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theesotericcamel's review against another edition
4.0
This is more of an artbook than an actual grimoire. And that was always the intention of the writer Johann Weyer, who never intended it to be used as a manual for conjuration anyway. In fact, Weyer believed that demons and demonic possession was more of a psychological problem. He intended this book to help others spot spiriitualist scams. Nevertheless, he made sure to deliberately omit key passages from his translation to render the book useless. The basis for his text was a manuscript called "Liber Officiorum Spiritum," which from the description and title seems to be a Solomonic Grimoire similar to "The Lemegeton." This particular edition of the book is quite pretty and a very tactile experience. Bound in leather (genuine in my edition), it is illustrated throughout by contemporary fantasy illustrators, and includes the seals of conjuration whenever possible, as well as the famous woodcut illustrations from Thomas De Clancy's "Dictionnaire Infernal." The pages are thick and glossy. This is an English translation, with the original Latin printed in red beside the translation. The English translation is sometimes clunky despite the translator explaining that they took liberties to make it read easier. Not an academic edition of the work at all, this is more of an object d'art. It looks handsome on my bookshelf, and it is admittedly a beautiful edition.
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