Le Cercle Des Lettres de l'Alphabet Dā'irat Al-Aḥruf Al-Abjadiyya

The 'Kitab da?irat al-ahruf al-abjadiyya' is a composite treatise of letter magic attributed to Hermes. The edition and annotated translation of the Arabic text are accompanied by an explanation of the theoretical principles underlying the procedures described in the recipes, and a discussion of the entities, objects and ingredients used. These include names of the angels to be summoned, types of incenses and inks to be used, sketches and images to be drawn, etc. This is one of the first critical editions and translations of a full-length text of practical magic containing recipes pertaining to '?ilm al-huruf' (the science of letters). The book is addressed to Arabists and to any non-Arabist interested in the tradition of magic.