[.ca] The Secrets of High Magic (ISBN 0764155350)

Even the title is a copy of another book:
This is a complete rip-off of Francis King and Stephen Skinner's classic book on magic, "Techniques of High Magic". It covers almost exactly the same ground, and the title is only one word different. In fact the only real difference is the very strange typesetting of the Francis Melville book, and the artsy layout. I suggest you buy the book it was copied from instead.

The art of real magic in an ornate nutshell:
This comes across as a serious piece of work by a genuine adept. Concise, pithy and always focused on the point, the book ably covers the principle techniques of Hermetic magic, such as you would expect to find, but also contains important nuggets on key aspects that are usually omitted, including alchemy, certain tantric techniques and an unveiling of the true nature of Hermes/Thoth/Mercurius. The excellent chapter on practical alchemy provides precise instructions for producing planetary tinctures and fluid condensers. Beautifully presented, this book is a joy to look at, a pleasure to hold and a wonder to read. Ideal for the initiate needing to refocus or the neophyte who is ready to graduate from Harry Potter to the real thing.

Poor Effort by Non-Practicer:
Maybe if this author would have done a little more than light reseach for this book they would have a more accurate book. I flipped through this in a bookstore and immediately noticed one major inaccuracy right off the bat: the pentagram rituals are completely wrong. The earth banishing pentagram is used ONLY for the LBR and not all four banishing pentagrams as shown in this book. Despite the many other inaccuracies it is a nice book, too bad it's context was written by an outside researcher.

Nice little Tome:
This book is almost an offshoot of the one written by King and Skinner titled "Techniques of High Magic" with added information and rituals, both eastern and western in tradition. For any practicing Magician, a nice piece to have around the temple or alter. The material was well put together, making information easily accessable. The paper was durable, print multicolored, simulated leather cover with 2 ribbons to tie shut when travelling. I purchased a second one to send to a Magician I know in Chicago as a gift....and finding the second one in hardcover was difficult.

Good for a quick reference:
As a beginner to high/ceremonial magic a little over a year ago, I was disappointed when I picked up this book. It's great as a quick reference, but for a beginner it doesn't do nearly enough to introduce the topic. The good thing about it is that it's compact, and finding information in it is fast and easy. The bad thing about it is that if you're completely incompetent at high magic, this book does little more than tell you what you're missing out on. I liked the layout and the pictures and color, but I was less than impressed when every other word was CAPITALIZED like THIS. It makes the reading of it annoying, to say the least.