A Hornbook for Witches

Blurb

A Hornbook for Witches: Poems of Fantasy is a collection of poems by Leah Bodine Drake. It was released in 1950, and was the author's first book and her only collection published by 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 ancestor Jean Bodin "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. 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.