The Lesser Key of Solomon Goetia The Book of Evil Spirits; Contains 200 diagrams and seals for invocation and convocation of spirits. Necromancy, witchcraft and black art
Chicago, IL: De Laurence, Scott & Co., [ 1916 ]. Hardcover. Small octavo. 80 pp. Original black cloth with gilt title, etc. to spine and front cover, illustrated. Although Crowley's name does not appear in the book, it is actually a pirated version of his edition of the famous grimoire of talismanic magic, the Lemegeton of Solomon. Crowley first published the book at Boleskine in 1904, under the title 'The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King' in an edition of only 200 copies using translations which had been prepared by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, his former mentor in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. De Laurence effectively stole it and published it under his own name. De Laurence - who classically exhibited the thief's paranoia of being robbed himself - copyrighted the book in 1916, but was lax in listing his reprints. Thus all have the date 1916. This particular copy is clearly an early De Laurence printing, and may even be a first, but it is impossible to say with certainty. From the collection of English bibliophile and Aleister Crowley scholar Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper, with his book-label lightly tipped in at the front (this could be easily removed, but it would be a shame to do so). Contemporary US distributors ink stamp at lower edge of title page - otherwise a tight, unmarked near Fine copy. No dust jacket - none called for - although this copy is in a protective transparent glassine wrapper in which it was presumably issued (with a little chipping and an old tissue tape repair). Item #39733
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