I noticed that Weiser Antiquarian Books is currently preparing a catalogue of Books on Alchemy and Hermetica, mostly from the Lenkiewicz Collection.
Robert Lenkiewicz was a remarkable British artist, who sadly died too young, a few years ago. He also had a great interest in books and in alchemy, magic and hermeticism. I met him at his workshop in Plymouth about 10 years ago. Although surrounded by his wonderful large photorealistic paintings, he told me that he valued his library above his artwork. He had plans to leave behind him a vast library as his legacy. He gave me a whole evening in which he showed me his treasures, early editions of key alchemical and hermetic works, but I was most impressed by his own painted copies of alchemical and magical manuscripts from the British Library. He had lovingly evoked the images in the original manuscripts.
It saddened me that his library project was never realised. He died too young (at about 60). Had he lived another decade or so he would probably have been able to raise the money from the increase in the price of his paintings. Now, it appears, some of the volumes from that library are to be sold off.
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