Mysteriorum Libri Quinque

Book excerpt: A central text of occult literature, now in a deluxe Weiser Ankh hardcover edition with new ancillary material (a new introduction, corrections to the text, appendices, and other enhancements) by renowned scholar Joseph Peterson. Three-piece quarter binding with black cloth spine and blue cloth over heavy boards Gold and black foil stamping on case with blind frame, front and back; gold stamping on spine Headbands, ribbon marker, and marbled endpapers. Printed on quality, archival (acid-free), 55# natural-colored paper, with sewn signatures and reinforced spine “This book is not just a fancier version of the older edition. Anyone interested in Renaissance magic or Enochian magic will want this on their shelf.” —Jason Miller, author of Consorting with Spirits and other books and courses Mysteriorum Libri Quinque—the Five Books of Mysteries—written by John Dee in the 16th century, remains to this day one of the most important core texts of occult literature and a comprehensive guide to Enochian magic, encompassing language, symbolism, rituals, and practical techniques. This deluxe Weiser Ankh edition is a compilation of John Dee’s secret spiritual treatises and was prepared from the original manuscript (preserved in the British Library) in Dee’s own handwriting. These secret writings were discovered long after John Dee’s death (c. 1609); they had been tucked away in a hidden compartment of an old wooden chest and were remarkably spared from destruction—uncovered only a few years before the Great Fire of London in 1666. In these five secret treatises, John Dee, one of the most renowned scholars of the Elizabethan era, records in minute detail his research into the occult. Throughout his life, Dee had kept concealed his writings on the nature of humankind’s contact with angelic realms and languages. In this comprehensive work, Joseph Peterson presents a brief biography of John Dee, detailing his work in astronomy, mathematics, navigation, the arts, astrology, and the occult sciences, and calling him a “true Renaissance man.” Although this present work is concerned primarily with Dee's occult experiments, through it, we catch many glimpses of Elizabethan life and politics. Mysteriorum Libri Quinque presents Dee’s main achievement: five books, revealed and transcribed between 1581 and 1583, detailing his system for communicating with the angels and bringing to light mysteries and truths that scholars and adepts have been struggling to understand and use ever since. While Dee’s influence was certainly felt in his lifetime, his popularity has grown tremendously since. His Enochian system was used and adapted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and subsequently by Aleister Crowley. First published by Weiser Books in 2003 as John Dee’s Five Books of Mystery: Original Sourcebook of Enochian Magic, this new deluxe Weiser Ankh edition has been extensively updated and expanded. It includes new commentary that reflects twenty years of research by editor Joseph Peterson, corrections to the text based on a review of high-resolution scans of the original manuscripts only recently made available by the British Library, new appendices reflecting more recent scholarship, and translations of the many Latin passages and extensive footnotes, making this work more accessible to readers.