A Hornbook for Witches: Poems of Fantasy is a collection of poems by Leah Bodine Drake

Leah Bodine Drake

-External Links:Leah Bodine Drake papers at Kentucky Digital Library...

. It was released in 1950

1950 in literature

The year 1950 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Kazuo Shimada wins the "Mystery Writer Of Japan" award for his book Shakai-bu Kisha .*Jack Kerouac has his first novel published....

 and was the author's first book and her only collection published by Arkham House

Arkham House

Arkham House is a publishing house specializing in weird fiction founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve in hardcover the best fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham. Arkham House...

. It was released in an edition of 553 copies of which 300 were given to the author, making this one of the rarest books published by Arkham House. The jacket was the work of Frank Utpatel. The volume is dedicated to Drake's ancestress Jean Bodin

Jean Bodin

Jean Bodin was a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement of Paris and professor of law in Toulouse. He is best known for his theory of sovereignty; he was also an influential writer on demonology....

 "who also concerned himself with witches."

According to Sheldon Jaffery's The Arkham House Companion, "the story goes that Ms Drake approached Derleth and requested that a book of her poetry be published by Arkham House, one that would contain a great many more poems than were contained in the 1947 anthology Dark of the Moon

Dark of the Moon

Dark of the Moon may refer to:*Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a 2011 film, third in the Transformers series*Transformers: Dark of the Moon , a video game based on the 2011 film...

. Derleth refused except on the condition that she bear the cost, to which she agreed. After publication of A Hornbook for Witches, Drake received back about 300 copies as her share of the enterprise. Thus, the rarity of the book is explained, as only 253 were available for distribution by Arkham House directly to its dealers and subscribers. It's uncertain what became of Drake's 300 copies, although many may have been given or sold to her friends and neighbors. Lin Carter

Lin Carter

Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...

 once told me that he was, some years ago, in a small midwestern city and saw Drake toting a shopping bag overflowing with copies of Hornbook which she was autographing and selling for $1.50 per copy. The story has the ring of truth since Leah Bodine Drake, at the time the book was published, worked for the Evansville, Indiana Courier. Carter, lacking the foresight that we all acquire through hindsight, failed to buy any copies. He later spent $450.00 for one in less than perfect condition, as it was the last book needed to complete his Arkham House collection."

An audiobook by the same name was released in 1976, read by Vincent Price

Vincent Price

Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...

. It contains four poems by Drake ("A Hornbook for Witches", "Witches on the Heath", "'All Saints Eve", and "The Ballad of the Jabberwock") as well as other material. The audio was originally released only on cassette (by Caedmon TC-1497) but can now be sourced on the internet as a CD recording.

Contents

A Hornbook for Witches contains the following poems:

1. "A Hornbook for Witches"
2. "Unhappy Ending"
3. "Witches on the Heath"
4. "The Tenants"
5. "The Ballad of the Jabberwock"
6. "Bad Company"
7. "Mouse Heaven"
8. "Rabbit-Dance"
9. "Wood-wife"
10. "A Likely Story"
11. "The Man Who Married a Swan Maiden"
12. "All-Saints Eve"
13. "The Last Faun"
14. "Changeling"
15. "In the Shadows"
16. "Figures in a Nightmare"
17. "The Witch Walks in Her Garden"
18. "The Seal-Woman's Daughter"
19. "They Run Again"
20. "The Path Through the Marsh"
21. "Old Wives' Tale"
22. "A Vase from Araby"
23. "The Fur Coat"
24. "House Accurst"
25. "The Vision"
26. "Sea-Shell"
27. "Willow Women"
28. "The Girl in the Glass"
29. "Heard on the Roof at Midnight"
30. "Terror by Night"
31. "Legend"
32. "The Heads on Easter Island"
33. "Haunted Hour"
34. "Goat Song"
35. "The Nixie's Pool"
36. "Stranger"
37. "Encounter in Broceliande"
38. "The Window on the Stair"
39. "The Old World of Green"
40. "Curious Story"
41. "The Steps in the Field"
42. "Midsummer Night"
43. "Old Daphne"
44. "Mad Woman's Song"
45. "Griffin's Gold"
46. "Black Peacock"
47. "The Centaurs"

External links

• Audiobook page