Freshly typeset edition 

The Secret Book of Black Arts is an extraordinary Victorian compendium of occult knowledge, first printed anonymously in New York in 1878 and later attributed in bibliographic records to Henry T. Williams.

Here the hidden histories and practices of the “Black Arts” — from sorcery, witchcraft, astrology and divination to spiritualism, table-turning, ghosts and apparitions — are laid bare with an uncompromising mixture of curiosity, scholarship and fearless inquiry.

In its own bold Preface the author declares there is “no question however enshrined by superstition” that will be dodged, and no belief treated *simply because it is the belief of some confiding souls” — and this promise is kept on every page.

This remarkable volume draws together decades of mystical lore and popular superstition, examining everything from the rites of sorcery and witchcraft to the curious beliefs surrounding the evil eye, divining rods, and ghostly visitations. It combines historical accounts, folkloric curiosities, and practical descriptions of occult practices, all presented with the Victorian appetite for the strange, the unexplained, and the deeply intriguing.

Rich in arcane detail yet candid in tone, The Secret Book of Black Arts is a rare archival treasure — one that captivates the imagination of scholars, occultists, and curious readers alike.