The Book of Ceremonial Magic

Arthur Edward Waite’s study is both a historical survey and a critical account of the Western magical tradition. Rather than serving as a manual for practice, it examines grimoires, ritual systems, and the intellectual background of ceremonial magic, giving readers an informed overview of its sources, claims, and development.

Arthur Edward Waite (1857–1942) was a major English occultist, poet, and scholar of mystical traditions. He was a central figure in modern ceremonial magic and esoteric publishing, and his writings on the Kabbalah, alchemy, the Tarot, and the Rosicrucians were widely influential.