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

Giordano Bruno ~ Incantations of Circe

There can be no doubt as to the importance Giordano Bruno's life and writings had on the western esoteric tradition and the history of scientific thought. With this in mind, Ouroboros Press is pleased to be issuing the first English translation of Giordano Bruno's Cantus Circaeus, rendered from the original Latin by Darius Klein. Originally printed in Paris 1582, the eloquence of Klein's English translation is fitting for the words of the Nolan.

"To one who is about to behold the Daughter of the Sun, she who is learned in magical lore, and who comes forth from the hidden places; you shall go as a free man into the House of Circe, not bound by the fetters of Night."

From Giordano Bruno; Cantus Circaeus.

In the beginning of his Cantus Circaeus, Bruno portrays the doctrine of correspondence as used with the seven planetary invocations, which are themselves tokens of praxis in the Hermetic tradition. The incantatory litanies include the names, attributes, plants, stones, animals and other qualities associated with the astral bodies, and are thus memory palaces of planetary arcana. Through dialogue, Circe and her assistant Moeris, explicate the use of images in the imagination in order to facilitate use of the Art of Memory which constitutes the latter half of the text. Francis A Yates, author of Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition comments;

"Bruno's magic memory system thus represents the memory of the Magus, one who both knows the reality beyond the multiplicity of appearances through having conformed his imagination to the archetypal images, and also has powers through this insight. It is the direct descendant of Ficino's Neoplatonic interpretation of the celestial images, but carried to a much more daring extreme."

Francis A. Yates; Giordano and the Hermetic Tradition.

[Bust of Giordano Bruno by Maurizio Tazzuti]

Cantus Circaeus: The Incantations of Circe
First English Translation.

Now Available

Read a Review of Cantus Circaeus on 
Peter Stockinger's
Traditional Astrology Website

Heretic Vellum Edition: Small octavo, handbound in full vellum over boards with raised cords and leather spine label. Gilt stamped title and device. Marbled endsheets and silk ribbon bookmark. 144 pages, illustrated with woodcuts. Limited to 300 copies only.

Heretic Vellum Edition: $225.00

Standard Edition: Small octavo, full black cloth over boards with gilt title and device. In a printed dust jacket. 144 pages. Illustrated with woodcuts.

Standard Edition: $40.00

Please include shipping with your order.
$6.00 in the US or $12.00 abroad for up to 2 books.

Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery [handbound editions, allow 4-6 weeks].

Fine Esoteric Book Arts

Turba Philosophorum received from the printers

The image above shows the stacks of books ready to be handbound at the bindery of Ars Obscura in Seattle. Cloth copies showing the gilt device on the front cover can be seen below along with a copy wrapped in a dust jacket.



The Turba Philosophorum or Assembly of the Sages:
Called also the Book of Truth in the Art and the Third Pythagorical Synod
An Ancient Alchemical Treatise Translated from the Latin by Arthur Edward Waite.

Known unto the Wise as the Crowd of Philosophers, this twelfth century treatise records the meeting of the "Hermetic Association for the Advancement of Alchemy" and gives voice to the alchemical wisdom of several centuries. From Pythagoras to the Thrice-Greatest Hermes, the Adepts converse on the keys of the Royal Art and the nature of the Magnum Opus in their pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone.

Arthur Edward Waite's translation of The Turba Philosophorum remains the most complete to date due to the fact that he examined the many variant Latin manuscripts. There were two versions of the Turba; a short version and a long version, and in cases where textual differences occurred, Waite was sure to note them. This new edition has retained those important words of wisdom.

This Limited Edition produced by Ouroboros Press continues the tradition of fine bookmaking by resetting the type and offering three distinctive binding styles.



Royal Arte Vellum Turba
Handbound in full vellum with gilt titles and device, false-raised cords, marbled endsheets and silk ribbon bookmark. A crowning achievement from the studios of Ars Obscura Bookbinding. Octavo. 168 pages. Limited Edition. $225.00



Deluxe Leather Turba
Handbound in full burgundy leather with gilt titles and device, false-raised cords, marbled endsheets and a silk ribbon bookmark, also from the venerable studios of Ars Obscura Bookbinding. Octavo. 168 pages. Limited to 275 copies only. $150.00

Trade Edition Turba
Full burgundy cloth with gilt spine title and device on front board in a printed dust jacket. Octavo. 168 pages. Limited to 700 copies only. $45.00



Orders are now being accepted.

Shipping: Please add $6.00 for US orders or $12.00 for overseas orders.


When making payment via PayPal use [ouroboros@bookarts.org]

Please include full shipping details with your order. Thank you!