Fine Books and Manuscripts

[Occult] Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym (Alex-Vincent-Charles). Les Farfadets, ou Tous les Démons ne Sont pas de l’Autre Monde. Paris: chez l’Auteur et P. Gueffier, 1821. 3-volume set. Limited to 400 copies. Half red morocco over marbled boards ruled in gilt, raised bands rolled in gilt, compartments with gilt centerpieces and titled in gilt. Engraved frontispieces including a portrait of the author. 8 engraved plates total including a foldout in vol. III. 8vos. 362 pp.; 463 pp.; 447 pp. Marginal foxing and staining throughout; occasional offsetting. Scarce. One of the strangest literary works of the 19th century and an occult rarity, the author writes of his fears of imps, goblins, and leprechauns that harassed him ever since his unfortunate encounter with two fortune tellers, which was a sin that was to be punishable by impish tormentors. The text reveals that the author was able to capture an imp and confine it to a bottle, the effective methods and odors that were used to repel it, and his critiques of those who are nonbelievers of these occult forces. Berbiguier later, possibly as a result of his improvement in his mental state, attempted to round up and destroy the surviving copies of this book making it extremely rare to find as a complete set.