Occult & Esoterica
[SPARE, Austin Osman] A.O.S., A Celebration. London 14th May, 2006
[SPARE, Austin Osman] A.O.S., A Celebration. London 14th May, 2006
Edited by Michael Staley & Caroline Wise
Thame: I-H-O Books, 2006. First Edition. Privately published. Softcover. Large 4to. Limited to approximately 100 copies. Original wrappers with printed design by Spare to front. 96pp. Color and b&w illustrations. Also included is a folding card announcing the event with a portrait of Spare and 3 color illustrations. Book and card in near fine condition. Scarce.
This volume was produced for a celebration event of Spare’s life held on the fiftieth anniversary of his death, with copies being given to those in attendance. Includes several essays and reproduces nine photographs of Spare, 19 of his pictures, a letter, obituary newspaper cuttings, an exhibition review from 1907, and Spare’s horoscope. Proceeds from ticket sales and an auction were donated to the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), of which Spare was a lifetime member. Spare believed that humans and animals were of the same life current and that by “Atavistic Resurgence” we can share the consciousness of animals and rouse their powers. Spare was particularly fond of cats, and this book presents two short memoirs of Spare by Dennis Bardens and Frank Letchford, both describing the artist’s defense and care of the strays common after the bombing of London. There are also several photos of Spare in his studio surrounded by his feline friends. Essays include: The Living Word of Zos by Robert Ansell; Automatic for the People by Alan Moore; The Wizardry of Zos by David Knight; The Eyes to See by Anthony Naylor; Spirits, Trees and Tree Spirits by Caroline Wise; AOS: 1956-2006 by Clive Harper; Encountering Austin by Phil Hine; The Mona Lisa of Lambeth by Ruth Bayer; Austin Osman Spare and the Beautiful Mutations by Ossian Brown; Austin Osman Spare: Background of Prescience by Michael Staley; Chaos for the Normal by Carl McCoy and Andrew Collins.






