Description

The Book of Ceremonial Magic is a book by Arthur Edward Waite, first published in 1911. This work serves as both a scholarly survey and a critical analysis of Western occult traditions, particularly those concerning ritual magic and the so-called "grimoires" or magical handbooks of the medieval and Renaissance periods. Waite sought to distinguish between the genuine spiritual aspirations of ceremonial magicians and the sensationalism often associated with occult practices. With detailed explanations of rituals, invocations, and magical symbols, the book exposes the philosophical and theological underpinnings of magical systems, while also challenging their more superstitious or theatrical elements. It remains a cornerstone in the study of Western esotericism, offering both historical insight and a rational critique of magical literature.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Demonology, angelology, and possession, Occultism and esotericism, Ritual magic and grimoires, and Witchcraft and folk magic.

Occultism and esotericism
Controlled discovery queries from global-grey and openlibrary matched “Occult sciences”, “Occult Teachings and Traditions”, and “Occultism”. Retained metadata contains “Esotericism” in the description, “occult” in the description, “occult” in the subject metadata, and 3 additional metadata match(es).
- “Occult Teachings and Traditions”· via Global Grey ebooks
- “Occult sciences”· via Open Library
- “Occultism”· via Open Library
- “Esotericism”· in description
- “occult”· in description
- “occult”· in subject
Ritual magic and grimoires
Retained metadata contains “Ceremonial magic” in the title, “Magic” in the title, “Ceremonial magic” in the description, and 5 additional metadata match(es).
- “Ceremonial magic”· in title
- “Magic”· in title
- “Ceremonial magic”· in description
- “Grimoires”· in description
- “Magic”· in description
- “Ritual magic”· in description
Witchcraft and folk magic
Controlled discovery queries from openlibrary matched “Wicca”. Retained metadata contains “Wicca” in the subject metadata and “Witchcraft” in the subject metadata.
- “Wicca”· via Open Library
- “Wicca”· in subject
- “Witchcraft”· in subject
Demonology, angelology, and possession
Controlled discovery queries from openlibrary matched “Demonology”. Retained metadata contains “Demonology” in the subject metadata.
- “Demonology”· via Open Library
- “Demonology”· in subject

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

Read & download

Free, public copies reported by our sources. Links open the source directly.

Global Grey ebooks
Global Grey describes the underlying texts in its catalog as public domain; its branding and website name remain protected, and users must assess local law.

marks a direct file download. Rights vary by country; each source states its own terms.

Buy or borrow

Links to ISBN 0517129396; other editions may be cheaper. WorldCat shows libraries near you that hold a copy.

Editions

Open Library reports 11 editions; 2 cataloged here.

Edition	Date	Publisher	Language	ISBN	Access	Links
Global Grey ebook edition (available formats vary by title)	—	Global Grey ebooks	English	—	Public download	Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab)
Book of Ceremonial Magic	October 1999	Citadel Press	English	9780806502083 0806502088	No ebook	Open Library (opens in a new tab)