The never seen before lost occult library of John Dee will go on exhibition in January 2016. The collection of 100 surviving books will go on display at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).
Dee was a famous mathematician, philosopher, magician, alchemist and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I in 16th century England.
Dee’s massive library originally housed at his residence at Mortlake had approximately 3,000 books, as well as a large number of manuscripts. Many of his books were stolen when he had left England for Poland, and when he came back to England, he sold part of his collection because of financial difficulties. Later dying in poverty…
“Today the Royal College of Physicians library contains more than 100 books previously belonging to Dee: the largest known collection of Dee books surviving in one location. They were acquired as part of the library of the Marquis of Dorchester, presented to the physicians in the 1680s. It is not clear how these 100-plus volumes came to be owned by Dorchester, but there is evidence that many of them were stolen from Dee by a certain Nicholas Saunder.
The Dee collection contains some of the most dramatic and beautiful books in the RCP library, including mathematical, astronomical and alchemical texts. Many of the books are heavily and elaborately annotated by Dee himself.
Our 2016 exhibition will be the first time the books of Elizabethan England’s most famous ‘conjurer’ will have been displayed in public.
RCP museum opening hours are usually Monday-Friday 9am-5pm + weekend tours and special evening events.
Full details and dates for our John Dee-related events and tours will be available by late November 2015.”
Moe is the founder of GnosticWarrior.com. He is a father, husband, author, martial arts black belt, and an expert in Gnosticism, the occult, and esotericism.
