The Hidden Way Across the Threshold
A 489-page annotated edition of J. C. Street’s 1887 spiritualist and occult classic on sacred symbolism, soul, mediumship, inner development and the hidden way.
Read about this editionRestored historical books & forgotten knowledge
Old knowledge.
Made readable again.
We dig through old archives for worthwhile books that have fallen out of view, then restore them as editions you can actually sit down and read.
Hidden in Plain Sight · Digital reader’s editions
What’s in the film?
A difficult archive scan becomes a clean reading edition, with original illustrations and clearly labelled summaries, glossaries and reading guides. The film introduces HIPS Books’ wider interests, from Hermetic writings to historical gardening and food preservation. Features vary by edition; check the individual book page.
Currently in the catalogue
A few books to begin with
Explore the historical work, see inside the edition, and find its Etsy listing.
The Human Aura: A Study
A 61-page annotated edition of A. Marques’s 1896 Theosophical study of the human aura, clairvoyance, thought-forms, subtle bodies, Tatwas, plants and magnets.
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The Mystery of the Ages
A 303-page annotated edition of Marie, Countess of Caithness’s 1887 work on comparative religion, Theosophy, Hermetic thought and the inward reading of sacred traditions.
Read about this editionWhy restore an old book?
Finding it is only the beginning.
A book can survive in an archive and still be hard to read: faded pages, awkward scans and text you cannot search. We rebuild the reading experience while keeping the historical author’s words separate from our own.
Readable typesetting and navigation help you move through the work. Where an edition includes reader guides, summaries or a glossary, those additions help you follow unfamiliar ideas without replacing the book itself.
How we prepare an editionSubjects on the shelf
A way into the books currently available—not a limit on what we will discover next.
The stories and ideas behind the books
From the journal
Clear introductions, historical context and a reason to read further.
Root Cellars and Winter Food Storage in a 1917 Manual
A 1917 manual treats the harvest as the beginning of another job: storing food through winter. Explore its cellars, pits, household labour and wartime purpose as history, not instructions.
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The Human Aura: A. Marques's 1896 Book and Its Meaning
What did A. Marques mean by the human aura in 1896? Explore his layers, diagrams and Theosophical vocabulary, and the difference between a historical explanation and scientific evidence.
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Victory Gardens History: The First World War Origins
Victory gardens did not begin in the Second World War. Read the First World War campaign through Charles Lathrop Pack’s 1919 book, its community projects and wartime posters.
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