dinner conversations would never be the same.

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