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New Books Core Catalogue

ORDINES DESCENDENS

John Dee (Attributed)

2010 approx 99pp 4to hardback. Black cloth blocked in bronze and red on upper board, red lettering to upper board [featuring the Sigillum Dei Aemeth of Dee and Kelly]. Colour frontis portrait of Dr John Dee plus illus. Edition limited to 236 numbered copies by way of a limitation bookplate tipped onto front paste-down.

The work is edited by Peter Mills who supplies a 19pp introduction to the book in which he presents a cogent argument for the authenticity of the work as part of the Dee canon. Furthermore, he places the text into an historical context and comments upon it; also describing how he was given access to the original document some thirty years ago, which he carefully transcribed.

The title page informs us that this was privately printed for a Jeremiah Hobbs for his great friend Sir Francis Dashwood and certain others (presumably the Hellfire Club). Jeremiah Hobbs gives a detailed account as to how some of Dee’s papers parted company from those that found their way to the Ashmolean Museum and the British Library and how he came into possession of those manuscripts. He then capably explains how the names of Enochian Angels are derived from the Watchtowers before giving the text of Ordines Descendens. This text is the lost counterpart of the better-known Enochian material. Whereas they describe the watchtowers, names and calls of the Angelic hierarchy Ordines Descendens describes its demonic mirror.

A set of infernal Watchtowers are given from which are derived the four names of Satan and the rest of the infernal hierarchy. The process used is cognate but significantly variant from that used for the Angels. As well as giving the names of these diabolical beings their powers are described with detailed information as to how they may be evoked using a magic circle and a triangle or art. The invocation is sealed using some of the thirteen Descending Clavicules which are given in Enochian with the English translations. These evoke infernal forces in a similar manner that the Enochian Keys or Calls invoke Angelic forces. This is effectively an Enochian Grimoire of Satanic beings, the counterparts of the Angelic beings. £49.99

THORN IN THE FLESH – A GRIM-MEMOIRE

Rosaleen Norton

With an Introduction by Keith Richmond

1st 2009 128pp Teitan Press hardback in dustwrapper. Frontispiece & 8pp color & b/w illus.

Edition limited to 880 numbered copies. Rosaleen Norton, the so-called "Witch of Kings Cross," was a natural rebel whose bohemian lifestyle, outspoken occultism, and unusual and often sexually-charged artwork attracted widespread condemnation from the conservative establishment in twentieth century Australia. She suffered frequent arrests, her art exhibitions were raided, a book of her art banned in both Australia and the USA, and in one notorious case, her paintings were burned at the censor's order. She died in relative obscurity in 1979, yet left the world a rich and unusual artistic legacy. Some of this was hidden away in two battered metal trunks which contained fragments of her unfinished autobiography, Thorn in the Flesh, various occult writings, letters, drawings, poems, photographs, small paintings, and scrapbooks. It was Norton's wish that one day a selection would be made from this material, and it would be published.

This book is that selection. It comprises poetry (often humorous), reminiscences, and various occult jottings, with reproductions of two stunning photographs of Norton, as well as some half-a-dozen examples of her art (mainly in colour). Most of this material has never been publicly seen before.  Although by definition fragmentary, the texts combine to give a very personal introduction to the magical world of this truly remarkable woman. The book includes an Introduction by Keith Richmond, who has previously edited a collection of Norton's short stories: Three Macabre Stories, and played a key role in organizing the "Occult Visions of Rosaleen Norton" retrospective of her art that was held in Sydney in 2000. £32.99

THREE MACABRE TALES

Rosaleen Norton

1st thus 2010 xxxii + 64pp Teitan Press h/b in d/w. Illus.

Ltd. ed. 666 numbered copies. Rosaleen Norton is now largely remembered as “the Witch of Kings Cross:” the Australian artist and occultist who gained notoriety during the 1950s and 1960s on account of her occult beliefs, unconventional lifestyle, and bizarre and often sensual artwork.

A little-known sidelight to Norton’s career was the publication by the popular magazine, Smith’s Weekly, of three horror stories that she wrote while still in her teens. The magazine’s editor, Frank Marien, was so impressed with these tales that he not only published them, but also offered Norton a cadetship. The short stories first appeared in Smith’s Weekly in 1934, and were later collected and published under the title Three Macabre Stories in an extremely limited letterpress edition in 1996.

This new edition of Three Macabre Stories contains those original three short stories, along with two previously unknown stories by Norton’s husband Beresford Conroy: works to which she almost certainly contributed. It also includes reproductions of a group of grotesque drawings executed by Norton not long after her involvement with Smith’s Weekly, the first-ever reprinting of three comic illustrations she drew for that magazine, and a revised Introduction and new Foreword by Keith Richmond. £32.50

HOMAGE TO PAN

Nevill Drury

2009 256pp Creation Oneiros trade p/b. Prof. Illus.

The life, art and sex magick of Rosaleen Norton. A heavily revised and expanded edition of his book Pan’s Daughter, this edition contains chapters putting Norton in context with the left hand path, plus an appendix featuring a lengthy interview with Norton conducted in 1949. £16.95

THE ANGELICAL LANGUAGE VOL. I

THE COMPLETE HISTORY AND MYTHOS OF THE TONGUE OF ANGELS

Aaron Leitch

1st 2010 336pp Llewellyn hardback in d/w.

The Angelical language channeled by alchemist Edward Kelley and recorded by royal astrologer John Dee has mystified magicians, linguists, historians, and cryptographers for generations. It’s even rumored that the language may be an encryption method of some kind, unbroken to this day. This fascinating, in-depth analysis reveals the truth behind the saga of two Renaissance wizards who spoke with angels and received instruction in the celestial tongue.

This volume begins with an exploration of the mystical traditions that influenced Dee's work—the Fifty Gates of Binah, the legends of Enoch, and the Book of Soyga. It presents an in-depth study of the forty-nine Tables of Loagaeth (Speech From God), the forty-eight Angelical Keys (or Calls), and the drama surrounding them as chronicled in Dee's journals. Special features include an analysis of the translations of the 48 Keys, instructions for the magickal use of Angelical characters, and a complete Angelical Psalter. £28.99

THE ANGELICAL LANGUAGE VOL. II

AN ENCYCLOPEDIC LEXICON OF THE TONGUE OF ANGELS

Aaron Leitch

1st 2010 600pp Llewellyn hardback in d/w.

A comprehensive analysis of John Dee's Angelical language. Most Enochian dictionaries merely present word lists—this encyclopedic textbook presents a wealth of original material and expands upon (and corrects) previously published information. It is designed so readers can actually learn the language and use it in their own magick.

For the first time ever, every Angelical word recorded in Dee’s books, journals, and personal grimoire is recorded and cross-referenced in a number of helpful ways, allowing the reader to recognize root words, alternate spellings, and more. The Angelical Language, Volume II includes notes about each word's definition, history, or usage—both Dee's original marginal notations and new commentary by the author. Also presented are Dee's own phonetic notations, as well as a brand-new pronunciation key designed to make it easier to speak the language.

The material within these pages is based strictly upon Dee's journals and personal grimoire. There are no inclusions from later mystics or organizations. £48.99

THE BOOK OF GOLD (LE LIVRE D’OR)

A 17th Century Magical Grimoire of Amulets, Charms, Prayers, Sigils and Spells Using the Biblical Psalms of King David

David Rankine and Paul Harry Barron

1st 2010 296pp Avalonia Press.

Le Livre d’Or (The Book of Gold) is a unique 17th century French magical work comprising numerous amulets, charms, prayers, spells and sigils for working with the Biblical Book of the Psalms of King David. Written in a simple style akin to a medieval Book of Secrets combined with magical practices from the ancient world, Le Livre d’Or brings together practices which have their roots in major works from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Cairo Genizah, to the Greek Magical Papyri and Sepher Shimmush Tehillim (Magical Use of the Psalms).

Now translated into English for the first time, this text demonstrates the significance of the Psalms as a unifying and vital thread throughout the development of Western magic. Le Livre d’Or was originally bound as part of Lansdowne MS 1202 with a 17th century French copy of the most important of grimoires, the Key of Solomon. Available in two versions:

Paperback £19.99

Hardback in dustwrapper £45.00

INVOCATING BY MAGIC CRYSTALS AND MIRRORS

Frederick Hockley

1st 2010 92pp Teitan small hardback. Col. illus. Numbered edition of 600 copies.

Invocating by Magic Crystals and Mirrors contains a full colour facsimile of an original manuscript by Frederick Hockley, a transcription of the text, an Introduction by R. A. Gilbert, and other related material.

Invocating by Magic Crystals and Mirrors is one of Hockley's own writings. In it he describes the philosophy and method of "crystallomancy" ("crystal gazing" or "scrying through crystals or mirrors"), a practice which has long been associated with ritual magic. John Dee and his seer Edward Kelly were of course famous proponents of the system during the Elizabethan years, and after a period of relative obscurity it had found a new popularity in Spiritualist circles during the nineteenth century. Hockley's is a short work, that is reproduced from an original manuscript, dated 1869, that he presented to Barbara Honywood, a well-known society Spiritualist of the time. Honywood was said to have mediumistic powers, and it seems likely that Hockley prepared and gave the manuscript to her in the hope that it would excite her interest in the process, and perhaps help induce her to act as his "seer." £38.50

WORMWOOD STAR – THE MAGICKAL LIFE OF MARJORIE CAMERON

Spencer Kansa

1st 2010 250pp Mandrake trade paperback. Illus.

In the first ever biography written about her, Wormwood Star traces the extraordinary life of the enigmatic artist Marjorie Cameron (1922-1995), one of the most fascinating figures to emerge from the American Underground art world and film scene.

Illuminating her early childhood and wartime experiences, the book also offers a fresh perspective on her role in the infamous Babalon Working magick rituals, that were conducted by her husband, the maverick rocket scientist and Aleister Crowley disciple, Jack Parsons, and the future founder of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard.

Following Parsons death in 1952 from a chemical explosion, Cameron inherited her husband’s magickal mantle and embarked on a lifelong spiritual quest, a journey reflected in the otherworldly images she depicted, many of them drawn from the Elemental Kingdom and astral plane.

As well as her artistry, the biography also takes an in-depth look at Cameron’s film appearances, and features reminisces from the many artists, poets and moviestar friends she inspired along the way. With so much of her life and work shrouded in mystery, Wormwood Star sheds new light on this most remarkable artist and elusive occult icon. Wormwood Star chronicles the fascinating life of a most extraordinary artist and occult icon. £12.99

KALI KAULA

A Manual of Tantrik Magic

Jan Fries

1st 2010 580pp Avalonia hardback in dustwrapper. Illus.

Kali Kaula is a practical and experiential journey through the land of living magickal art that is Tantra, guided by the incisive, inspired and multi-talented hands of Jan Fries. By stripping away the fantasies and exploring the roots, flowers and fruits of Tantra, the author provides an outstandingly effective and coherent manual of practices.

Acknowledging the huge diversity of Tantric material produced over the centuries, Jan Fries draws on several decades of research and experience and focuses on the early traditions of Kula, Kaula and Krama, and the result is this inimitable work which shines with the light of possibility.

Unique in style and content, this book is more than a manual of tantric magick, it is a guide to the exploration of the inner soul. It contains the most lucid discussions of how to achieve liberation in the company of numerous Indian goddesses and gods, each of whom brings their own lessons and gifts to the dedicated seeker. It is also an eloquent introduction to the mysteries of the great goddess Kali, providing numerous views of her manifold nature, and showing the immense but hidden role played throughout history by women in the development and dissemination of tantric practices and beliefs.

Jan Fries explores the spectrum of techniques from mudra to mantra, pranayama to puja, from kundalini arousal to purification to sexual rites, and makes them both accessible and relevant, translating them out of the Twilight Language of old texts and setting them in the context of both personal transformation and the historical evolution of traditions. The web of connections between Tantra and Chinese Alchemy and Taoism are explored as the author weaves together many of the previously disparate strands of philosophies and practices. This book challenges the reader to dream, delight, and develop, and provides an illustrated guidebook on how to do so. Bliss awaits those who dare. £55.00

Also available as a trade paperback £28.99

INVISIBLE FIRE

Inner Dimensions of Western Gnostic & Theurgic Tradition

Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold

1st 2010 202pp Capall Bann trade paperback.

Invisible Fire explores Western esoteric traditions with quite profound implications, revealing the true 'inner tradition' within Western Magical lore for the first time and drawing upon an array of highly arcane sources and teachings within the Gnostic and High Magical streams inherited from the Middle Ages and antiquity.

The book is written from a traditional perspective as reflected in the greater mystery of Seth. Seth being the vehicle for the angel Raziel, the divine secret, reveals within veil upon veil how true tradition remains as a silent and reference of sustenance for the world. Seth was given the celestial secrets and thus the mystery of all possibilities prior to its manifestation, the very secret of how to understand creation. The Holy Spirit that gives the flame of prophecy and dreams marks the presence of the spirit of Seth.

Given the transcendent perspective the book will dazzle as it widens the horizon of possibilities from the all possible. £11.95

SEPHER RAZIEL

Don Karr & Stephen Skinner

Sepher Raziel - also called Liber Salomonis - is a full grimoire in the Solomonic tradition from a rare sixteenth century English manuscript. It is completely different from the Sepher Raziel ha-Melakh published by Steve Savedow, and is the oldest grimoire so far published in the Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic series, and shows clear signs of it Hebrew and Greek roots, quoting both Solomon and Hermes.

It contains seven treatises:

Clavis, concerned with astrology and its use in magic, with precise interactions between planets, Signs, and Houses;

Ala, outlining the magical virtues of stones, herbs, and animals;

Tractatus Thymiamatus, which deals with incense, and perfumes used in the Art;

Treatise of Times detailing the correct hours of the day for each operation;

Treatise on Preparations on ritual purity, and abstinence;

Samaim, on the different heavens and their angels; and finally,

Semiforas or a Book of Names and their virtues and properties, being seven semiforas attributed to Adam and seven semiforas attributed to Moses.

The Sepher Raziel text is given in two forms: a literal transcription with no changes in spelling or wording, and a full modern annotated English version.

This volume also includes a foreword which offers an overview of Raziel manuscripts, which represent a number of independent traditions, an essay on the literature of Solomonic magic in English, an introduction to the Sepher Raziel manuscript itself, an appendix on incense names, botanical names and identification, a list of printed notices and manuscript sources of Sepher Raziel, and a full bibliography of printed works on Solomonic magic. £39.95

Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic - Book I

Practical Angel Magic of Dr John Dee's Enochian Tables

Stephen Skinner & David Rankine

From two previously unpublished 17th century manuscripts on Angel Magic, with instructions for their use as used by Wynn Westcott, Alan Bennett, Rev. Ayton, F L Gardiner and other members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The authors have discovered what happened to John Dee's most important manuscript, his book of personal angelic invocations which he kept in Latin, and how it was preserved and developed by 17th century magicians into a full working magical system. How only a small part of this material reached the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the 1880's. Even this was then suppressed by the chiefs of the Order, and it did not appear in Israel Regardie's monumental work on the Order rituals.

They have also traced how the classical techniques of invocation and evocation drawn from late mediaeval grimoires, were passed through John Dee's magic, via Elias Ashmole, to the aristocratic angel magicians of the 17th century, including some of the most powerful and influential figures in England.

In the 20th century many fanciful constructions were added to GD Enochian by writers such as Aleister Crowley, who were however all unaware of the completely developed system that already existed, and which is here published in full for the first time.

This book provides the complete text of Sloane MS 307 and Sloane MS 3821, two previously unpublished 17th century manuscripts which expand massively on the Latin in Dee's Tabularum Bonorum Angelorum Invocationes found in Sloane MS 3191. The authors also provide derivative material from the original Sloane manuscripts which occurred in Rawlinson MS D1067 and Rawlinson MSS D1363. The first part of the material on the Enochian Tables found in the Sloane manuscripts was used by the Golden Dawn to form their Book H, and a transcription of Allan Bennett's personal copy of Book H is included as an appendix, as well as textual comparison from Frederick Leigh Gardner's copy against the Sloane material.

To appreciate manuscript material the context and provenance of the material needs to be demonstrated, and Skinner and Rankine have done this with extensive chapters elaborating on Sources of Angel Magic in the Grimoires, John Dee, Aristocratic Magic after the Sixteenth Century and the Impact of the Golden Dawn. A whole range of well-known and obscure magicians are brought to life with details of their lives and practices, tracing the ownership and use of the material from the time of their creation through to the Golden Dawn.

Hardback in dustwrapper. £35.00

Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic - Book II

Keys to the Gateway of Magic

Stephen Skinner & David Rankine

Summoning the Solomonic Archangels and Demon Princes. This work includes the complete unabridged version with variants of The Nine Great Keys, a vital early 17th century manuscript detailing the evocation of the Archangels and Orders of Angels. The practical techniques of summoning the Archangels, details of the hierarchies of spiritual beings, and how the Enochian system fits in with the Angelic and Demonic hierarchies are all covered, as well as the theology and philosophy associated with Angelic magic, giving the context that the pioneers of Angel magic were working within.

Additionally the evocation of the four Demon Princes and their role within the system of magic which can now be seen to cover all spiritual creatures from Archangels to Demons to Olympic Spirits and Elementals is also presented in detail with rare manuscript material being made available for the first time. Amongst the rare material is a previously unknown and beautifully illustrated volume dealing excusively with the Demon Princes.

This volume draws on a wide range of manuscript sources to make available some of the most important grimoire material of the seventeenth century. The Nine Celestial Keys details the evocation to visible appearance or into a crystal of the nine archangels who rule the heavens corresponding to the Sephiroth from Kether to Yesod on the Tree of Life, and includes seals for all the archangels. The primary and earliest source of this material is Sloane MS 3825, which also contains the Janua Magica Reserata and a Tenth Key, and from notes contained within it was clearly owned by Elias Ashmole. The Nine Celestial Keys are also in Harley MS 6482 with much other material, copied in 1712 by Peter Smart, and in Sloane MS 3628, bound in the front of a diary dated 1686-88.

Janua Magica Reserata contains a wide range of theological and philosophical material relating to the grimoires, including a unique hierarchy which connects the Enochian system to the Spiritual Creatures of the Grimoires. The Demon Princes are found in Sloane MS 3824, which uses exactly the same style of conjuration as the Nine Celestial Keys. The same material is also found in the derivative manuscript Rawlinson MS D1363, and textual comparison given to demonstrate the propagation of the material.

Hardback in dustwrapper. £35.00

Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic - Book III

The Goetia of Dr Rudd

Stephen Skinner & David Rankine

The Goetia (Lemegeton) is the most famous grimoire after the Key of Solomon. This volume contains a transcription of a hitherto unpublished manuscript of the Lemegeton which includes four whole grimoires:

• Liber Malorum Spituum seu Goetia

• Theurgia-Goetia

• Ars Paulina (Books 1 & 2)

• Ars Almadel

This was owned by Dr Thomas Rudd, a practicing scholar-magician of the early seventeenth century. There are many editions of the Goetia, of which the most definitive is that of Joseph Peterson, but here we are interested in how the Goetia was actually used by practising magicians in the 16th and 17th century, before the knowledge of practical magic faded into obscurity.

To evoke the 72 demons listed here without the ability to bind them would be foolhardy indeed. It was well known in times past that invocatio and ligatio, or binding, was a key part of evocation, but in the modern editions of the Goetia this key technique is expressed in just one word ‘Shemhamphorash’, and its use is not explained.

This volume explains how the 72 angels of the Shemhamphorash are used to bind the spirits, and the correct procedure for safely invoking them using dual seals incorporating the necessary controlling angel, whose name is also engraved on the breastplate and Brass Vessel.

This volume is a transcription of Harley MS 6483, the Lemegeton. Unlike other copies of the Lemegeton, Rudd included the use of the 72 angels of the Shem ha-Mephorash as controlling spirits for the demons of the Goetia, transforming the practice of Goetic magic. He also included far more of the material from Peter de Abano's Heptameron, the source of much of the grimoire tradition. Material from Rudd's other major work, Harley MS 6482, is also included to set the context of the work with the Shem ha-Mephorash angels.

Although much work has been done on the Lemegeton, Skinner and Rankine trace component parts of the grimoire back further than has previously been done, and include other relevant manuscript material not previously available. This includes proto-Goetic material from Sloane MS 3824, such as a Spirit Contract, invocations of the Wandering Princes and Ruling Demons. The Goetia of Ebenezer Sibley, found in Wellcome MS 3203 is also included to show a later derivative version and complete the range of available Lemegeton material in the public forum.

Available in two editions.

Standard hardback in dustwrapper. £40.00

Ltd. ed. 250 leatherbound copies, signed/numbered by Stephen Skinner. £125.00

THE COMPLETE MAGICIAN'S TABLES

Stephen Skinner

The Most Complete Tabular set of Magic, Kabbalistic, Angelic, Astrologic, Alchemic, Demonic, Geomantic, Grimoire, Gematria, I Ching, Tarot, Pagan Pantheon, Plant, Perfume and Character Correspondences in more than 777 Tables.

These magical tables are probably the most complete set of tabular correspondences covering magic, astrology, divination, Tarot, I Ching, Kabbalah, gematria, angels, demons, pagan pantheons, religious and mystical correspondences currently in print.

They are more than four times larger and more wide ranging than Crowley's Liber 777. The source of the data in these tables ranges from unpublished manuscript mediaeval grimoires and Kabbalistic works, Peter de Abano, Abbott Trithemius, Albertus Magnus, Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Dr John Dee, Dr Thomas Rudd, Tycho Brahe, MacGregor Mathers, (and the editors of Mather's work, Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie), to the most modern theories of prime numbers and atomic weights. The sources include many key grimoires such the Sworn Book, Liber Juratus, the Lemegeton (Goetia, Theurgia-Goetia, Almadel, Pauline Art), Abramelin, and in the 20th century the grimoire of Franz Bardon.

All this material has been grouped and presented in a consistent and logical way covering the whole westerm Mystery traditon and some relevant parts of the Eastern tradition.

Available in two editions

Standard hardback in dustwrapper. £30.00

Ltd. ed. 250 leatherbound copies, signed/numbered by Stephen Skinner. £96.00

THE VERITABLE KEY OF SOLOMON

Stephen Skinner and David Rankine

1st 2008 448pp Golden Hoard 4to h/b. Prof. illus. in colour. Hand bound in black half leather and maroon buckram, with marbled endpapers and hand gold stamped. Limited to 350 Copies.

The Key of Solomon is the most famous and infamous of all the Grimoires and books of magic ever produced. Yet amazingly only one version of it has ever been published, which was compiled from diverse sections drawn from seven different manuscripts in 1889 by S.L. MacGregor Mathers, the occult scholar who was one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Stephen Skinner and David Rankine have explored the labyrinthine trail of manuscripts of the Key of Solomon around the world, and after studying dozens of manuscripts, decided on the two which best represent this grimoire tradition to provide the widest range of material in their new work, The Veritable Key of Solomon. The book reproduces the Keys from Wellcome MS 4669 and MS 4670, two previously overlooked French manuscripts scribed for a French aristocrat in 1796, and here translated into English for the first time. They are not the earliest, but they are the most detailed, containing three separate Keys which cover a wealth of material not found in the Mathers’ edition. These Keys are The Keys of Rabbi Solomon, The Key of Solomon King of the Hebrews and The Universal Treatise of the Keys of Solomon. One of these manuscripts was the one referred to by Bulwer-Lytton in his classic nineteenth century magical novel of initiation, Zanoni, and another one contains an early version of the material later found in the Grimorium Verum.

The fame of the Key of Solomon probably stems from the fact that it was the closest thing available to a manual for the aspiring or practicing magician wishing to evoke angels and demons during the Renaissance. Everything from how to construct the magic circle, how to determine the most auspicious times, what perfumes were most conducive to burn, how to prepare your tools, what prayers and conjurations should be used, how to make and use the pentacles which acted as magical foci for the appropriate intent, indeed all aspects of the process and practices were included. The Veritable Key of Solomon shows the influence of the Heptameron on these practices more clearly than the previous Mathers text, through such elements as magic circles, perfumes, seals and including all the planetary circles for the seasons. It is illustrated in colour, with more than twice as many talismanic pentacles as were produced in the nineteenth century text, and also is more inclusive of earlier material such as the Olympic Spirits, Planetary Intelligences and Spirits. These Keys contain the most comprehensive collection of practical planetary grimoire material ever seen in a book and greatly expand the scope of information available to students and practitioners.

The Veritable Key of Solomon also features a commentary on the provenance of the different families of Key of Solomon manuscripts, tracing their use through Renaissance Europe, and exploring the effects they had on society around them as they were copied and transmitted into ever wider circles. The Introduction includes commentary on all the families of manuscripts including the earlier Greek manuscripts, as well as a study of the other books attributed to Solomon. The appendixes include a list of the known Key of Solomon manuscripts and incorrectly attributed manuscripts. The huge number of extant manuscripts (more than 120) clearly demonstrates that the Key of Solomon was the most significant magical book for several hundred years from the late sixteenth through to the nineteenth century, and this work finally restores the Key of Solomon tradition back to its place in the heart of the magical revival. £96.00

THE CLAVIS OR KEY TO THE MAGIC OF SOLOMON

From an Original Talismanic Grimoire in Full Color by Ebenezer Sibley and Frederick Hockley

1st 2009 456pp Ibis Press hardback in dustwrapper. Illus. plus fold-out.

The Clavis or Key to the Magic of Solomon is one of several notebooks from the estate of Ebenezer Sibley, transcribed under the direction of Frederic Hockley (1808-1885). Sibley was a prominent physician and an influential author, who complemented his scientific studies with writings on the “deeper truths” including magic, astrology, alchemy, and hypnotherapy. Both Sibley and Hockley were major inspirations in the occult revival of the past two centuries, influencing A.E. Waite, S.L. Mathers, Aleister Crowley, as well as the Golden Dawn, Rosicrucian, and Masonic movements. This collection reflects Sibley’s teachings on the practical use of celestial influences and harmonies. The Clavis contains clear and systematic instructions for constructing magical tools and pentacles for many practical purposes. It includes eight separate magical texts: The Mysterious Ring, Experiments of the Spirits, Birto, Vassago, Agares, Bealpharos, The Wheel of Wisdom, and the Complete Book of Magic Science. The manuscript reproduced here is the most accurate and complete known, very beautifully and carefully written complete with extraordinary hand-colored seals and colored handwritten text. £59.99

ARBATEL - THE MAGIC OF THE ANCIENTS

Joseph Peterson (ed)

2009 128pp Ibis Press hardback in dustwrapper

In many ways, ARBATEL is unique among texts on magic. Unlike the vast majority of writings, it is clear, concise and elegantly written. The practical instructions are straightforward and undemanding. When it first appeared in 1575, it attracted the attention of people with a surprisingly broad range of agendas, including some of the finest minds of the time. Often quoted and reprinted, both praised and condemned, its impact on western esoteric philosophy has been called "overwhelming." ARBATEL's magic is full of wonder and free from the sinister elements usually associated with texts on the subject. But it is about more than magic; filled with gnomic wisdom, it urges us to help our neighbours, be positive and grateful and use time wisely. Above all, it teaches us to pay attention, looking for the wondrous and miraculous. In fact, to the author, this virtually defines the magus. This translation, the first English version published since 1655, illuminates many obscure points in the text. Peterson's introduction concisely documents the provenance of the text, explains the magical techniques employed and its influence on esoteric literature, including the grimoires and the Theosophical movement. The book, also, utilises important new research by Carlos Gilly, Antoine Favre, and others. First English translation published since in 1655. £24.99

A COLLECTION OF MAGICAL SECRETS/A TREATISE OF MIXED QABALAH

Translated from Wellcome MS4669 by Paul Harry Barron from the original French manuscript dated 1796

With introduction and commentary by Stephen Skinner & David Rankine

1st 2009 166pp Avallonia trade p/b.

Between the worlds of the Renaissance magician and the modern witch lie the Books of Secrets. Bridging the complexity of Grimoires and the practicality of folk magic, A Collection of Magical Secrets is a treasure trove of simple charms made with easily available materials for healing, love spells, good fortune, gaining familiar spirits, making magical rings, regaining stolen property, and communicating with spirits and angels. A wide range of sympathetic magic techniques such as dreaming, poppets, using bread, herbs, mirrors and sieves, are utilised to ensure the success of the charms.

A Treatise of Mixed Cabalah contains four parts, three of which fit together to develop a greater knowledge of the practical Qabalah. This includes a ritual sequence of prayers and actions for increasing knowledge, practical instructions for the construction, consecration and use of wax pentacles for absent healing, a technique for angelic dream incubation and a system of divination with 112 possible answers.

The two parts of this book were previously bound together in a late eighteenth century French manuscript, Wellcome Ms 4669, with The Clavicule of Solomon and The Universal Treatise of the Keys of Solomon. These are reproduced along with The Keys of Rabbi Solomon, in the most significant grimoire publication of modern times, The Veritable Key of Solomon by Stephen Skinner & David Rankine. The inclusion in the beautifully copied manuscript of these two diverse parts captures the essence of a time when books about magic were starting to become more available to the masses. Despite their recent production date of 1796, both of these parts draw on techniques with their roots in the practices of the ancient world, reaffirming the continuity of practice over the millennia also seen in the Key of Solomon. £12.99

GRIMOIRES: A HISTORY OF MAGIC BOOKS

Owen Davies

1st 2009 384pp OUP h/b in d/w. 16pp plates.

From the author of “Cunning-Folk.” Grimoires are books of spells that were first recorded in the Ancient Middle East and which have developed and spread across much of the Western Hemisphere and beyond over the ensuing millennia. At their most benign, they contain charms and remedies for natural and supernatural ailments and advice on contacting spirits to help find treasures and protect from evil. But at their most sinister they provide instructions on how to manipulate people for corrupt purposes and, worst of all, to call up and make a pact with the Devil. Both types have proven remarkably resilient and adaptable and retain much of their relevance and fascination to this day.

But the grimoire represents much more than just magic. To understand the history of grimoires is to understand the spread of Christianity, the development of early science, the cultural influence of the print revolution, the growth of literacy, the impact of colonialism, and the expansion of western cultures across the oceans. As this book richly demonstrates, the history of grimoires illuminates many of the most important developments in European history over the last 2000 years. £14.99