Seeking Recommendation Summa Sacre Magice - Translations Other than Skinner?

[cormundum]

I seem to recall coming across some news that another translator is actively working on publishing another translation of the SSM, all in one volume, instead of breaking it up like Skinner.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend buying the Skinner translation new because the translation is clumsy, and the book is insanely thin for the price. It's a valuable text, but I'd rather work from a different, smoother translation done by somebody with more of a paleography and Medieval Latin background. I distinctly remember reading somewhere someone is working with another publisher to put out another edition of it in English.

If anyone has leads, please comment here.

 

[Yazata]

Maybe Joseph Peterson is working on it?

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[cormundum]

Maybe Joseph Peterson is working on it?

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I like to think I'd remember him being the other guy...

Thank you for sharing the link! I'll have to look through it.

 

[Milton]

It has become quite frequent I hear that there's some beef around Skinner. From how he identifies what "magic" is to critics of his translations (I have his translation of Dee's diary in mind.) and quality concerns around Golden Hoard Press (I agree with this one)
I wonder why its the case? He seems fine to me.

 

[cormundum]

It has become quite frequent I hear that there's some beef around Skinner. From how he identifies what "magic" is to critics of his translations (I have his translation of Dee's diary in mind.) and quality concerns around Golden Hoard Press (I agree with this one)
I wonder why its the case? He seems fine to me.

I love his work broadly speaking, it's just this latest work of his was not great. The fact that it's a hundred dollars for the first volume (when it's fewer than 1000 pages), and a horribly awkward translation, bothers me.

Pictures of dust motes as spirit manifestations is kinda lame, but who hasn't done that?

 

[Abromoskot]

In some interview Skinner mentions how a woman was working on the translation for many years, but would never publish it for some problem or another, so much so that he decided to publish it by himself.

Seeing how many problems the book itself had before reaching publication (no other book by Skinner had these problems) I would suggest not waiting for a possible different translation that may never come, since it's very likely that it will only get harder and harder to get hands on new copies as time goes on.

Besides this in the long existence of this book it has always remained in latin as far as I know, so it's really really lucky that we got this english translation at all.

 

[cormundum]

In some interview Skinner mentions how a woman was working on the translation for many years, but would never publish it for some problem or another, so much so that he decided to publish it by himself.

Seeing how many problems the book itself had before reaching publication (no other book by Skinner had these problems) I would suggest not waiting for a possible different translation that may never come, since it's very likely that it will only get harder and harder to get hands on new copies as time goes on.

Besides this in the long existence of this book it has always remained in latin as far as I know, so it's really really lucky that we got this english translation at all.

I already bought the copy of the first published volume. Too bad I can't remember who was working on the other one. Maybe a machine translator that's trained to parse Medieval script will be able to handle it to get a mass-market edition.

I was really miffed at how thin the volume was, and figure the entire text could probably be sold in one volume at the price it's retailing for.

 

[AbammonTheGreat]

It has become quite frequent I hear that there's some beef around Skinner. From how he identifies what "magic" is to critics of his translations (I have his translation of Dee's diary in mind.) and quality concerns around Golden Hoard Press (I agree with this one)
I wonder why its the case? He seems fine to me.

He's an armchair i think the increase in his public appearances have kind of broken the illusion that the man is clearly not practiced. So you've got one of two things you need to lean into as an occult author. Serious academic treatment (which means your translations and citations need to be up to snuff), or you need to lean into experience (and well practiced people are able to identify inconsistencies in someone's claim to be practiced based on certain ideas, opinions, and beliefs one holds). So Skinner not being able to fulfill the academic standards and then through his weird ideas that showcase inexperience with magic (it has to happen in a week, isn't capable of identifying why or how a magic circle works, his "proofs" of concept are subpar like his wife losing him in a crowd or a bird pooping in his house) leave alot of people disillusioned at both his scholarly integrity and claims of performing over 1000 conjurations.

 

[cormundum]

He's an armchair i think the increase in his public appearances have kind of broken the illusion that the man is clearly not practiced. So you've got one of two things you need to lean into as an occult author. Serious academic treatment (which means your translations and citations need to be up to snuff), or you need to lean into experience (and well practiced people are able to identify inconsistencies in someone's claim to be practiced based on certain ideas, opinions, and beliefs one holds). So Skinner not being able to fulfill the academic standards and then through his weird ideas that showcase inexperience with magic (it has to happen in a week, isn't capable of identifying why or how a magic circle works, his "proofs" of concept are subpar like his wife losing him in a crowd or a bird pooping in his house) leave alot of people disillusioned at both his scholarly integrity and claims of performing over 1000 conjurations.

Damn he seriously claims over 1000 conjurations? How do you find the time even? He's not THAT old.

And just for the record I don't care about his political opinions. That everybody is dog-piling on him for that is ridiculous. I've talked with family members in MENSA and marine biologists working in the field who have told me precisely what he apparently posted about. Corpos shouldn't be allowed to absolutely destroy natural environments, but going in lockstep with a narrative TPTB are pushing for whatever reasons they have seems counter to the idea of being a magickal practitioner to me.