These books will help you with your spelling
Among the more unusual books customers at Printed Page ask for are grimoires. Grimoires are spell books that contain symbols, incantations, charms, and instructions for invocations and the making of amulets. Some have instructions for summoning the devil. Others have tips for catching fish, household tips, and how to make a Hand of Glory, which renders one invisible. (Hopes for spells to stop telephone solicitations are sadly missing.)
Grimoires have existed since ancient times, but they became much more readily available after the advent of printing. Most were published in Protestant or other non-Catholic states, since, like witchcraft, the Inquisition considered theses texts heretical. The granddaddy of grimoires is "The Clavicule of Solomon," supposedly written by King Solomon. It showed up in the eastern Mediterranean during the first few centuries AD. By the 15th century, hundreds of copies were in the hands of Western scientists and clergymen. While some denounced these Solomonic texts as heretical, many clergymen secretly pored over them. Some had lofty ambitions to obtain wisdom from the "wisest of the wise," while others sought to enrich themselves by discovering treasures and vanquishing the spirits that guarded them.
Later came the "Petit Albert," which benefited from the cheap print revolution of the early 18th century (it's the one that had the fishing tips). Like the "Petit Albert," "Dragon Rouge" was another cheap grimoire in the 18th century. It was infamous for including an invocation of the Devil and his lieutenants. (Hey! Maybe that's what started those telephone solicitations!)
Another grimoire, "The Magus," was published in 1801. It was a re-statement of 17th century occult science. It was a flop at the time, but its influence was subsequently considerable on the occult revival of the late 19th century and contemporary magical traditions. In the early 20th century, it was plagiarized by an American occult entrepreneur and entitled "The Great Book of Magical Art, Hindu Magic and East Indian Occultism" and was much sought-after.
"The Necronomicon" was a figment of the imagination of H.P. Lovecraft. This book of mysterious wisdom was written in the eighth century by a mad Yemeni poet. Despite being a literary fiction, several "real" Necronomicons have been published over the decades, and today it has as much a right to be considered a grimoire as any other of the books mentioned above.
