PICATRIX: Ghayat Al-Hakim The Goal of the Wise Translated by Hashem Atallah Vol 1 – Deluxe Leather Bound Limited Edition

Deluxe leather bound limited edition hardcover of 1,000 copies. Book is fine condition published in 2002 by Ouroboros Press.

About this book:

Translated from an 11th century Arab manustript, the Picatrix is one of the oldest grimoires extant, and this Ouroboros Press book is the first English translation. The book, ‘Ghayat Al-Hakim’ in the original Arabic, is attributed to Pseudo Al-Majriti, and its importance was recognized by Alphonso the Wise in the 13th century. The name translates as “the Goal of the Wise”, and is a compendium compiled from 224 sources, written by “Ancient Sages”.This book occupies a major part in history, representing the transmission of hermetic and occult thought from the Arab world through the court of Alphonso to that of the Medicis, where it found a place on the shelves of Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, and later, also on the shelves of Agrippa. Possession of the book was cited as one of the reasons that Casanova was arrested.