Lemegeton - The Complete Lesser Key of Solomon [Paperback]

Mitch Henson (Editor), Jeff Wellman (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0967279704 | ISBN-13: 978-0967279701 | Publication Date: September 22, 1999

This is the first quality trade paperback of one of the most famous (or infamous) magical texts of the Seventeenth Century. A complete compendium of magic as understood by the Elizabethan magus. It contains detailed instructions for the conjuration and control of spirits. It is considered by many to be the primary source work in goetic evocation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

There have been two previous publications of the Lemegeton compendium, but this is the first trade-quality edition offered to the public. Unlike the previous four-part editions, Henson, the editor, frankly admits that he is omitting the Ars Notoria (5th Book) because it really isn't in keeping with the other four works in the collection. (Fortunately the Ars Notoria is available from Trident in Seattle). Jeff Wellman should be complimented on his meticulous work redrawing the hundreds of sigils. Unlike Crowley's artist, Wellman did not distort the designs to make them fit into circles. This is appreciated. Henson's introduction is short, but covers the essentials. If you haven't already bought a complete Lemegeton (and even if you have), this is the one to get. Of course it would be nice to have a leather bound edition on parchment paper, but this handsome paperback, is the best yet, and by far the most reasonably priced.

From the Author

I have gained some experience in the field of occult science over the last 25 years. I was somewhat chagrined to learn that no one had ever produced a readable complete Lemegeton at a price that the general reading public could afford. After some soul searching I took on the project. I very pleased with the results.

TOC Introduction Goetia Goetic seals Theurgia Goetia Theurgic seals Pauline Art pt 1 Symbols Pauline Art pt 2 Pauline symbols pt 2 Almadel

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Metatron Books (September 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967279704
• ISBN-13: 978-0967279701
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,814,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Lemegeton, essential, but not for beginners., September 16, 2002

By 

Michael C. Smith (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lemegeton - The Complete Lesser Key of Solomon (Paperback)

I give this book five stars because it is THE Lemegeton at it's most complete: all four books ('Ars Notoria' is not included), with every seal, spirit, conjuration, etc. included. As such it's an invaluable reference for any magician interested in Goetic evokation.

However, it is not a book I'd recommend for persons just getting started with Goetic magick. For that, I would recommend Weiser's _Goetia_. Persons interested in a more 'modernized' method might want to try _The Illustrated Goetia_. I don't recommend Savedow's books on the subject, as I didn't find them very useful.

Lemegeton is divided into four parts. The first part is the Goetia, and this is what modern magicians are most interested in. The Goetia is a book detailing the method of conjuring each of 72 demons. Much work has been done in the last century drawing correspondences between these demons and the tarot, astrology, and the 72 names of God, among other things. In each case, these demons (and the vices they represent) are the leftovers of the process necessary to create a virtue (think of leftover coffee grounds for coffee). One evokes these demons in order to learn how to control the vice, in order that one may fully embrace the virtue.

The second part is Theurgia Goetia, which deals with spirits of the directions of the compass and with "wandering dukes" that have no direction. These would be spirits of the living world, in the Elizabethan system neither demonic nor angelic, although in modern terms definitely stuck somewhere between Malkuth and Yesod.

The third part is the Pauline Art, which deals with *celestial* angels that command specific hours of the day and to the zodiac. There is also an evokation of the Holy Guardian Angel. The instructions of this section are rather detailed, although the HGA working is not as detailed as in Abramelin.

The fourth part is the Almadel, which explains the process by which Solomon gained the wisdom to rule. I'm not sure what these entities are supposed to represent, but I know there's a correspondence between them and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good!, April 2, 2005

By 

Frederick L. Wagner "Vinea" (Southern United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lemegeton - The Complete Lesser Key of Solomon (Paperback)

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.

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in Class for accurate illustration, May 21, 2001

By 

R. J. Lowe "IT, Gamer, Philosopher, Writer" (Mohave Desert) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lemegeton - The Complete Lesser Key of Solomon (Paperback)

Definitely one of the better translations of this important grimoire. The sygils have been acuurately reproduced without the artificial and damaging adaptations that occur in the Mathers/Crowley edition. Also a much better editing job than the White transcription of the Sloane documents. If you're really interested in the Lemegeton, I strongly recommend getting all three so you can see where the transcribers agree and disagree. The White version is especially useful since it includes a photocopy (albeit a poor one) of the original Sloane manuscript. The illustrations in this (Henson) edition are FAR superior to any other edition I've seen and make it a welcome addition to the genre.