IF YOU ARE LOOKING for an ordinary Almanac, containing information about the tides, postal rates, public holidays and the like, this is not the book for you. What I offer in these pages is a miscellany which may serve a variety of purposes, but the imparting of commonplace facts is not one of them. The themes of my book are Astrological and Inspirational.
The Almanack is divided into twelve sections which correspond to the signs of the Zodiac. At the beginning of each section a valuable Character Analysis will be found, compiled by Wizard Marchbanks. The special quality of these analyses is their utter frankness. There are scores of other astrological books on the market that attempt to soften the message of the stars. I have scorned subterfuge, which has done so much to bring astrology into disrepute. The twelve character analyses also permit the Almanack to be used as a Birthday Book, and a key to the nature of anyone you can persuade to entrust you with the date of their birth.
A word of warning: if you were born at a date which is within the last four days of any zodiacal period, or within the first three days of one, you are in an astrological mess called a “cusp,” and you partake of the characteristics of both the signs under which you were born. If you were born, let us say, on August 22nd, you are influenced by both Leo and Virgo; you are leonine and virginal in equal measure—a vexing predicament for you and all who know you. This confusion of temperament among those born in cusps has given rise to the astrological expression “a queer cusp” to describe such a person.
The Inspirational material in the Almanack is drawn from my private papers—Diaries, Commonplace Books, Soul Scrapings and accumulated Correspondence and Letter Files. Though no special coherence is attempted in the arrangement of this material I hope that these random recollections and revelations by myself and my friends may permit the reader to dip into the book at any point, and find some Sweetly Solemn Thought, suitable for reflection or Solace in a Dark Hour.
As a boy I spent many happy hours poring over a series of books bearing such titles as A Day With Walter Scott, and A Day With Tennyson. I have felt for some time that the moment was near to offer the public A Day With Marchbanks, but as you, my readers, have been most generous toward me in the past I am unwilling to hold you down to one measly day; it would ill become me to play the niggard in offering you these riches of the spirit.
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SAMUEL MARCHBANKS.
from the Horoscope-Casting Chamber
Marchbanks Towers.