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- The Hermetic and Alchemical Zines of Brian Cotnoir (Volume 1: Slipcase Edition)
The Hermetic and Alchemical Zines of Brian Cotnoir (Volume 1: Slipcase Edition)
The Hermetic and Alchemical Zines of Brian Cotnoir (Volume 1: Slipcase Edition)
by Brian Cotnoir
Working from primary sources (Agrippa, Aquinas, Aristotle, Breton, Iamblichus, Jung, Paracelsus, Plato, Scholem, et al) and new translations, Brian Cotnoir’s zines explore a variety of alchemical and esoteric topics including artificial life, dream, the animation of statues, time, union of opposites, the golem, and talismans.
In this iconoclastic presentation, primary texts are photocopied, cut up, and transposed in a mad fashion that, given time and attention, allows the reader a fuller understanding of the material and innumerable jumping-off points for further exploration.
This special slipcase edition includes the first eight of Cotnoir’s alchemical, theurgical zines…
On the Mystic Magick Talismanic Alchemical Practice of Zine-Making : “My work with zines or any fast available print medium…is about an exploration of certain esoteric ideas, frameworks, and practices with the aim of making change in the world or providing tools to others interested in doing so.”
The Hieratic Art, or, The Alchemy of Talismans : “The Hieratic Art, or Priestly Art, is the art of composition for affecting change in the world. This zine explores this non-discursive way of thinking, speaking, [and] writing in affecting change. The aim of all art.”
The Golem and How He Came to Be : “The golem, from the Hebrew word גולם, meaning an unformed mass, or a lump, is a man made of clay or dust brought to life by spiritual purity and language.” A look at the legend of Rabbi Loew of Prague, who created a golem to protect the Jewish community.
The Alchemical Wedding : “The Alchemical Wedding, or the union of opposites, is the sought-after moment, the turning point in the process of perfection. This zine looks at this union in relation to ideas of perfection, the ‘place’ of this union, and ideas of perfectibility through human action.”
On Alchemy and the Timing of Things : “The texts assembled here grapple with defining time and eternity and provide the philosophical context of any discussion of alchemy and time. They are points to consider in meditation whether sitting or walking.”
On the Animation of Statues : “A collection of quotes, primary sources, notes, and comments on the late-antiquity practice of ‘ensouling’ statues in order to commune with the gods. Although never explicitly described, a hazy outline emerges.”
Dream: The Lunar Realm of Alchemy : “A collection of quotes, primary sources, notes, and random comments regarding the role of dream and vision in alchemical practice.” Includes a guide to achieving lucid dreams.
On the Homunculus: Some Notes and Translations : “Excerpts from a range of texts and images, from Aristotle to the 17th century, dealing with the generation of life both natural and artificial. This small work is, more or less, a little reader on the Homunculus.”
…each bursting with imagery and text and including a bibliography of sources.
By way of introduction and backstory, a ninth zine, by Cotnoir and Sukhdev Sandhu (author of Night Haunts: A Journey Through The London Night), is also included.
Introduction to the Hermetic and Alchemical Zines of Brian Cotnoir : “Re-reading this collection I’m in thrall to its tactility and analogue affect. I get a palpable sense of Cotnoir handling an incredible range of texts, of his having a muscle memory of those texts’ enduring value as well as a haptic appreciation of their potentiality, of him scissoring extracts to remix and reconfigure, handwriting and drawing elements that augment his visionary archive. I’m drawn to the elements of cut-up chaos, outsider-art graphology, polylingual sampledelia. The book’s pages remind me of a New York that once flourished—noisy, sometimes illicit, heterogeneous—and that still looms large in my dreams. The book wears its deep learning lightly but it never talks down to readers; its bibliography will steer them in directions both intimidating and exciting.”—Sukhdev Sandhu (New York University)
The Peculiar Parish Bookshop is proud to offer this treasure-house of DIY esoterica and outsider art.
Published by Khepri Press (2019), collecting previously published pamphlets (2015–2019). A “One of Many” slipcase edition, unsigned, unnumbered, and unlimited.
Nine digest-sized pamphlets, 12–32 pages each, within a cardstock slipcase, illustrated throughout with black-and-white drawings, photographs, and hand-assembled collages.
by Brian Cotnoir
Working from primary sources (Agrippa, Aquinas, Aristotle, Breton, Iamblichus, Jung, Paracelsus, Plato, Scholem, et al) and new translations, Brian Cotnoir’s zines explore a variety of alchemical and esoteric topics including artificial life, dream, the animation of statues, time, union of opposites, the golem, and talismans.
In this iconoclastic presentation, primary texts are photocopied, cut up, and transposed in a mad fashion that, given time and attention, allows the reader a fuller understanding of the material and innumerable jumping-off points for further exploration.
This special slipcase edition includes the first eight of Cotnoir’s alchemical, theurgical zines…
On the Mystic Magick Talismanic Alchemical Practice of Zine-Making : “My work with zines or any fast available print medium…is about an exploration of certain esoteric ideas, frameworks, and practices with the aim of making change in the world or providing tools to others interested in doing so.”
The Hieratic Art, or, The Alchemy of Talismans : “The Hieratic Art, or Priestly Art, is the art of composition for affecting change in the world. This zine explores this non-discursive way of thinking, speaking, [and] writing in affecting change. The aim of all art.”
The Golem and How He Came to Be : “The golem, from the Hebrew word גולם, meaning an unformed mass, or a lump, is a man made of clay or dust brought to life by spiritual purity and language.” A look at the legend of Rabbi Loew of Prague, who created a golem to protect the Jewish community.
The Alchemical Wedding : “The Alchemical Wedding, or the union of opposites, is the sought-after moment, the turning point in the process of perfection. This zine looks at this union in relation to ideas of perfection, the ‘place’ of this union, and ideas of perfectibility through human action.”
On Alchemy and the Timing of Things : “The texts assembled here grapple with defining time and eternity and provide the philosophical context of any discussion of alchemy and time. They are points to consider in meditation whether sitting or walking.”
On the Animation of Statues : “A collection of quotes, primary sources, notes, and comments on the late-antiquity practice of ‘ensouling’ statues in order to commune with the gods. Although never explicitly described, a hazy outline emerges.”
Dream: The Lunar Realm of Alchemy : “A collection of quotes, primary sources, notes, and random comments regarding the role of dream and vision in alchemical practice.” Includes a guide to achieving lucid dreams.
On the Homunculus: Some Notes and Translations : “Excerpts from a range of texts and images, from Aristotle to the 17th century, dealing with the generation of life both natural and artificial. This small work is, more or less, a little reader on the Homunculus.”
…each bursting with imagery and text and including a bibliography of sources.
By way of introduction and backstory, a ninth zine, by Cotnoir and Sukhdev Sandhu (author of Night Haunts: A Journey Through The London Night), is also included.
Introduction to the Hermetic and Alchemical Zines of Brian Cotnoir : “Re-reading this collection I’m in thrall to its tactility and analogue affect. I get a palpable sense of Cotnoir handling an incredible range of texts, of his having a muscle memory of those texts’ enduring value as well as a haptic appreciation of their potentiality, of him scissoring extracts to remix and reconfigure, handwriting and drawing elements that augment his visionary archive. I’m drawn to the elements of cut-up chaos, outsider-art graphology, polylingual sampledelia. The book’s pages remind me of a New York that once flourished—noisy, sometimes illicit, heterogeneous—and that still looms large in my dreams. The book wears its deep learning lightly but it never talks down to readers; its bibliography will steer them in directions both intimidating and exciting.”—Sukhdev Sandhu (New York University)
The Peculiar Parish Bookshop is proud to offer this treasure-house of DIY esoterica and outsider art.
Published by Khepri Press (2019), collecting previously published pamphlets (2015–2019). A “One of Many” slipcase edition, unsigned, unnumbered, and unlimited.
Nine digest-sized pamphlets, 12–32 pages each, within a cardstock slipcase, illustrated throughout with black-and-white drawings, photographs, and hand-assembled collages.
