Worst Goetia translation out there.August 14, 2008 This is probably the worst translation of the Goetia in existance. If it were not for the fact that neither Waite's version in his Book of Ceremonial Magic and Shah's version in Secret Lore of Magic were incomplete they are actually closer to the original the Mather's and Crowley's version is.
The big problem with all the versions that have Mather's and or Crowley's name on them are that they are edited and not in original. The seals for example are changed from its original form and redone with 2 protective circles around them. This is not the case in the originals they used. The circle of the art is also changed and do not contain a snake with the names within it. They do not mention these changes so you can not actually trust anything in their translation.
If you want a good translation of the Goetia and the Lemegeton buy Petersons edition or Skinner and Rankines version or Dr Rudds Goetia.
Enochian CallsDecember 5, 2007 I have found this Grimoire of the Goetia to be very effective for conjurations and creating Magick. At least in my opinion, one of the key factors is that the Enochian calls at the end of the book are exact and powerful. Note that other users of the Enochian Calls for the Goetia Demons have in the most part used different versions, and I have found that these different versions do not work at all, or as well at best, for conjurations. I also like the orginal Aleister drawings.
ScaryFebruary 21, 2007 4 out of 14 found this review helpful
I had to get rid of this book, it brought an evil presence that broke up my home.
Please be careful with this book.
This is great, too.February 14, 2007 4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is another Mather translation I really like. eh. idunno. I find this sort of 'stuff' fascinating. Like The Greater Key, this is put together rather tastefully. I think that is why I enjoy this particular type of 'esoteric lore' or whatever. It's not garish. Well, not too garish. That would be the smarter thing to say. And, Mr. Crowley's wit and 'artistic stylings' (!) are ever-present. The majority of the artwork was taken from Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal. Pretty gothic-vibe to it. All around fun. fun. fun.
Not bad!April 3, 2005 47 out of 47 found this review helpful
I actually own three versions of The Lesser Key of Solomon, including this one so, I thought I'd give my opinions of them all. It might save some poor demonologist out there a few bucks.
The Henson "Lemegeton" by Metatron Books is my favorite. All of the magical symbols have been reworked and they are by far the best done of the three versions. The down side is that the fifth book, The Ars Notoria, has been left out. The editor states: "Both the content and the context of Ars Notoria show no affinity for the listings of spirits that mark the bulk of the material contained in The Lesser Key of Solomon. For this reason I have refrained from including it in this new edition." He is correct in this statement and I have not found its omission to be detrimental to the book in any way but; would it have really been that difficult for him to have included it and let us decide for ourselves if it would have been useful?
The Peterson "The Lesser Key of Solomon" by Weiser Books does include the "Ars Notoria", making it the most complete version. It is also the only one available in hard cover. Its downside is that the magical symbols have been photocopied from original texts and some of them are illegible. If they had taken the time to rework the magical symbols, as in the Henson version, this would have been the best of the three. As it is, it comes in second.
The Mathers/Crowley "The Goetia" also by Weiser Books, is actually only the first book of The Lesser Key of Solomon. It is only worth mentioning because of the fascinating illustrations by Louis Breton. The inept drawings by Aleister Crowley detract somewhat, however. If you are one of the lucky ones that picked up Trident's "Demonographia" when it was available or actually own a nineteenth century copy of the "Dictionnaire Infernal" then this book will be of no interest to you. Otherwise, It's worth getting just for the engravings.
