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by Frederick Hockley (Author)
In 1834 Frederick Hockley, later to become one of the most celebrated occultists of Victorian England, translated an old French manuscript into English at the request of the alchemist and aeronaut George Graham. The manuscript was an unusual version of Clavicula Salomonis or Key of Solomon, probably the most infamous book of magic to emerge from the late middle ages. The Key of King Solomon is one descendant of Clavicula Salomonis amongst many adapted versions that appeared in France and Italy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries such as les Véritables Clavicules de Salomon, les Vraies Clavicules du Roi Salomon and Zekerboni. Incorporating details from the seventeenth century Clavicula Salomonis de Secretis and other more obscure sources, The Key of King Solomon describes methods of conjuring spirits, the construction of pentacles and the conduct of the Master of Art and his companions. Although modest in length, The Key of King Solomon is a notable contribution to the growing literature on this genre of ritual magic. The present edition features a transcript of Hockley's English translation with an historical introduction to the Key of Solomon, and a commentary on the text with additions and corrections.
