Raphael ‘The Familiar Astrologer; An Easy Guide to Fate, Destiny, & Foreknowledge, as well as to the Secret and Wonderful Properties of Nature: Containing Also A simple, easy, and infallible Guide to the Foreknowledge of the future Fate and Destiny of any individual, by means of the “Reign of the Planets,” the Hour of their Birth, and other Methods not requiring difficult calculations. The curious Art of discovering future Events, by Lots or Points, interspersed with the Horoscopes of Eminent and Remarkable Characters, both living and dead. Secrets relating to Nativities for the learned in Astrological Lore. Strange and Marvellous Tales, Legends, and Traditions, relating to Ghosts, Apparitions, Angels, Spirits, Demons, Witches, Fairies, &c. &c. Ancient Traditions relating to Charms, Spells, Enchantments, and the mysterious properties of Herbs, Stones, and Roots; with Directions for forming Talismans, Amulets, and other wonderful yet powerful Agents in the operations of Nature. Charms relating to All-hallow Eve and Saint John’s Night, and others said to cause Love, Hatred, Good-fortune, & c. Ancient Practice of raising Spirits explained. Charms to discover Theft and punish the Thief. Rare and curious Secrets in Natural Philosophy. Art of Interpreting Dreams and Visions. Marvellous and Wonderful Prophecies. Explanation of Omens, Soothsaying, Ancient Augury, Sibylline Books, and Divination of various kinds &c. &c. &c. With a Variety of the Most Valuable and Interesting Matter, Not to be Found in Any Work of the Past or Present Time’ Printed for John Bennett, Three-Tun Passage, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, London, and sold by all booksellers, 1835[1].
Old leather with traces of largely faded decorative gilt-tooled bordering, rebacked with gilt title on raised leather label (outer corners of boards heavily worn, with upper outer corners partly delayering). (4 cm tears to outer edges of first two leaves of table of contents.) [Blue-tinted frontis. ‘Millions of Spiritual Creatures Walk the Earth’] + [1 leaf with integral coloured vignette] + [4] + [pp. v-viii] + [pp. 3-134] + [plate ‘The Witch of Eye’] + [pp. 135-212] + [coloured plate ‘Thomas Perks, Raising a Spirit to his Own Destruction’] + [pp. 213-280][2] + [pp. 283-380] + [plate ‘The Alchemical Arcana’] + [pp. 381-402 (1)] + [pp. 401 (2) – 522] + [plate ‘Ancient Superstitions. Palmistry’] + [pp. 523-542] + [plate ‘The World of Spirits’] + [pp. 543-716]
[1] The 1835 date appears at the foot of the half-title page. The full title page retains a date of 1833, carried over from the previous printing. The dedication is dated November 15, 1831, which coresponds with the earliest printing recorded at the British Library. An 1832 date is claimed by copies held at Cambridge and Glasgow. Evidently the 1835 printing was at least the third or fourth, though all early printings are now rare in the marketplace
[2] The text is continuous from p. 280 to p. 283; the error is in the pagination
About this Book Scan
Carefully scanned in full colour from our original printing of the 1835 issue.
Robert Cross Smith’s The Familiar Astrologer, originally published in 1831, is his longest book. It enjoyed several printings through to 1853. The 1835 printing is almost identical in format to the 1831 first edition, including the same colour plates; and the text is not thought to have been altered from the original edition. It is reproduced here in its entirety.