Black Letter Press

22/08/2025

Charles Godfrey Leland devoted his life to gathering myths and magical lore. His most famous—and controversial—work, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches (1899), unveiled a hidden tradition of Italian witchcraft centered on the goddess Diana and her daughter Aradia. Blending myth, spells, and ritual, the book portrays Aradia as a messianic witch sent to empower the oppressed through magic and rebellion. Though debated, Aradia became a cornerstone of modern witchcraft, influencing Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, and the Alexandrian tradition, and it continues to inspire contemporary pagan and folkloric practices today.

22/08/2025

ARADIA
or the Gospel of the Witches
In stock now! The 1899 folklore classic that helped shape modern witchcraft.

Charles Godfrey Leland, an American folklorist fascinated by Italian folk traditions and esotericism, devoted his life to gathering myths and magical lore. His most famous—and controversial—work, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, unveiled a hidden tradition of Italian witchcraft centred on the goddess Diana and her daughter Aradia.
Blending myth, spells, and ritual, the book portrays Aradia as a messianic witch sent to empower the oppressed through magic and rebellion. Though debated, Aradia became a cornerstone of modern witchcraft, influencing Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, and the Alexandrian tradition, and it continues to inspire contemporary pagan and folkloric practices today.

https://www.blackletter-press.com/product-page/charles-godfrey-leland-aradia-or-the-gospel-of-the-witches

04/08/2025

last 6h of sale!

https://www.blackletter-press.com/

09/07/2025

Less than 150 copies left!

First numbered edition, limited to 333 copiesTranslated, edited, and introduced by Paul Summers Young The second book in our Lesser Key series is about how enthusiasts in the seventeenth century took Trithemius and his enigmatic Steganographia and drew out a method of spirit communication and experi...

02/07/2025

We’re thrilled to announce Ars Theurgia — the second title in our Lesser Key series.

This volume explores the Theurgia Goetia, a fascinating system of “aerial spirits”—neither wholly good nor evil—drawn from Dr. Rudd’s circle and enriched with folk materials from John Harries.

02/07/2025

https://www.blackletter-press.com/product-page/ars-theurgia Ars Theurgia | BLACK LETTER PRESS

First numbered edition, limited to 333 copiesTranslated, edited, and introduced by Paul Summers Young The second book in our Lesser Key series is about how enthusiasts in the seventeenth century took Trithemius and his enigmatic Steganographia and drew out a method of spirit communication and experi...

17/06/2025

Step into the shadows of existence with our Memento Mori Set: a trio of thought-provoking works that explore the mystery and inevitability of death. This compelling collection features Oh, Death!, the macabre elegance of Der Totentanz, and Der Tod. Together, they form a striking homage to mortality, each title offering its perspective on the beauty, fear, and fascination surrounding life’s final chapter.

11/06/2025

Great conversation between Sasha Chaitow and Jeffrey Mishlove about Horapollon and much more!

Sasha Chaitow, PhD, is a British-Greek cultural historian, author, artist, and lecturer whose work explores the rich intersections of esotericism, philosophy...

31/05/2025

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili — Artisanal Edition

Limited to just 45 hand-numbered copies. Only a few still available.
A masterpiece of the Renaissance, reborn in a breathtaking new translation and handcrafted binding by

Two-volume set:
- Faithful new English translation
- Facsimile of the 1499 original

For collectors, dreamers, and lovers of the arcane.

31/05/2025

HYPNEROTOMACHIA POLIPHILI

Artisanal Edition

We are proud to present a new, long-awaited translation of one of the most extraordinary books ever printed in our shop—Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. It is no exaggeration to say that this work inspired the founding of Black Letter Press.

First published in Venice in 1499 by Aldus Manutius, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful books of the Renaissance. Mysterious, dreamlike, and typographically groundbreaking, it defies easy classification—a hybrid of architecture, erotic allegory, classical reverie, and visionary design. Few works have left such a profound mark on art history, typography, and esoteric literature.

To honor this masterpiece, we are releasing a strictly limited half-morocco edition, hand-bound by master craftsman Roger Green. The spines and corners are bound in the finest goatskin, with hand-tooled labels; the boards are covered in hand-marbled paper, specially created for this project—each copy unique in pattern and tone.

Only 45 hand-numbered copies have been made, each housed in a custom slipcase. Only a few remain available.

The set includes:

• A new poetic and faithful English translation by Paul Summers Young, offering an accessible yet sensitive rendering of the original’s complex voice.

• A high-quality facsimile of the original 1499 edition—one of the typographic crown jewels of the Incunabula period.



Sold only as a two-volume set, this edition is for bibliophiles, collectors, historians, designers, and anyone drawn to the strange, beautiful undercurrents of the printed word

Thank you for continuing to support independent publishing and the preservation of rare and important texts.

30/05/2025

All our available Grimoires are 15% discounted for the next 12h, have a look!

23/05/2025

We have one copy of the Discoverie of Witchcraft Collectors edition available!

This edition will not be reprinted.