This small book, titled Les Secrets Mystiques de la Magie Naturelle du Petit Albert (in English The Mystical Secrets of Natural Magic of Little Albert was published in the eighteenth century. It was a collection of instructions for magical rituals, direction on the casting of spells and recipes for the construction of magical artifacts, a type of book often referred to as a grimoire. For instance, The Petit Albert, as it was referred to by some, provided a lesson on how to manufacture a “Hand of Glory” (pictured above) which had the power of paralyzing those who gazed upon it. It also contained a recipe that, if correctly followed, would supposedly result in the hatching of a homunculus, a small humanoid with magical power, from a standard chicken egg.
We know that this book belonged to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow because his name is inscribed, in his own handwriting, in ink on the first front free endpaper. What we don’t know is why, when or how Longfellow acquired it. He makes no mention of it in any of his known journals or correspondence. Possibly because to some the book had an evil reputation. Nevertheless, when it was published it was a smashing success, selling tens of thousands of copies. Another possibility is that Longfellow got it because he was a collector of books in general and thought that it would make an unusual addition to his personal library. Either way, it’s an interesting object to feature for the Halloween season!