This copy of the The True Black Magic is translation of the French La Véritable Magie Noire done by Matthew Lynch. The translation itself seems good, but it also is a bit more direct and academic. If you’re interested in the Solomonic tradition and want something a little different that won’t break the bank, this is a great work.
This work was my first foray into modern print-on-demand grimoires (it had been on my shelf for a bit as I worked through other works). I sat on this review for a while since I’m a bit split on this work as it’s cheap, it’s accessible, and it’s at least decent, but it’s rough around the corners and more. It’s a good investment if you’re into collecting this sort of thing, but I personally wouldn’t use it for practice (we’ll get into that in a bit).
Let’s go over a bit of history of the work, then we can get into the system itself. We’ll also look at the translation itself, the pros, and the cons. There’s a lot to unpack with this work, both good and bad.
History of “The True Black Magic”
The True Black Magic or the French La Véritable Magie Noire is a grimoire from roughly 1750 that was “translated” by Iroe Gregor from a Hebrew manuscript found in the sepulcher of Solomon. Like most works of Solomonic magic, I would take that with a grain of salt. La Véritable Magie Noire was a variant of The Key of Solomon the King which dates to the 14th or 15th century.
This isn’t the original Key of Solomon or Clavicula Salomonis as it’s typically known. It includes several spells that the original did not such as love spells and the like. This was originally created as something like a chapbook sold around France known as the “blue library” (Bibliothèque bleue).
If you’re interested in a more historically thorough work of more occult value about The True Black Magic, consider this version. I have drawn a lot of the basic information about this work from this specific copy. This isn’t a slight about the specific edition I’m reviewing, but we’ll get into the good and bad of this edition later.
The System
Solomonic magic is arguably a cornerstone and distillation of most Western ceremonial magic. It is composed of ceremonial tools, rituals with invocations to the Abrahamic God, and makes use of Western astrology, sigils, and other occult practices. It is as much a stepping stone for the development of ceremonial magic as it is a record of its evolution.
The system introduced in The True Black Magic is older than many ceremonial works I’ve dealt with and focuses on pious entreatment of God as its basis. The True Black Magic doesn’t involve work with angels or demons, but instead natural or astrological spirits. Each pentacle is assigned to a specific astrological “planet” (the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, etc.).
See the history from my article on the Ars Goetia for a little more information about how the original Key of Solomon the King affects the whole system. See this PDF for more information as well about how everything fits together.
The ritual implements are extremely complex and varied. Each has its own astrological time, signs which need to be etched in certain ways, etc. The whole process is not really complicated, but it is complex and extremely methodical in what needs to be done and how. While something like the Goetia leaves you with a list of things to work with, this book gives you a whole system (minus some astrological information you would need to look up).
Translation and Layout
This section is going to be a bit critical, but I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater either. The translation itself is good, but very mechanical. There are also some issues with the actual content in this edition of the book, but they’re largely minor (but still annoying).
I worked as a translator for many years, so I’m familiar with the process itself. Matthew Lynch isn’t that familiar with the occult terminology and it shows with certain translations of terms. The astrological terms take a pretty big hit early on. Religious and occult works, especially ones like this which have been translated previously, require a special understanding that even a great translator most likely won’t have. The original that Lynch used very well may use transliterations in place of the original terms which makes it hard to work with.
I wasn’t sure where to include the following, but it exists because of the translation process so I figured this was as good a section as any. Some of the pages are not rendered that well. There are even a few which are literally screenshots from Word or similar. Page number references inside the work are also all wrong.
What It Does Well
I’ve ragged on the translation and similar, but this book is still worth it if you like Solomonic magic and don’t plan to practice from this work itself. It was basically the only version of this work available when I got it, and it was extremely affordable. You get the idea of what the whole system is, and if you’re interested in general Solomonic magic, you can always reference the Key of Solomon and compare pieces. You get a little extra information for very little and an alternative view of the whole Solomonic system.
This book includes a full system which can be practiced and understood with a little effort. It isn’t the clearest, but it’s definitely more immediately useful for magical practice than the Goetia. The translation is mechanical, but it isn’t “wrong” from my comparison with an edition of the Key of Solomon. There are differences between them, sure, but the general system is roughly the same pedigree, just a different branch.
This is the cheapest new, print copy of a book, especially an on demand print, that I’ve ever gotten (without taking advantage of sales and similar). I’m not trying to be an apologetic, but I will definitely let a little more slide before deciding a book is “worth it” when it’s cheap. This is even more true considering I’ve spent many times the cost of this book on occult books which were used and damaged. This may not be my favorite occult book of all time, but it definitely is above the bar of being worth getting if you’re interested.
Where It Lacks
It’s a bit of a harder sell though due to some of the shortcomings. Like I mentioned, there are some minor translation issues and the quality is not completely consistent. I would give the whole thing up to a 6 out of 10 in general, but maybe a 7 or 7.5 out of 10 for “cheaper” works.
Some of the sigils leave a little to be desired with the resolution they’re printed at and the quality of the scans. Most of them are good enough to use, but some are a bit blurry or a have graphical issues. The scan and print quality for many of them leaves a lot to be desired as well. I would recommend referencing a better copy if you plan to actually use this book as intended.
One which I will mention here which I mentioned in the translation is the transliteration of certain terms. I can tell that there are certain Hebrew terms in use (names of God, angels, etc.), but many of them are butchered beyond usefulness. A few are obvious, others are completely lost in translation. I mention this as a negative begrudgingly since it’s very possible the French version used some kind of transliteration originally.
Conclusion
If this book weren’t basically the price of a fancy coffee, I’d be hardpressed to recommend it, but here we are. It’s a great alternative grimoire in Solomonic magic and it’s dirt cheap. The translator has done a great job for a more direct translation, but I wouldn’t want to make use of this in practice.
It’s a fascinating read and a fascinating grimoire to add to your collection. If you’re already interested in Solomonic magic, this can flesh out some other works a little and provide some extra tools to use. While this isn’t its intention, I see this edition as something akin to the Mather’s Goetia, a reference work with potential.
I feel this work is worth it if you like Solomonic magic, are interested in its history, or want a reference with some extra content, but I’d be hard-pressed to recommend it otherwise. If you made it this far, this book is probably worth it to you. It’s not extremely good, it’s not bad, but it’s okay if you get it for the right reasons. For the price, it’s a decent value and you could do a lot worse spending $20 to $30 even.
Get a copy here.