A collection of 125+ items relating to one or two families who seemed to have been connected through The Society for Psychic Research (Australia), located at Lisgar House, 30 Carrington Street, Sydney.

The focus of the collection is a group of 111 books or printed pamphlets; all related to spiritualism and psychic research. Their themes include seership, astral projection, life beyond death, palmistry, hypnotism, astrology, immortality, heaven, mediumship, clairvoyance, consciousness, psychology, and numerology. They range in date from 1900 to 1976, and were mostly published in London, Manchester, or Sydney – though a few come from India and California.

Spiritualism and psychic research became a growing trend in the early 20th century after the mass casualties of WWI. Stories were being published of hauntings and strange happenings – messages from the dead uncommunicated in life. As families sought closure with their dead relatives, they solicited the help of mediums, clairvoyants, and séance practitioners. Belief that there was life after death must have been of great comfort to those mourning family lost in the war.

Several of the books contain a sticker plate stating: “This book is presented by the Marianne Bayley Worthington Trust. Office: 16 Queensberry Place, London. The objective of the trust is:– To spread the knowledge, based on ascertained evidence, that humanity survives the death of the body. That such survival means unbroken continuity of conscious life, affection and memory. That the Law of Spiritual Consequence governs life here and in the hereafter. That personal responsibility must be acknowledged for every thought, word and deed. That people, both in the physical body, and those who have passed on to the unseen, influence each other for good and for ill according to their individual thought and feeling.

Most books in the collection contain several names stating ownership. They include E.M. Fergusson, E.R. [Edward, also listed as Edgar, Raymond] Fergusson, Isabella Fergusson, Albert Ernest Fergusson, Rev. J.J. E.L Fergusson, S.E. [Sally/Sallie/Sarah] Fergusson, Carrie Jansen, Allie Smith, and “Rosie”.

Locations associated with these families are Hobart, London, and Sydney. It appears the Fergusson family were based in Hobart before Sydney, and that their entire family were interested in spiritualism. One newspaper clipping (1906) tells of “Mrs Waldie–one of the Fergussons, of Tinder Box Bay–…an educated lady, Mrs Waldie was seized with the idea that she was the reincarnation of Mary, Queen of Scots.”

Edward, also known as Edgar, Fergusson, was a Freemason in Hobart in 1927 before leaving the brotherhood in 1929. He was active during WWI as an ambulance official.

The name "S. Fergusson" appears most often, likely to be that of Sally Fergusson. Some letters refer to her as “Sallie”, and in another she mentions how bizarre it is to be referred to as “Sarah” again, as everyone knows her as Sally. Letters in the collection show that Sally Fergusson was the Secretary of the Society for Psychic Research in Sydney during the 1960s.

Allie Smith is the other major name found, and this collection contains her school notebook with drawings, her London diary, and two letters noting her resignation from the Society for Psychic Research, in 1947. Allie Smith appears to be the London connection, and it is possible she was friendly with Sally as they both lived in Sydney’s North Shore at one point.

This collection is supported by correspondence, both typed and handwritten; items from the Hobart Masons Victory Lodge; and some photographs and glass plate negatives.

A detailed list of titles is available on request.

Most books are missing dust jackets, are annotated with previous owner’s names, and are in Fair condition with foxing.

Author: Esswein, Hermann.

Publisher: Munich and Leipzig: R. Piper & Co.

Format: Slim hardcover quarto, quarter linen cloth with printed card cover, 51pp, 30 x 23.7cm.

Text in German. Several illustrations, some full page.

Soiling and discolouration to boards, 2cm tear to upper margin of p.31, minor foxing.

Publisher: London and New York: John Lane and The Bodley Head.

Format: Hardcover quarto in cream cloth with brown illustrations and text on cover and spine, top edge gilt, “SEB” ex-libris on pastedown, 174 plates each with separately titled paper guards, 29.3 x 23.7cm.

First edition. Contains three colour plates. Collated and complete.

Volume 2 of a two-volume set published by John Lane. The Early Works of Aubrey Beardsley was released in 1899, one year after Beardsley’s (1872–1898) death from consumption at the age of 25.

“Beardsley's style is sophisticated and refined, the lines elegant and the subjects often classical, but his treatment of them is subversive, provocative and frequently obscene. These contradictions lie at the heart of Beardsley's aesthetic appeal, as visual pleasure is both undercut and enhanced by ugly content, eliciting a shiver of disgusted delight.” Ref: V&A.

Bumping to corners, discolouration to spine, hinges front and back cracked and 2 pages are loose from block. Foxing to edges, prelim pages and some pages throughout.        

Format: Set of twelve hand-cut and pasted silhouettes on heavy card stock, approx. 8 x 5cm each (image).

These silhouettes, likely dating from the silhouette revival in the 1910s and 1920s, are a combination of portraits of men, women, and children.

Silhouettes became popular around 1790 as a fast and affordable way for people to have their portrait taken. Artists would often use a physiognotrace to take the profile of the sitter, before cutting out the details on the spot. Many were embellished with ink or gouache, and some of these examples show quick ink additions for a more dramatic profile. By the 1840s photography was becoming the dominant form of portraiture, but the silhouette never really left – it saw a revival with the arts and crafts movement of the early 20th century and continues to be a fascination of early portraiture.

Three sets of twelve are available – all images slightly different. Please inquire for more information.

Offset, creases and minor soiling to backing cards. Some cards have painted or letterpress letters verso.

Author: Strachan, Francoise (ed).

Publisher: London: The Aquarian Press.

Format: Softcover octavo, illustrated wrappers, 180pp, 18 x 10.8cm.

Scarce London directory for occult, mystical, or religious orders and groups, qabalism, ceremonial magic, witchcraft, flying saucers, talismanic magic, and ‘unusual contacts’: such as that of Reverend J.C. Neil-Smith M.A., St. Savior’s Vicarage, 2 Eton Rd, Hampstead, London, who can provide an exorcism “if you think that you are actually possessed by a demon and sincerely need help.”

Minor creases and indents to wrappers. Previous owner’s annotation in ink on half-title.

Author: Drury, Nevill.

Publisher: Sydney: William Collins.

Format: Hardcover octavo with dust jacket, purple cloth boards and gilt title to spine, 154pp, 24 x 15cm.

First edition. Biography of Rosaleen “Roie” Norton (NZ/Australian, 1917–1979), the notorious and eccentric practitioner of witchcraft who came to be known as “the Witch of Kings Cross.”

Original plastic coating of dust jacket crinkled and discoloured, with some chips to edges. Bumping to corners with minor foxing to fore edges.

Author: Pearson, Nigel G.

Publisher: London: Troy Books.

Format: Hardcover octavo in green cloth boards and gilt decoration, signed by Pearson in ink on ‘Medicine’ title page, 65 + 125pp, 19.2 x 12cm.

First edition, signed by author. “Double-fronted” two books in one.

A Folk Medicine Herbal presents medicinal herbal information and recipes as passed on to the author by a family of witches from Sussex, England, in the 1980s.

A Folk Magic Herbal takes the exact same plants that are given in the first section of the work and have been given their “traditional, magical usages” by the author, who notes “This information was not included in the original notes I received from the family of witches, so I have no way of knowing how they utilised herbs for their magical practice, or indeed if they even did. However, I feel that this information should be included in a book of this type and have therefore endeavoured to fill this omission with the traditional folk-magical uses of the herbs previously described medicinally.”

Very minor cocking to spine, slight scuff to boards, light marks to dedication page from the inclusion of three dried four-leaf clovers.

Author: Baker, Roger.

Publisher: New York: Hawthorn Books.

Format: Hardcover octavo in unclipped illustrated dust jacket, blue cloth boards, 187pp, 21 x 13.6cm.

First US edition. Roger Baker explains rituals, discusses the relationship between exorcism and psychiatry, recounts the vivid personal testimonies of priests, psychiatrists, exorcists, and the exorcised and, in conclusion, sifts and balances the evidence he has amassed to present a modern rationale of exorcism.

Chips to corners of dust jacket.

Author: Shakespeare, William.

Publisher: London: William Heinemann.

Format: Hardcover quarto, blue cloth boards with gilt decoration and text on front and spine, top edge tinted, 170pp + 40 tipped-in colour plates with tissue guards, 25.9 x 19cm.

First edition thus.

Scuffing and rubbing to boards, previous owner’s ink annotation to flyleaf, slight foxing throughout and offset from plates, two tissue guards loose and one plate [p.22] with a tear across the top.

Author: Dickens, Charles.

Publisher: London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Format: Hardcover octavo in red cloth boards, decorated embossed cover and gilt text on spine, 137pp + 7 tipped-in colour plates, frontispiece with tissue guard, 20.6 x 15.5cm.

First edition thus. The Chimes is a novella by Charles Dickens (English, 1812–1870), first published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It is the second in his series of five Christmas novellas with strong social and moral messages that he published during the 1840s.

Fading and scuffing to spine and rear corner, foxing throughout, offset on pages opposite plates.