THE GOETIA - The Lesser Key of Solomon the King Translated by Samuel Liddell, MacGregor Mathers, edited with an introduction by Aleister Crowley, Illustrated second edition. Oh my Son Roboam! Seeing that of all Sciences there is none more useful than the knowledge of Celestial Movements, I have thought it more precious than all the riches which I have enjoyed. And in order that thou mayest understand how I have arrived at this degree ( of wisdom), it is necessary to tell thee that one day, when I was meditating upon the power of the Supreme Being, the Angel of the Great God appeared before me as I was saying, O how wonderful are the works of God! This book is the work of the two most influential magicians of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Aleister Crowley commissioned the work from Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (who also produced an English edition of the "greater" Key of Solomon). It was first published in 1904, and the highly competitive relationship of these two magicians forms a fascinating subtext to Crowley's editing of the original edition, which includes his seminal essay, "The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic." All of the features of the original edition are retained in this edition, which is augmented by the engravings of Louis Breton and several original drawings by Aleister Crowley. Crowley's annotations from his person copies have also been included. An editorial foreword by Hymenaaeus Beta, Frater Superior of O.T.O., explores Crowley's relationship with Mathers and the place of this grimoire in the Solomonic magical tradition. Also, new to this edition are revised versions of the Preliminary Invocation and the Enochian evocations, and a table of its 72 spirits. 146 illustration, 133 pages, Smyth-sewn. Published by Samuel Weiser, inc, 1997.

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