Especially Dangerous: The Snowshill Collection

Pre-order for the hardcover edition only. Please allow three to four months for shipping. Cover image shown for the hardcover edition is a mockup, cover image subject to change. See below for details.

In the autumn of 1965, Cecil Williamson, founder of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, was requested to inspect the contents of a hidden attic room at Snowshill Manor. The Manor, previously the residence of the architect, collector, and occasional 'necromancer' Charles Paget Wade, was gifted to the National Trust in 1951 and remains home to the vast collection of handcrafted objects Wade collected in order to preserve examples of disappearing craftsmanship. However, Wade also had a strong interest in both the power of occult visual language and its material culture, and created a whole room dedicated to the subject. Williamson would later describe what he discovered that day to be, "the den of an especially dangerous black magician."  

Was this ever the case? Was Wade or his collection as especially dangerous as Williamson suggested, or was this an example of his own particular brand of showman’s cunning?  Especially Dangerous: The Snowshill Collection is not only the fascinating story of the alchemical narrative changes the collection experienced, but also an exploration of the material and wider cultural contexts it takes place within, and the personalities that shaped it. Informed by academic and magical thinking alike, the strange journey of the Snowshill collection invites the reader to consider the occulted interior and exterior designs of the self-styled necromancer Charles Paget Wade, as well as the collecting methodologies and magical working practices of the showman Cecil Williamson. In addition, it interrogates Williamson's motivations, proposing that although his actions may have been questionable, his magical reasoning for doing so may well hold incredibly pertinent lessons for modern practitioners.

With images provided by National Trust and the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic and a foreword by Dr Alexander Cummins, Especially Dangerous is an illustrated journey through an enlivened collection of magical artifacts and the men who collected and preserved them.

"Especially Dangerous offers a captivating exploration of the uncanny connection between two charismatic figures whose lives have become deeply intertwined—despite never having met. With a touch of magic and mystery on every page, the author expertly delves into the passions that drove these extraordinary men to create their remarkable collections." -- Jennifer Rowley-Bowen, Snowshill Manor Collections and House Manager.

Our hardcover edition will be printed on Munken premium white paper, covered in dark green buckram with dark red endbands and printed patterned endsheets. This edition is limited to strictly 300 copies. 

Especially Dangerous: The Snowshill Collection

Mark Hewitt

Foreword by Dr Alexander Cummins

Photos courtesy of the National Trust and the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

ISBN 978-1-915933-84-3 (HB)

ISBN 978-1-915933-85-0 (PB)

Both editions limited to strictly 300 copies.