(OCCULT.) Paschal Beverly Randolph. His occult pamphlets "The Ghostly Land," "The New Mola," and "Love! At Last!" bound in one volume. Octavo, 8¼ x 5¼ inches, original cloth with gilt spine title "Ghostly Land," dampstaining; only minor dampstaining to contents, frequent pencil notes by early owner. Boston and Toledo, OH, 1870-1874
Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825-1875) was born and raised in New York's free Black community. Orphaned at an early age, he was homeless before shipping out as a young seaman. His travels in Europe and Asia influenced his evolution into an influential occult leader. He became a popular Spiritualist medium, founded the first Rosicrucian fraternal order in the United States, and was considered an important influence on later esoteric groups such as the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, the Theosophical Society, and the Ordo Templi Orientis. His teachings emphasized sex magic and the fluidity of gender. He died of a gunshot wound in mysterious circumstances, officially ruled a suicide. His second wife Kate Corson, an Irish-American woman, continued promoting and publishing his work. This volume contains three of his pamphlets.
"Supplement to 'The New Mola' and 'Eulis'. The 'Ghostly Land': The 'Medium's Secret'; being the Mystery of the Human Soul: Its Dwelling, Nature, and Power of Materialization. Also, the Coming Woman, and the New Divorce Law." 33, xvii pages; 1902 inscription by owner William M. Thompson of Dayton, OH on page xvi. The authorship of this one is ambiguous. It was copyrighted during Randolph's lifetime and begins as a letter from Randolph to his patron, the Viscompte of Ulma. It concludes with prophecies about the coming new social order, including the emergence of a new liberated "Coming Woman" who would become "supreme executive of the nation," and the appearance of a "New Divorce Law . . . wherein equality will prevail." This is signed in type by Randolph's wife Kate Corson of Toledo on page 33. This is followed by a 17-page bibliography of Randolph's writings, titled "Partial List of Works by the Same Author." It gives detailed summaries of many of his works. For example, buyers of the book "The First Revelation of Sex" could learn "Why a woman who bears a child by a dark man can never thereafter bear a light one. Transfusion. Temptation--and how to resist it. Magnetism." The book "The Second Revelation of Sex" is summarized in eight pages: "Astounding theory concerning Brunettes. Have they all Black man's blood in their veins? . . . Brunettes never vampiral. Blondes are, and a startling fact." 8 in OCLC. Toledo, OH: Kate Corson, [1874].
"The New Mola! The Secret of Mediumship! A Handbook of White Magic, Magnetism and Clairvoyance. The New Doctrine of Mixed Identities!" Bound with original front wrapper bearing an inked London bookseller's stamp. 63 pages; noted in pencil by an early owner: "Finished 5/29/1902." 7 in OCLC. Toledo, OH: P.B. Randolph, 1873.
"Love! At Last! The Seven Magnetic Laws of Love." 45 pages, plus ad leaves numbered viii, [176]-178. 2 examples in OCLC. Boston: Randolph and Company, 1870.
