Bizarre Library Ephemera
Beyond the legends of the library exists a collection shrouded in the mystery of a bygone era. The State Library has been collecting titles since its founding in 1850. These titles have been both purchased by the library and donated by its patrons. Some materials held by the State Library have curious histories of their own. Just as the Library and Courts Building carries the memories of the past within its walls, so too does the collection of the library itself. Gathered here are just a few of the unique and storied items which the library is happy to maintain in its collection.
Aimée Crocker
While she’d be more likely be associated with the Crocker Art Museum or the California State Archives, the California History Section of the State Library does have a letter handwritten by Aimée in its collection. Famous for being a free spirit during the turn of the century, Aimée Crocker was pro-women’s liberation, tattooed (incredibly uncommon for the time), and had an interest in spiritualism & the occult. She is also known for her 10-year affair with magician and occultist Aleister Crowley. Aimée’s letter resides in the Edwin Crocker Family papers, 1885-1936 collection, in the California History section of the California State Library.
The Awful Fate of Harvey Stockbridge
The California State Library hosts many titles which tell a story. The Book of Magical Art by L.W. De Laurence is one of these. Donated by Mrs. H. S. Beals (Jennie E. Beals) in 1922, the book itself hints at a tale of grief and tragedy.
The volume is filled with handwritten notes which reference other works on spiritualism and the reader’s own insights into the occult. The blank back page of a photograph plate (below) contains quotes from H.P. Blavatsky’s Isis Unveiled, which is also available in the California State Library’s collection.
Author L.W. De Laurence:
De Laurence’s books remain controversial to this day. His De Laurence Publishing Company was infamous for publication of “grimoires” (books of magical incantions and rituals) and the DeLaurence Company still offers various potions, magical jewelry, and other paraphenalia for sale. De Laurence publications were banned in Jamaica due to their perceived influence on the spread of non-Christian religious traditions. According to W.F. Elkins in their paper William Lauron De Laurence and Jamaican Folk Religion, “When Prime Minister Michael Manley in 1972 removed all but five of the political works from the banned publications list, the books of the DeLaurence Company remained on it.” (1986, p. 215).
Mrs. Jennie E. Beals (signed “Mrs. H.S. Beals” as a loving gesture to her husband) was the wife of famous early 20th century Sacramento photographer Henry Sherman Beals, who died in 1907. Harvey Stockbridge, the only son of Jennie Beals, died in a tragic accident in Nevada City in 1892.
Readers and researchers can draw their own conclusions about why Mrs. Beals was so interested in spiritualism and the possibility of life after death.
The Weird Tale of Clark Ashton Smith
In addition to odd books, the California State Library also houses some historical artifacts which have their own strange history.
Clark Ashton Smith is known for his contributions to H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and was a native of Auburn in Placer County. The State Library’s California History Section holds the Clark Ashton Smith collection, compiled by bibliographer Donald Sidney-Fryer. The collection is an assortment of handwritten letters, typed poems, published stories and magazine covers, and notes from author Sidney-Fryer as he attempted to organize Smith’s prolific work into one coherent timeline.
Sidney-Fryer was eventually successful in his bibliographical endeavor as the State Library also houses The Emperor of Dreams, Sidney-Fryer’s finished Clark Ashton Smith bibliography.
Why is the Clark Ashton Smith included in the Ghost File?
There’s nothing more bizarre than the era of fiction which Smith and his contemporaries created. While H.P. Lovecraft is probably the most well-known of the “Lovecraft Circle” as it is aptly named, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Chambers, Frank Belknap Long, August Derleth, and others all contributed to a shared horror mythology that has shaped the genre.
The State Library’s collection houses this hand-typed poem, signed by Smith:
The Cthulhu Mythos, which Smith contributed to, also went far beyond its influence into the genre of horror alone.
Occultist Kenneth Grant, acolyte of infamous magician and confidence man Aleister Crowley, expanded his own grimoires to include elements and gods of the mythos as spirit entities which a practitioner could commune with if the proper incantations were invoked.
Grant saw Crowley as embracing the call of a new “Aeon” while he believed that Lovecraft, Ashton-Smith, and their contemporaries were “in tune” with this Aeon but used horror to describe its influence as a malevolent evil that they were subconsciously recoiling in terror from.
Clark Ashton Smith is honored with a public burial in his hometown of Auburn, California. His grave can be found off Lincoln Way in a park behind Auburn’s Law Library. Smith was known as “The Bard of Auburn”, which can be seen on his memorial plate. His poetry is celebrated by many, and his bibliographer Donald Sidney-Fryer considered him “the last of the romantics.” A slim volume on this topic titled The Last Of The Great Romantic Poets can be found in the State Library’s collection.
Smith is also honored with a marker on the sidewalk in Old Town Auburn. The marker notes Smith’s penchant to be alone, which seems an odd inclusion on a memorial created to commemorate him.
Smith’s influence on the weird and the bizarre is such that to not include mention of him here would be overlooking an important piece of literary history.
The Occult Collection in Gillis Hall
Spiritualism, while controversial in some circles, was extraordinarily popular in the late 19th to the early 20th century. At the time of its inception, it was not considered explicitly incompatible with predominating religious beliefs as it was seen by many as “scientific proof” of religious doctrine. The State Library has a storied and colorful past, and its historical collection includes books about magic and spiritualism dating from the height of its popularity.
The collection at Gillis Hall showcases some of the most interesting titles that the library has to offer in this genre of non-fiction.
The Mirror of Magic by Kurt Seligmann is an exploration of the history of (mostly) western esotericism.
It is full of drawings, such as this purported pact between a magical practitioner and the devil (above).
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (of Sherlock Holmes fame) was a spiritualist who wrote several books on the subject. Spiritualism is defined as “a system of belief or religious practice based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, especially through mediums.”
While spiritualism is less popular now than it was when these books were added to the library’s collection, it is still practiced and studied by many from around the world. The California State Library is fortunate to house some of its history.
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