This is the classic Renaissance manual on magic. Paracelsus falls midway between Marsilio Ficino and Athanasius Kircher in the exploration of hermetic systems as keys to understanding the inner workings of creation. This particular edition reproduces the actual pages of an early English translation, which makes it slightly harder to read but lends it great charm. The soft cover has a smooth, waxy feel.

Leaves you blitzed and bemused by the stupefying collection of topics. Just when you thought you knew a good chunk of this stuff, along comes a book like this and it proves you still have a universe within a universe to learn. A great read.