The Serious Joke: Two Book Launches

Ouroboros Press is releasing the first English translation of Michael Maier's Jocus Severus. Rendered into English from the original Latin by Darius Klein, the work has also been illustrated and ornamented by Benjamin Vierling. Issued in three distinctive editions, the Jocus Severus features a folding plate titled Alchemical Aviary as a frontispiece. Along with the standard trade cloth edition, the book will also be available in finely bound leather and vellum editions, the latter being strictly limited in number.

Seriously? Two Book Launches? You Must be Joking?

Actually no, we're not joking this time! So before you give us up for the birds here are the details:

San Francisco Book Launch with 
Artist Benjamin Vierling

5 March 2011 8:00 pm

 Fields Bookstore

1419 Polk Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 673-2027

Seattle Book Launch with 
Translator Darius Klein & 
Bookbinder Joel Radcliffe
12 March 2011  8:00 pm

Rodriguez Guerra Art Studio

80 South Washington Street

[betweent First Ave South & Western]

Seattle, Washington 98104

For those of you unable to attend who would like the purchase a copy of the book, we are still offering free shipping on orders which come in by March 15th. This includes foreign countries as well. Paypal funds may be sent to this address: ouroboros@bookarts.org

Please include a note stating which edition[s] you would like and give your full shipping address.

Born in Germany, Count Michael Maier served as the personal physician to the Bohemian Emperor Rudolph II, as well as pursued a career as an alchemist. He is well known due to his masterful emblem book; Atalanta Fugiens, which was a blend of alchemical, mythological and musical elements. But Maier wrote other alchemical books and Ouroboros Press is very pleased to be offering the first English translation of his veritable conference of the birds;  Jocus Severus. 

This alchemical text employs allegory in an entertaining dialogue between several species of birds who are determined to defame the Owl with wordy complaints. The Hawk acts as the Owl's defense while  the Phoenix acts as final judge and arbiter over this 'conference of birds.'

Rendered from the original Latin of 1617 by Darius Klein this edition features original lllustrative material by Artist Benjamin Vierling, including a folding plate depicting all the species of birds involved in the alchemical dialogue.

As is our tradition at Ouroboros Press, the entire text has been reset with an eye to detail not common in contemporary publishing, where one often encounters poor facsimile reproductions. 

The book is issued in three formats:

Imperial Vellum Edition. Hand bound with raised spine bands in full vellum with leather spine label, gilt title and device. Vellum headbands, marbled endsheets and a silk book marker complete this fine binding. [135 pages] aviary folding plate and illustrated with ornamental head and tail pieces.

Athenian Wisdom Edition: Strictly limited to 25 copies  $225.00

Deluxe Leather Edition. Hand bound with raised spine bands in full black goat and red leather spine label, with gilt title and device. leather headbands, marbled endsheets and a silk book marker. [135 pages] aviary folding plate and illustrated with ornamental head and tail pieces.

Noctis Black Owl Edition: $150.00

Trade Cloth Edition. Sewn in full cloth with stamped title and device. Letterpress printed dust jacket, [135 pages] aviary folding plate and illustrated with ornamental head and tail pieces.

Fine Press Trade Edition: $45.00

Layout for the Letterpress printed dust jacket intended for the Fine Press Trade Editions

Fine Press Friends

Reuniting with a great friend at the CODEX Foundation Book Fair in Berkeley. 

Catherine is the driving force behind May Day Press and was my first letterpress teacher! Back then she lived on an island, and each Sunday I would take a reflective ferry ride across Puget Sound for my lessons in her print studio. There is nothing like the meditative relaxation of setting type by hand, especially when you have a knowledgeable and wonderful friend to converse with. During other quiet times I'd gaze out the window at her garden where we would be eating lunch later.

The above is the most recent May Day Press book Mother Time.

Alligators and Alchemy in Cabinets of Curiosity

Please join esoteric publisher William Kiesel for coffee and a presentation on Wunderkammern and Alchemy in the appropriately wonderful and odd surroundings of Ancient Grounds Cafe and art gallery.

The Curiosity Cabinet was the forerunner of the contemporary museum. But before public museums existed worldly collections took the form of the Kunstkammer, or art cabinet that was often the privilege of royalty alone. During the Renaissance such collections were filled with natuaralia, artificialia, scientific devices and other art treasures. William Kiesel will give a brief visual presentation displaying some early examples of Curiosity Cabinets and discuss the similarities they share with alchemical laboratories. The slide presentation will take place in one of Seattle’s finest Curiosity Cabinets; Ancient Grounds, where many wonderful objects from around the world, including tribal art, mineral specimens, Japanese and Native American masks, totem poles, intricate architectural carvings, kimonos, articulated skeletons, headdresses and other displays may be viewed while sipping excellent espresso or other beverage before during and after the talk.

What: Visual presentation by Ouroboros Press publisher William Kiesel
Where: Ancient Grounds Cafe
When: March 20, 2010 1pm - FREE [Happy Equinox]

Ancient Grounds Cafe and Art Gallery
1220 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101-2911

Event capacity: 75 – 95 sitting & standing. If you would like to R.S.V.P. click here.



This event is in cooperation with Atlas Obscura and is one drawer in their international showcase of Obscura Day.

Back from Europe

Pictured above are the smiling visages of Robert Ansell of
Fulgur Limited and William Kiesel of Ouroboros Press - London 2008.


Robert was kind enough to meet with us and talk about the esoteric publishing industry [small world that it is]. The latest title about to emerge from Fulgur is The Valley of Fear and there will be a book release party at Treadwells Bookshop in Convent Garden, London July 15. Treadwells is truly a wonderful shop and the proprietress Christina is a jewel of a person who not only wields ample knowledge about esoteric books but also is an excellent hostess. Despite the effects of jetlag and a technical snafu the night of the talk on Magic Circles, it went off well and was well attended by London's occult literati. Treadwells is certainly a destination in London, drop in and patronize them while there. Oh, I'd also like to mention that I found it intriguing that Nick Pelling, a Voynich Manuscript researcher, attended my talk in London. You can see his comments about the talk at Voynich News.

Meanwhile stops were made in Glastonbury [Labyrinth Books and Courthouse Books were quite friendly to us] as well as Amsterdam where the Conference Emblems, Magic and Hidden Knowledge was held at the University of Amsterdam. This was a full day of talks followed by a fascinating social night out on the city of canals. No trip to Amsterdam would be complete without a visit to the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, where we consulted several alchemical works. Ouroboros Press will be publishing a book as a result of the conference sometime in 2009. We will update you when details are solidified.



The Deluxe Leather edition of Turba Philosophorum, hand-bound by Ars Obscura Bookbinding. Full burgundy leather with gilt title and Ouroboros device to front and rear boards. French marbled endsheets and silk ribbon bookmark. The Crowd of Philosophers in style. $135.00 + shipping.