3.4   OTHER MYSTICAL BOOKS We now turn our attention to the frivolous writings of the ignorant.   The books that follow came much later than the true books discussed above.   At their best, they are misguided attempts with only a sliver of truth contained within, and at their worst, they are hoaxes written to fool the blatantly stupid.    Key of Solomon This work belongs to the sixteenth century.  While proponents of this work claim it to be penned by the hand of Solomon himself, this is a ridiculous statement.   More than likely, it was written by one who had only a passing knowledge of the workings of sorcery (perhaps an acolyte who was early on dismissed by his master).    Its true merit can be found by the influence it had on other later writing.  Many of the grimoires of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries take their lead from this work.   As a result, it has become a central book for the uninitiated world (and those charlatans who pretend to be sorcerers), while those with true knowledge see it for the useless blather it truly is.  It has a tone both evil and frivolous.  It speaks of dark pacts, which do not truly exist between sorcerers and the sons of darkness.  Its rituals for invisibly and the locating of stolen objects are ridiculous to all but the fool-hearty.   Lemegeton: Lesser Key of Solomon The earliest uncorrupted examples of this book are written in French and date to the seventeenth century.   It is interesting to note that this work has much greater merit than the elder book for which it is named.  Its primary focus is on the classification and explication of celestial spirits.  To this end it does a wondrous job.   It is divided into four sections: Goetia, Theurgia Goetia, "Pauline Art", and Almadel.   Each section deals with a particular brand of celestial. While there is much knowledge to be gleamed from this work, it cannot be relied upon to perform proper and accurate rituals.   It is filled with inaccuracies and in many cases adds unnecessary steps to already drawn out procedures.   For this reason, it is a good starting point, but those of extraordinary proficiency rely on other works for true insight.   The Grand Grimoire It Is the most fantastic of the grimoires produced.   It's Italian editor touts it as the end all be all for magical knowledge.  Quite the contrary is the case.    Still, it holds a premier place among charlatans and fools alike. The work is divided into two sections.  The first concerns itself with the evocation of Sammael, and the second section , called Sanctum Regnum, deals with the rite of making pacts.   The tone of the work is dark and twisted, soaring to new lows even for diabolical grimoires.  It's rituals, which even sink to the level of necromancy, are both horrific and totally ineffective.  Nothing can be gleamed by true sorcerer from this book.