Hermetic Library fellow T Polyphilus reviews The Sacred Magician: A Ceremonial Diary by William Bloom (originally published under the pseudonym William Chevalier):

This volume is a 1992 reissue of a book originally published under a pseudonum in 1976. The subtitle “A Ceremonial Diary” is misleading, since, although very much a diary, it provides little detail on the ceremonial dimension of the author’s efforts in prosecuting the operations in The Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage, which are the activities covered by the span of the diary. The edition includes a partial fascimile of Abra-Melin in the Mathers translation, which accounts for nearly all of the actual information on the mechanics of the work, so it is difficult to know how rigorous Bloom was in applying its specifics. The Abra-Melin work is mixed with Theosophical aspirations strongly influenced by the works of Alice Bailey, and it is actually these latter that seem to predominate for long stretches of the introspective diary. [via]

The Hermetic Library Reading Room is an imaginary and speculative future reification of the library in the physical world, a place to experience a cabinet of curiosities offering a confabulation of curation, context and community that engages, archives and encourages a living Western Esoteric Tradition. If you would like to contribute to the Hermetic Library Reading Room, consider supporting the library or contact the librarian.