The hidden charms of occult books

[icymist]

Lit Life visits with the founder of the Esoteric Book Conference, in Seattle on Sept. 10-11.

William Kiesel grew up in an era of great used bookstores. Shorey's, the rambling old downtown Seattle book store. David Ishii and Bowie & Company in Pioneer Square.

Stores with stacks of used books that seemed to go on forever were treasure houses for Kiesel, a White Center native and 1988 Evergreen High School graduate who just couldn't get enough books. Especially old books. Kiesel was drawn to them early on — he remembers an early illustrated edition of "Alice in Wonderland" he found at an aunt's place as a child. He recalls thinking: "Now this is a real book."

As he developed a working knowledge of used and rare books, he began to study very old books, including volumes devoted to alchemy, the combination of physical science, medicine and magic that preceded the development of modern chemistry. "I liked the fact that they were filled with symbols and myths," he remembers. "In the 16th and 17th century, bookmaking achieved a high level of art."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2015960730_litlife22.html?syndication=rss

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

1. I love old books

I have an old leather bound single volume encyclopedia I found at a store in Colorado during a break from a Geological Conference.

I also have a very old Geology Text which discusses how the earth is hollow with strong wind currents blowing around inside. I don't recall the reason for the wind at the moment, but I'm sure they had proposed one. My dad and I found that one as we cleared out my grandmother's place ages ago.

There is just something about holding a neat old book, wondering who could have read from it, or who owned it.