Frederick Leigh Gardner (1857 1930) was a well-known British occultist who belonged to societies including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Freemasons, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and the Theosophical Society. Born to spiritualist parents, Gardner worked as a stockbroker and later became an antiquarian bookseller. He planned a detailed catalogue of books on the occult sciences to cover Rosicrucian, astrological, Masonic and alchemical writings. Volume 4 was never published; the others were printed privately between 1903 and 1912 in runs of 300 copies each, and reprinted in...

Collectanea Hermetica Volume I: Hermetic Arcanum. This book was part of the curriculum studied by members of the original Order of the Golden Dawn. This essay presents the secret work of the Hermetic philosophy wherein the secrets of nature and art concerning the matter of the philosophers' stone and the manner of working are explained in an authentic and orderly manner. The volumes of Westcott's Collectanea Hermetica appeared over three years from 1893 to 1896 when the Golden Dawn was at its peak. In every volume the intellectual integrity of the authors is evident, as is an eagerness to...

Collectanea Hermetica Volume I: Divine Pymander. This book was a part of curriculum studied by members of the original Order of the Golden Dawn. The Divine Pymander is not only one of the most important texts of the ancient wisdom attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, it is also the most important document within Hermetic communities. The volumes of Westcott's Collectanea Hermetica appeared over there three years from 1893 to 1896 when the Golden Dawn was at its peak. In every volume the intellectual integrity of the authors is evident, as is an eagerness to bring academic respectability to...