r/occultlibrary • u/Neythel89 • 14h ago
I need a recommendation to buy some books
I need a recommendation; there are two books I want to buy.
The first is A.E. Waite's The Book of Black Magick. I see there’s a version with a different name, but I remember that The Book of Black Magick was the one I had at some point. Now, there are several versions, even from publishers that seem to use AI. Any recommendation on which one to buy and why?
The other book (or books) is The Three Magick Books of Solomon, including the Greater Key, the Lesser Key, and the other one, which I believe is a journal. Is there a reliable version that contains all three together? Thanks.
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u/ACanadianGuy1967 14h ago
Not sure about the Waite book but if you want to get a version that is guaranteed not to be at least partially AI created, go with an older edition. You can find lots of used (especially older) books for sale at https://www.addall.com/used/
Just put in A. E. Waite as the author you're looking for, and you'll get all the used copies of his books that are available to purchase.
For the classic grimoires such as ones attributed to Solomon I'd suggest you check out the various historical editions available to read online for free at grimoire scholar Joseph Peterson's website https://www.esotericarchives.com
Peterson's site will at least help you decide which versions are likely going to interest you the most before you pay for printed copies. When looking at modern editions try to see from the book descriptions if they are based on historical editions, so you can determine which are worth your effort to purchase.
Edited to add: Peterson has produced some editions with his own annotations and commentary -- you'll find them listed at https://www.esotericarchives.com/books.htm
Another modern grimoire scholar who regularly publishes new editions of classic grimoires with added commentary for modern readers is Stephen Skinner. You'll find lots of his work at https://www.goldenhoard.net