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., ND [ 1916 ]. Hardcover. Small octavo. viii + 80pp. Original navy blue cloth, gilt title, etc. to spine and front cover, illustrated. Although Crowley's name does not appear in the book, this 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 copyright date 1916, irrespective of their actual publication date. The grain and color of the cloth of this copy suggests that it was probably one of the later printings, although exactly when it was printed is impossible to determine. Very light chafing and bruising to spine ends and corners, small ink stamps on front pastedown and front blank, small blind seal lower edge of title page. Still a clean, sharp VG+ copy. No dust jacket called for. Item #59305
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