The Circle of the Stars by Joan Sutherland First Edition Hodder & Stoughton 1924. No inscriptions, no foxing or browning. A fine copy in original VG dust jacket priced 7/6.

In the moonlit groves of ancient Crete, high priestess Aria of the Circle of the Stars guards celestial secrets etched in Minoan frescoes, her visions foretelling a cataclysmic eclipse. When a foreign oracle from distant Mycenae arrives, bearing omens of war and a forbidden prophecy of divine descent, Aria's sacred vows clash with burgeoning passion and a shadowy cult plotting to shatter the matriarchy. As star-aligned rituals summon ethereal guardians and earthquakes rumble the labyrinthine palace, she navigates betrayals, ritual sacrifices, and a cosmic riddle tying her fate to the heavens. Sutherland's historical fantasy shimmers with mythic allure, astrological intrigue, and sensual mysticism, weaving a luminous saga of fate's stellar weave and earthly desires.

The Circle of the Stars lures collectors as a celestial rarity in Joan Sutherland's esoteric canon, its Minoan mysticism a beguiling outlier amid her occult romances. Readers immerse in its starry sagas and Aria's visionary valor, evoking Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon enchantments or Mary Renault's Hellenic harmonies. Its cultural luminescence captures Bronze Age goddess cults and astrological antiquity, beguiling historical fantasy seekers. Collectors chase its scarcity among Sutherland's works, while readers orbit the ritual revels and eclipse enigmas, deeming it a stellar essential for devotees of mythic matriarchies and celestial sojourns.