Petit Albert
| Author | Albertus Parvus Lucius ("Lesser Albert") |
|---|---|
| Original title | Secrets merveilleux de la magie naturelle et cabalistique du petit Albert. |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Subject | magic |
| Genre | grimoire |
| Publisher | Héritiers de Beringos fratres |
Publication date | circa 1702[1] |
Published in English | 2012 (as "The Spellbook of Marie Laveau") |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| OCLC | 164442497 |
| Preceded by | Grand Albert |
Petit Albert (English: Lesser Albert) is an 18th-century grimoire of natural and cabalistic magic.[2][3] The Petit Albert is possibly inspired by the writings of St. Albertus Magnus. Brought down to the smallest hamlets in the saddlebags of salesmen, it represents a phenomenal publishing success, despite its evil reputation -- or because of it. It is associated with a second work, the Grand Albert. It is a composite or heterogeneous work, and perhaps a bric-a-brac, collecting texts of unequal value written by (or attributed to) various authors; most of these authors are anonymous, but some are notable such as Cardano and Paracelsus. It's a relatively old text, although the attribution to Albertus Magnus is dubious, particularly as it quotes from so many later sources.
References
- ↑ "The earliest report I have found to a magical text of this name is in d'Argenson's report of 1702 [...] The earliest known French edition was published in 1706 under the imprint of Beringos Fratres." Owen Davies, Grimoires: A History of Magic Books. Oxford University Press, 2009.
- ↑ Magnus, Albertus (1782). Secrets merveilleux de la magie naturelle et cabalistique du petit Albert. [The Little Albert] (in French). Lyon: Héritiers de Beringos fratres. OCLC 164442497.
- ↑ Davies, Owen (2008-04-04). "Owen Davies's top 10 grimoires". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-04-08.