This is a brief review of "The Great Key" by John R. King.
This book is an edition of the Key of Solomon written and illustrated by hand. It is presented as a facsimile of King's original manuscript, presumably his own Book of Art. The instructions are in green, the prayers are purple, and the divine names are all written in red, but in a few places the handwriting can be difficult to decipher.
All of the names are written in the "Alphabet of the Magi," a cipher script used in place of Hebrew by Paracelsus. Aside from a decoder chart on the last page, no explanations are given for this usage, making it impossible for an uninformed person to accidentally read the conjurations aloud.
The ritual of the Key is divided into 22 steps over a period of nine days, and the greatest advantage of this edition is the clear schedule given for each of the steps. If a person were to look, for example, in the classic Mathers edition or the Veritable Key of Skinner and Rankine, the correct order of the steps is not made clear. Not only does this edition rectify the "secret order" of the ritual, each step is illustrated.
The illustrations are individually painted, showing all the herbs and tools required, usually from the operator's point of view. Unlike other printed editions where one must refer to plates on separate pages, each item of business is rendered on a single page.
The final ceremony is divided into twelve parts, each showing the stars of one of the Zodiac constellations, with Ophiuchus alongside the consecration of the pentacles.
The 44 pentacles themselves are drawn by hand in color, each given a full page. Their Psalms are written in the Magic Alphabet, and instead of a description of their powers, each is given a quatrain by King suggesting their usage. Many of these appear to be incantations used in connection with the pentacles.
The final pages describe the use of the planetary hours, and the astrological rulerships which are mirrored in King's other works on astrology. A single page of advice regarding the use of magic, and a brief ceremony for the appointment of disciples concludes the work.
This is a visually stunning work of art. It is probably of little value to scholars as it is clearly the author's innovations on a well known version of the Key, but it may prove useful for someone who wishes to perform the work with clear and simple directions. As a collection piece it could stand to be printed in a larger format to do justice to the details of the artwork, some of which is quite intricate and all of which is brightly colored.