An introduction to grimoires, those much-feared medieval and early modern instruction manuals of magic which circulated underground across Europe.
 
Grimoires were much prized by magicians and forbidden by the authorities: at its most basic, a grimoire guides the practitioner step-by-step on how to summon angels, demons, spirits and astral powers such as spirits of the planets. Lecouteux talks the reader through this with clarity and authority, providing a concise history of the Western esoteric tradition and explaining the underpinning principles of this grimoire magic. There is an appendix, too, of magical alphabets and scripts.  
 
Rochester, Inner Traditions: 2013. Paperback, vii+264 pages. New.