Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work upon Magic
From a Papyrus in the British Museum
By
Charles Whycliffe Goodwin
Edited and Reformatted by A.D. Mercer
Scroll down for ordering information or
click on image to go directly to the purchase page
Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work upon Magic – A New Look at an Ancient Text.
Originally published in 1852, all subsequent reprints have simply reproduced the original text and layout; however, this new edition of Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work upon Magic is not merely a reprint of Goodwin’s manuscript. The original text has been reformatted and reset into a new typeset, and, most importantly, the barbarous words that Goodwin chose to leave out have been inserted into the text, thus allowing the reader to make full use of the rituals contained within without having to refer to other texts in order to use them.
​
While the Betz translation remains the better-known edition, it’s worth noting that Betz is a second-generation translation, once removed, in which Betz translated Preisendanz’s German version. In contrast, Godowin’s was translated directly from the original archaic Greek. Thus, it is closer to the original. This is also the translation that Crowley used to create his ‘Bornless Ritual’.
This edition also includes Goodwin’s comprehensive notes as well as his Lecture to the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, originally published in 1851 and reprinted only once before in a now out-of-print edition.
​
This new edition also includes the Betz’s translation of the Bornless/Headless ritual for comparison purposes, as well as Crowley's Invocation of the Bornless One. And finally, the original archaic Greek manuscript as presented in The British Museum’s catalogue ‘Greek Papyri in the British Museum: Catalogue With Texts’ from 1893, which is laid out differently from Goodwin’s text and includes the footnotes that contain additional information pertinent to the text. Plus more.
Available Now £65
Availability - single formatted copy in Wintan leather.
Hardback £65 - limited to 120 copies. 128 pages. Bound in Wintan Leather.*
Royal format - case binding with gold foil blocking to cover & spine, deep red endpapers,
with red and black head and tail bands. Printed on 90gsm paper, stitched.
Each copy will contain a signed and numbered bookplate uniquely designed for the book.
Both the bookplate and the bookmark are exclusive to online orders from Ninth Circle Press.**
Goodwin's original lacking the Barbarous names
The reset text including the Barbarous names
Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work upon Magic
Contents
Introduction by Richard Ward
​A Brief Modern History of the Text and the Attempt to Identify Its Headless God
Part One: Published versions of the text
Part Two: Identifying the Headless God
Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work Upon Magic Goodwin's Introduction
Fragment of a Graeco-Egyptian Work Upon Magic: Goodwin's Translation
(The Headless Ritual)
Fragments of a Graeco-Egyptian Work Upon Magic: Goodwin's Notes
Goodwin's Lecture to the Cambridge Antiquarian Society
Introduction
On a Graeco-Egyptian Papyrus preserved in the British Museum.
Goodwin's Original Greek Transcription
The Original Text as it appears in Goodwin's Edition
Appendix
Appendix I - Betz's Translation of The Bornless One
Appendix II - Crowley's Invocation of the Bornless One
Appendix III - The Greek Papyri in the British Museum
Appendix IV - Additional Images
*Wintan leather is 85% recycled leather
**Retail editions will be available in Spring '26 and will be numbered but unsigned
PLEASE NOTE Orders are restricted to a maximum of three (3) copies.
Please email info@ninthcirclepress for larger orders