"Secrets Merveilleux de la Magie Naturelle et Cabalistique du Petit Albert" [Gueffier, 1815]

ANONYMOUS. Secrets Merveilleux de la Magie Naturelle et Cabalistique du Petit Albert, traduits exactement sur l’original latin intitulé: Alberti Parvi Lucii Libellus de Mirabilibus Naturæ Arcanis; enrichi de figures mystérieuses et la manière de les faire.

Paris: Chez Gueffier, jeune, rue Galande, No. 61, 1815. Nouvelle édition corrigée et augmentée. 5.75" x 3.75", 251pp with 34 illustrations/tables/diagrams as a mix of in-text, plates, and folding plates. Later brown pebbled calf, spine gilt in compartments with title lettered in gilt and date “1815” at foot. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated with numerous woodcut figures and diagrams throughout, including the famous “Main de Gloire” frontispiece opposite the title page, talismanic seals, magical alphabets, planetary tables, and a full-page cosmological diagram of the celestial spheres. A clean and attractive example with general toning to the paper as expected, somewhat foxed, and minor wear to the binding extremities. Text block sound; illustrations clear and well-printed. The folding plate between pp 62-63 has separated at one fold but with no loss. A handsome copy in a later but sympathetic period binding. Very Good.

One of the most famous popular grimoires of the early modern period. First circulating widely in the eighteenth century, Le Petit Albert gathered together a mixture of folk magic, talismanic instructions, occult diagrams, and practical recipes drawn from earlier magical traditions attributed to Albertus Magnus. The book’s reputation spread far beyond scholarly circles; it was owned by farmers, tradesmen, and village cunning-folk who believed it contained genuine magical secrets. Its instructions for talismans, planetary magic, charms, and protective figures ensured its long popularity, and editions such as this early nineteenth-century Paris printing were widely read and often heavily used—making well-preserved copies increasingly scarce today.