The Clavis or Key to Unlock the Mysteries of Magic (Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic Volume 10)

497pp. Quarto [26 cm] Black paper over boards with gilt stamping. Marbled effect endpapers. Lightly rubbed along the board edges, with the underlying boards just barely starting to peek through at the bottom fore-edge corners. In the dust jacket, with light creasing and a handful of small closed tears and chips to the edges. Introduction by Dr. Stephen Skinner and Daniel Clark. With additional texts by Frederick Hockley. A grimoire containing magical formulae and procedures dating back to 1520, which were gathered together in 1789 by Dr. Ebenezer Sibley. Following his death in 1799 copyists like Frederick Hockley continued to add chapters and even whole 'books' to the manuscript. Eventually, in the nineteenth century this particular copy was made by a master calligrapher. Even though there are quite a few other manuscript copies of "The Clavis or Key to Unlock the Mysteries of Magic" located in libraries throughout the world, this one is completely unique. It is much longer and more complete than any other copy. Within, one finds a wide range of detailed methods for evoking spirits and binding them, with explanatory commentary by the editors which is not directed towards just theory and history, but to practical usage.…