The Wizard's Tower

Hi All! This is Thomas A. Sawyer talking! I want to tell you a little about this edition of The Wizard’s Tower, by Professor Hoffmann (Angelo J. Lewis)! It’s a science-fiction novella dating back to 1887, which as far as I know had been lost to time—until I had the good fortune of locating an example in December 2022! And this is the first edition in book form! For many years (and I’m talking decades), I knew of the existence of a story by Hoffmann called The Wizard’s Tower. I didn’t know where or when it was published, or how long it was. I didn’t know what it was about, either, except whatever the title suggested, and that did not help much. All I knew was that, in a couple of places where one of Hoffmann’s stories was published, it said, basically: “By Angelo Lewis, Author of The Wizard’s Tower, &c.” Other than Conjurer Dick, The Wizard’s Tower is by far the longest work of fiction by Hoffmann I know of. So, what’s the story about? Well, it’s set mainly at Graystone Grange, the traditional family home of the Quennell family. The Grange is significant for three reasons: a moat that surrounds it, a “ghost” that some believe haunts it . . . and a secret. The secret has been handed down, generation to generation, for nearly 100 years. In 1875 or so, Marmaduke Quennell (then a young man) is told the secret by his father. Two years later, matters come to a head, and it’s up to Marmaduke, Dr. Brand, and Father Philpot to attempt to fulfill the wishes of Sir Gregory Quennell—an ancestor of Marmaduke—who, according to the belief of many, had died 100 years earlier. If you collect Hoffmann material, you are going to want to have this book on your shelves, even if you never read it. But for those of you who dig into it, you may end up looking at Hoffmann and his writings in a new light! I wrote a note called “About the Text,” and an Introduction, and the book also includes about ten images of reproductions of portions of serializations of The Wizard’s Tower from 1887 and 1890. Also, you’ll find about ten pages of annotations, dealing with definitions of terms, translations of foreign expressions, and other matters, including mentions of ways certain things in the story tie-in with Hoffmann’s real life. This pioneering edition provides a peek at part of another science-fiction story by Hoffmann (“By Angelo J. Lewis,” but I mainly use the names interchangeably in the book), called "Dr. Anscombe's Experiment," which is even weirder than The Wizard's Tower! As of the date of publication of this book, "Dr. Anscombe's Experiment" is (to the best of my knowledge) basically unknown among magic collectors, even those who concentrate on the works of Professor Hoffmann. This edition also includes newly created illustrations! Don’t miss this opportunity to add a very different work by Professor Hoffmann to your shelves! —Tom Sawyer