This is Black Letter Press’ finely made edition of Ars Goetia (2024). It’s edited by Paul Summers Young who, I think, has edited or translated all the BLP grimoires and occult tomes I own. I like his stuff—he aims for (and succeeds at) readability, which is an under-appreciated goal in occult spheres, lemme tell ya.
As you may recall, the Goetia is a catalog of evil spirits or demons, their seals and the method for summoning and dismissing them. They’re a weird bunch, distinct from the usual portrayal of Judeo-Christian demons and were a big inspiration for D&D’s devils and demons. Their most famous appearance is probably in the 1863 edition of Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal, which boasts gorgeously weird illustrations by Louis Le Breton (who was primarily a painter of nautical scenes, oddly enough).
There are many versions of the Goetia, though, including different spirits and texts from book to book. This edition reconciles five prominent versions — Reginald Scot’s, from a section in Discoverie of Witchcraft (1665); Dr. Rudd’s (circa 1700); cunning man John Harries’ manuscript (circa 1840); Henry Dawnson Lea’s transcription (also circa 1840); and finally, the 1904 published edition by Samuel Liddell Mathers and Aleister Crowley.
The result of putting all these versions in the same place is interesting. It brings new depth to what is essentially a familiar text, allowing the reader to see the way the origin text changed and metamorphosed until it became the modern, standardized text. All in one most-gorgeous book. I can’t stress what lovely volumes BLP produces; I’m definitely on the hook for the rest of the series (Ars Theurgia, Paulina, Almadel and Notoria).
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