The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King

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The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King is a 1904 book by Aleister Crowley and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers.

It is Mathers' translation of the Ars Goetia, the first section of the 17th century grimoire The Lesser Key of Solomon, based on manuscripts from the British Museum, with additions by Crowley, including a Preliminary Invocation, and the essay The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic. It is not a faithful edition of the source manuscripts but rather a "cleaned up" edition for modern use.

The book serves as a key component of Crowley's highly influential system of "magick". It has since become a relatively well-known book of magic and has even been featured in places like the graphic novel Promethea by Alan Moore or James Blish's novel Black Easter. In his introduction, Crowley argues that the work of demonic evocation is merely a form of psychological self-exploration.

[edit] Editions

• The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King, 1970 reprint, Ram Importer Inc.
• facsimile reprint, New York Magickal Childe Publishing NYC (1989).
• York Beach, ME : Samuel Weiser (1995) ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
• J.B. Hare, online edition (2002, sacred-texts.com)