THE LESSER KEY OF SOLOMON

Rating:
Summary: A complete picture
Review: If you are doing any serious study of Goetic magic this book will single handedly take care of 75% of your work. Peterson has done a phenominal job of referencing and cross referencing manuscripts and terminology. My 1979 issue copy of the Lesser Key is filled with margin notes, slips of paper, drawings and redrawings as I found more and more inconsistancies and questions. I could have spent so much more time practicing rather than chasing down demons in the script if I had had this fantastic work.

Rating:
Summary: A complete picture
Review: If you are doing any serious study of Goetic magic this book will single handedly take care of 75% of your work. Peterson has done a phenominal job of referencing and cross referencing manuscripts and terminology. My 1979 issue copy of the Lesser Key is filled with margin notes, slips of paper, drawings and redrawings as I found more and more inconsistancies and questions. I could have spent so much more time practicing rather than chasing down demons in the script if I had had this fantastic work.

Rating:
Summary: This edition puts all others to shame.
Review: Peterson's is the only version of The Lesser Key (Lemegeton) with both scholarly integrity and magical viability.

Rating:
Summary: The best Lemegeton yet!
Review: Recently (since 1995) we've had a surge of interest in Solomonic magick and several versions of the Goetia, and even the complete Lemegeton, have become available. Finally we have a definitive edition carefully compiled, annotated and commented upon in a scholarly fashion. It is also handsomely published in hard covers and (at the present reduced price) quite a bargain. Unlike most backyard Goetias and Lemegetons, Peterson does not rely solely on Sloane MS. 2731 but chooses the more complete Harley MS. 6483 as his base text with comparative notes referencing other MSS. He also traces the origins of all the five books in his concise but highly detailed introduction. Several points that Peterson's augmentations from other manuscripts bring forth are of considerable interest--especially to those of us working Solomonic systems. I was happy to see the circle in the center of the Triangle of Art "blacked in" in two other versions of the Goetia besides Sloane 2731, lending more confirmation to our dark mirror theory. I was also happily surprised to discover that Harley MS. 6438 used the Shemehamphorash invocations on the back of their Brass Vessel sigils just as we decided to do (before we were aware of the precedent) in our practice (see *The Book of Solomon's Magick*).
Peterson also cites and presents the Almadel type drawing from *Sepher Schelomoh* (that we also displayed) and a similar sketch from a newly acquired (at the Brit. Lib.) Hebrew version of the Almadel. All considered Peterson's *The Lesser Key of Solomon* is probably the best reference Lemegeton we will see for many years to come. But in order to work the system you still need to consult the practical manuals by Steve Savedow, Lon Milo DuQuette and Poke Runyon.

Rating:
Summary: From the editor
Review: Subtitled Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, this is the most complete version of this classic grimoire available. All five books are included (Goetia, Theurgia Goetia, Pauline Art, Ars Almadel, and Ars Notoria). All the original drawings are included from the best manuscript. I have also included complete critical apparatus, introduction, preface from Harley manuscript 6483 ("The definition of magic"), index, and four appendices. Appendix 1: Addenda found in Sloane 2731 and 3648 relating to some of the magical diagrams; Appendix 2: Johann Weyer's Pseudomonarchia daemonum (complete Latin text with English translation); Appendix 3: Comparison of Goetia with Weyer; Appendix 4: Other examples of some of the drawings (including notae) from other manuscripts and printed sources. The publisher, Red Wheel/Weiser, did a fantastic job on this edition, with high quality embossed binding and alkaline paper.

Rating:
Summary: A Lesser Key for scholars
Review: This edition of the Lesser Key is probably the most complete, and completely supported I've seen. Not only does it provide a complete, annotated translation of all 5 sections, it offers scholarly and bibliographic details unavailable in other works.

This edition isn't particularly focused on practical application, but it does assume that practitioners will read it, and is respectful of that work.

All in all, an excellent edition - probably the best single volume presentation of the material itself to have.

Ian

Rating:
Summary: A scholarly work
Review: This is a carefully crafted, scholarly work in a field rife with charlatans.