The Secrets of Albertus Magnus edited by Donald Tyson

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Signed and lettered deluxe hardcover with slipcase!

The Secrets of Albertus Magnus edited by Donald Tyson is the first book in the Library of Ancient Grimoires! A new occult imprint from Weird House Press!

The Book of Secrets straddles the boundary between alchemy and chemistry, leech craft and medicine, astrology and astronomy. Some of the wondrous experiments it describes could be used as practical demonstrations in modern chemistry chasses, but others are dependent on superstition, faith, and the placebo effect. Because it is a bridge between the old world and the new, between magic and science, between authority and experimentation, it will be of perennial interest to a wide spectrum of readers, both those seeking insight into natural magic, and also those who wish to trace the transition between the received lore of the ancient world and the first stirrings of the scientific method. 

The work may be divided into two main parts. The first is a catalogue of the occult virtues of the most important herbs, stones, and beasts that were used in medieval times to heal the sick, and to work natural magic, which is the magic inherent in all things in the natural world. The second major part of the book is a collection of experiments involving the use of these substances and others to produce miraculous effects. Between these two parts is a very important section that details how to correctly employ the magical hours of the days and nights of the week, without which the virtues of herbs and stones are greatly weakened; it also describes the influence exerted over the things of this world by the rays of the seven planets. The importance of planetary hours in natural magic is of such significance that an appendix has been added to the book on this topic to insure that it is completely understood by the reader.

There are thirty-one illustrations in The Secrets of Albertus Magnus!

FROM THE EDITOR DONALD TYSON

The most popular grimoire in the history of Western magic is The Book of Secrets of Albertus Magnus, a title often shortened to the Book of Secrets. Over a span of more than seven centuries it has been published in countless editions and translated into all the major languages of Europe. In all that time it has never been unavailable or (since the beginning of printing with moveable type) out of print. The work was falsely attributed to the great 13th century German scholar and Dominican friar Albert of Cologne, who was given the honorary title Magnus (Great) due to the importance of his writings in the early development of Western scientific thought. Albertus believed in experimentation, and this grimoire attributed to him is filled with practical experiments to cause extraordinary effects, as well as numerous occult uses for herbs, stones, and parts of animals and birds.

The medieval grimoire known as the Book of Secrets was not so much written as it was assembled. Its anonymous compiler drew bits of natural magic from various sources, one of them being the writings of Albertus Magnus, who had his name attached to the work as author due to his immense authority in all areas of natural philosophy. This is a book of wonders, a collection of extraordinary cures and astonishing experiments that can be done by anyone using simple substances.

The Book of Secrets of Albertus Magnus is a must-have work for anyone seriously interested in the tradition of Western magic, and in how that tradition evolved through the centuries into its present form. It straddles the boundary between superstition and reason, between magic and science, between acquiescence to ancient authority and original experimentation. It was from works such as this that modern science evolved. Its importance in the progress of Western thought cannot be overstated.