Apparently two scholarly editions of the Picatrix are in the works.
First, Liana Saif, author of The Arabic Influences on Early Modern Occult Philosophy, is working on a new edition of the book. I don’t know if it has a publisher yet; I think it’s changed hands between them at least once.
Also, PSU Press includes a listing for “The History of Magic” that includes a Picatrix edition translated by David Attrell and David Porreca. Right now, that particular link goes nowhere, so I suppose we’ll find out more later.
Which one will be published first, I wonder?
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Quite exciting- Thanks for the heads up!
What is the definitive english version of it to this day?
Martins,
The best published so far is the Greer and Warnock translation of the Latin edition, although I think the upcoming ones should be better.
Attrell and Porreca are translating the Latin Picatrix into English, Saif is translating the Arabic into English; both as critical editions. Saif’s translation will be published by the Warburg Institute.
Thanks! I’d seen something about the Warburg publishing Saif’s translation, but I couldn’t find it when I posted.
There will be a panel dedicated to the Picatrix in The Medieval congress at Kalamazoo this May. Attress, Porreca and Saif will be there talking about their projects https://wmich.edu/medievalcongress/events
Check the program, p. 151.
Hey, thanks for the heads up about these. I had been looking at the Congress Program, but hadn’t yet heard about the Saif translation. Do you read the Societas Magica’s newsletter, by any chance? Their issue 34, Fall 2016, included a 6-page feature by Porreca and Attrell entitled “Notes on the Picatrix: Non-Heteronormative Sex, and Forthcoming Translation,” the last page and a half or so being mostly devoted to the new translation, including some discussion of issues w/ the Greer and Warnock editions. I quoted a portion of it—as well as providing links to the Soc.Mag. newsletters, etc., for those interested—when writing about it and the Congress earlier at the blog, https://www.oneirophant.com/b/2018/03/21/conferences-and-the-picatrix/
Apologies for not approving this earlier – I didn’t realize it was pending. That was an interesting article, although it’s been quite a while since I’ve read it.
No worries. I got a reply from Attrell on Twitter saying the current ETA for their Picatrix is the first quarter 2019, and that they still need to do their index.
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