The Secrets of Cabalism

Anna Jane Vardill

Anna Jane Vardill (1781-1852), though primarily known in her lifetime as a poet, was actually the author of a significant amount of prose, using the signature “V.” One of the most interesting of these ventures is a serial she published from January 1821 to June 1821 in “The European Magazine” titled The Secrets of Cabalism.

This series of six short stories, which the current volume brings together in book form for the first time, contains some of the earliest occult fiction written by a woman in the English language.

The brilliance and originality of these tales of alchemy and philosophy, adventure and natural magic, can be attested to by the fact that several of them have been reproduced and reprinted in various places, often uncredited or misattributed, the most noteworthy example of this being by the famous editor Peter Haining, who through six editions attributed one of the stories herein to William Child Green.

About the Author
Anna Jane Vardill (1781-1852) was born in London, the daughter of the American-born pamphleteer, poet and spy John Vardill, who familiarized her with the poets of antiquity. Her first published work was Poems and Translations (1809), which was followed by The Pleasures of Human Life (1912). Using the signature “V.” she published a large body of work in “The European Magazine”, many pieces of which have been, over the years, reprinted and translated, usually without offering her credit or, worse still, attributing the pieces to other authors.

Paperback, 122 pages. Release date: March 12, 2023
ISBN-13: 978-1-64525-135-4
Price: US$14.00

Hardcover, 124 pages. Limited edition of 80 copies
Release date: March 12, 2023
Price: US$29.00