This book is very significant because Trithemius was the instructor in magic of both Henry Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus, and was hence one of the main well-springs of Western magic. These books are what Agrippa primarily used to write his very influential Three Books of Occult Philosophy.

The Antipalus Maleficiarum of the Abbot Johannes Trithemius which was written in 1508, has never had a full English translation. It contains a detailed list of 103 of Trithemius’ grimoires, in manuscript form. Trithemius characterised the first 43 of these as necromancy (by which he really meant nigromancy, or the black art, rather than the conjuration of the dead). This list is worth examining because it shows the richness and detailed nature of the early literature of nigromancy, specifically the methods used for the evocation of spirits and demons. Most of these 43 titles are Solomonic in nature, and therefore very relevant to this SWCM series. The remaining titles form part of the Astral and Talismanic Image tradition of magic.

This is almost a complete list of grimoires extant at the end of the 15th century. In a later section we have added almost all of the significant grimoires published since then. With this book and David Rankine’s Grimoire Encyclopaedia you have in your hand the source of most of the grimoire tradition.

SWCM Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic – Volume 14