Skyscript Astrology Forum

A private collector (not known to me) has set up an Abebooks account to sell off his personal collection of editions relating to ancient astronomy, astrology, etc., and has started to list them for sale just within the past week. He has priced them far below typical dealer prices, and at least three have already sold. If you are a serious scholar of ancient astrology and were after any of what is left, this is the best chance you're likely to get in quite some time.

1. The Pingree edition with translation of Dorotheus's Carmen Astrologicum, for ?40 in vgc (typical price $175)
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4848310607

2. The Pingree edition of Hephaestio of Thebes in two volumes (one of which is the astrological one as we know, later translated by Robert Schmidt), for ?70 in vgc (only other set on the market has pencil underlinings and costs ?115.27):
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4848313373

3. Paulus Alexandrinus's 'Elementa Apotelesmatica' for ?25 in near-fine condition:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4847666689

4. Heliodorus 'In Paulum Alexandrinum Commentarium' (later translated by Dorian Greenbaum if I'm not much mistaken) for ?25 in near-fine condition:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4847913248

5. The 1973 reprint of the Kroll edition of Vettius Valens for ?25 in vgc:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4832627383

Also, an excellent-sounding copy of the high-quality hardcover 1979 Scientia reprint of Bouch?-Leclerq's 'L'Astrologie Grecque' at ?45 (typical retail price from a UK dealer when a few copies were still available new in the early 2000s was ?100; now there are no copies of this edition at any price, only softcover Lulu.com p.o.d. reprints and one much more expensive copy of the 1899 first edition with two damaged / loose pages):
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4799472260

And for the really keen, you can always select 'List this seller's other books'. There are a number of other academic editions of astrological works in there, probably of relatively marginal interest.

Good to see you on the forum again Philip. We have missed you.

Thanks for updating us.

Mark

Thank you, Mark! In fact I'm still extremely busy trying to organise the economic side of my life, but hope to return here more regularly in the future.

As chance would have it, just this morning, a copy of the notoriously rare 'Horoscopes and History' by J. D. North (a subject of some protracted discussions a few years ago here) has been listed for sale, ex-library with a price to match:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... 4870532005

My experience has been that no copy of this book remains listed for more than a few days to weeks before it sells. This copy is clearly one for studying rather than strictly collecting. Fine second-hand copies sell for up to $200 on the very rare occasions they appear.

Best wishes to all at Skyscript!

Well, I'm pleased to see on checking the links again this afternoon that someone has bought the unusually low-priced critical editions of Dorotheus, Hephaestio and Paulus Alexandrinus already. Anyone at Skyscript?

The copy of 'Horoscopes and History' had also sold by yesterday evening, within hours of my posting the link.